~ものではない

〜mono dewa nai

JLPT N2 Neutral Chapter 107: Reacting, feeling, finding it unbearable, 6 of 7

Formation

Verb-dictionary form + ものではない

Expresses a strong negative suggestion or prohibition: 'should not', 'must not'.

When to use

A social/moral prohibition - "that's not the sort of thing one does" - rather than a hard rule.

Explanation

「~ものではない」 is used to indicate that something should not or must not be done. It often appears in written or formal contexts, meaning 'it is not proper to...' or 'you shouldn’t...'.

Example sentences

Permission And Prohibition (May / Must Not)

Corpus examples (53)

Showing 25 of 53 corpus examples.