~なければ ならない

〜nakereba naranai

JLPT N4 Formal Chapter 36: Must and may, 4 of 12

Formation

Verb-ない form + なければ ならない

Express obligation or necessity; 'must', 'have to', 'need to'.

When to use

The full, uncontracted form; safe in writing and formal speech.

Explanation

The ~なければ ならない grammar point is used to express obligation or necessity. In English, it can be translated as 'must', 'have to', or 'need to'. The formation differs depending on whether it is used with a verb. It cannot be used with い-adjectives, な-adjectives or nouns.

Example sentences

Obligation (Must / Have to)

Corpus examples (60)

Showing 25 of 60 corpus examples.