Dictionary form + な is the negative command in Japanese: “Don’t!” It is JLPT N4 grammar and the bluntest way to forbid something. ここに入るな — “Don’t come in here.” / “Keep out.”
At N5 you learned the polite way to tell someone not to do something: 〜ないでください. Prohibitive な strips away all the politeness. You will hear it from coaches, parents, angry characters in dramas and on warning signs — and almost never in polite conversation.
〜な is one syllable of pure prohibition. No “please,” no softening: just “don’t.”
What does な mean?
Adding な to the dictionary form of a verb produces a prohibition: an order not to do something.
- 行く → 行くな — Don’t go!
- 見る → 見るな — Don’t look!
- 忘れる → 忘れるな — Don’t forget!
It is the negative partner of the imperative (command) form: 行け! (“Go!”) and 行くな! (“Don’t go!”). Both sound strong and direct, and both belong to casual or emergency speech.
The English is usually just “Don’t V!” In signs, “No V-ing” or “Keep out” often sounds more natural. In encouragement, like あきらめるな, it becomes “Don’t give up!” — still forceful, but on the listener’s side.
How to form な
That is the whole rule: take the dictionary form, not the ない-form and not the ます-form, and add な. It works identically for every verb group.
| Verb | Dictionary form | Prohibition | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 行く | 行く | 行くな | Don’t go |
| 食べる | 食べる | 食べるな | Don’t eat |
| 触る | 触る | 触るな | Don’t touch |
| する | する | するな | Don’t do it |
| 心配する | 心配する | 心配するな | Don’t worry |
| 来る | 来る | 来るな | Don’t come |
Because the verb looks positive, learners often expect a negative form in front. But the な itself carries the “not.” 食べないな would be something completely different (see the mistakes section).
Prohibitive な does not attach to adjectives or nouns. To forbid a state, use a verb: うるさくするな (“Don’t be noisy”), not うるさいな — which means “You’re so noisy.”
When is な used?
- Emergencies and danger: 動くな！ (“Don’t move!”), 触るな！ (“Don’t touch that!”). There is no time to be polite.
- Signs and notices: short, impersonal warnings — 入るな, 捨てるな, 押すな. Official signs more often use 禁止 (“prohibited”), but hand-written and informal signs use な.
- Coaches, teammates and cheering: 負けるな！ (“Don’t lose!”), あきらめるな！
- Parents, older siblings and bosses in casual scenes: 夜遅くに出かけるな.
- Reported prohibitions: 〜なと言われた — “I was told not to …” This is a very common, completely neutral use.
As a direct command, it is rough and masculine in everyday speech. Women and polite speakers use 〜ないで or 〜ないでください instead, or the softer 〜ちゃだめ. Using な to your boss, a teacher, or a stranger would sound rude or aggressive.
な example sentences
ここに入るな。
Keep out.
危ないから、触るな！
It’s dangerous — don’t touch it!
最後まであきらめるな！
Don’t give up till the very end!
心配するな。大丈夫だよ。
Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.
廊下を走るな。
No running in the hallway.
母に「夜遅くに出かけるな」と言われました。
My mother told me not to go out late at night.
忘れるなよ。明日は試験だぞ。
Don’t forget, OK? The exam is tomorrow.
Example 6 shows the safest way for learners to use な: inside a quotation. Reporting what someone told you (「〜な」と言われた) is polite, because the rough command belongs to the other person, not to you.
Nuance of な
Prohibitive な is absolute. It does not ask, suggest or explain — it simply forbids. That makes it feel harsh when used to a person face to face, but also clear and urgent, which is why it suits danger and signs.
Tone of voice matters a lot. A sharp, falling 入るな！ is a real order. Adding よ — 忘れるなよ — makes it a friendly reminder between close friends, the way English “Don’t forget, OK?” is lighter than “Don’t forget!” In encouragement, like 負けるな, the force is supportive: the speaker is on your side.
Watch the form before な: dictionary form + な means “don’t”: 食べるな = “Don’t eat!” But ます-stem + な is a casual positive command, short for なさい: 食べな = “Eat up!” One syllable changes the meaning completely.
There is also sentence-final な (なあ) for feelings and self-talk: いいなあ (“I’m jealous”), 行きたいな (“I’d like to go”). That な follows adjectives, the たい form or polite/plain statements and is said softly. Prohibitive な follows only a verb’s dictionary form and is said sharply. See なあ for the emotional one.
な vs ないでください
Both tell someone not to do something. The difference is how much respect you show.
Between the two sits casual 〜ないで — 撮らないで — the normal way to ask a friend not to do something. If you are not sure which to use, choose ないで with friends and ないでください with everyone else. Keep な for quotes, signs and the rare real emergency.
Common mistakes with な
な already means “don’t.” Put it on the dictionary form. 食べないな means “(He) doesn’t eat, huh” — sentence-final な, not a command.
ます-stem + な is a casual “do it!” — 入りな means “Come on in.” The prohibition needs the dictionary form.
すみません plus a rough order doesn’t match. With strangers, use ないでください.
な never attaches to ます. A polite prohibition is a different pattern: 言わないでください.
Is な on the JLPT?
Yes. Prohibitive な is N4 grammar, taught together with the imperative form (行け, 食べろ). It appears in grammar blanks, in reading (signs, quoted speech) and in listening, where you must understand what a speaker was told not to do.
At N4 you should be able to:
- Form the prohibition from the dictionary form of any verb
- Recognise 「〜な」と言われた as a reported prohibition
- Tell prohibitive な apart from ます-stem + な and from emotional なあ
- Know it is too rough for polite requests
Listening questions often hinge on this: a father says 「テレビを見るな」, and the question asks what the child must not do. Hear 見る + な as “don’t watch,” not “watch.”
Practice questions for な
Show answer
ここで泳ぐな。 — No swimming here.
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医者に「お酒を飲むな」と言われました。 — My doctor told me not to drink.
Show answer
負けるな！ — Don’t lose! / Come on, you can do it!
Show answer
そのドアを開けないでください。 — Please don’t open that door.
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飲むな。 — Don’t drink it! / 飲みな。 — Go on, drink it. (Dictionary form + な forbids; ます-stem + な tells someone to do it.)
Learning path for な
Related grammar to review next
- 〜ないでください — the polite way to say “please don’t”; the partner to choose between.
- 〜ないで — casual “don’t,” between な and ないでください in strength.
- 〜てはいけない — states a rule (“you must not”) rather than giving an order.
- 〜なさい — the firm but not rude command; its short form 〜な means “do it.”
- なあ — the emotional sentence-ending な, easy to confuse by sound.
Learn な with Hane
Hane trains your ear on 飲むな, 飲みな and 飲まないで side by side, so the one-syllable difference is never a guess. Practise N4 commands in Hane.
FAQ about な
What does な (na) mean in Japanese?
な (na) means “do not do; prohibition”. It is JLPT N4 grammar. Adding な to the dictionary form of a verb produces a prohibition: an order not to do something.
How do you form な (na)?
Verb (dictionary form)+な V-る + な That is the whole rule: take the dictionary form, not the ない-form and not the ます-form, and add な. It works identically for every verb group.
What is the difference between な and ないでください?
〜な: blunt order. 〜ないでください: polite request.
What is an example sentence with な (na)?
ここに入るな。 — Keep out.