What does it mean word for word?
The word consists of two parts: じゃ (ja), which is a contraction of では (de wa) acting as a particle to indicate a state or condition and ない (nai), which is the negative form of the verb aru (to exist), literally meaning "does not exist".
Which one should you use?
While じゃない is a common conversational form, the more grammatically standard and formal version is ではない (de wa nai).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
じゃない is the informal, conversational version used when speaking with friends or family. For more formal situations, you can use de wa nai desu or the even more polite Dewa arimasen.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can turn the statement into a polite question or a way to seek confirmation, similar to the English "isn't it?", by adding desu ka to create じゃないですか (ja nai desu ka).
How do you pronounce it?
ja nai
Did you know?
- In casual speech, the phrase じゃない can be used as an intensifier to express surprise or admiration, similar to saying 'Wait, this is actually great!' It transforms a negative structure into a positive exclamation.
- While じゃない is the standard informal negation, some dialects in Western Japan, such as in Osaka, replace it with ちゃう (chau) to say 'it is not'.
- In certain casual dialects, such as those in Tokyo, people may swap the sounds to say janē instead of janai. This change in vowel length is a common way to signal a very masculine or rough, colloquial tone.
Examples in context
- これは私の本じゃない。Kore wa watashi no hon janai.This is not my book.
- 彼は学生じゃないです。Kare wa gakusei janai desu.He is not a student.
- それは夢じゃないよ。Sore wa yume janai yo.That is not a dream.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a photo of a person.
- 美咲 Misakiこの人は田中さんじゃない？Kono hito wa Tanaka-san janai?Isn't this person Mr. Tanaka?
- 陽太 Yotaいや、田中さんじゃないよ。Iya, Tanaka-san janai yo.No, it's not Mr. Tanaka.
- 美咲 Misakiじゃあ、誰かな？Jaa, dare kana?Then, who is it?
- 陽太 Yota佐藤さんじゃないかな。Sato-san janai kana.I wonder if it's Mr. Sato.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry じゃない, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
