Learn Japanese grammar: なくちゃ (nakucha) / なくちゃダメ (nakucha dame). Meaning: must do; need to; gotta do ~.
This grammar is the casual spoken way to say that one must do something.
Use the verb’s ない form, but then remove the い
- 食べない -> 食べなくちゃ
- “tabenai” -> “tabe nakucha” = MUST EAT!
Multiple Ways To Use
You can also add だめ or いけない or ならない after the end to sound more serious.
- なくちゃダメ (nakucha dame)
- 食べない -> 食べなくちゃダメ
- “tabenai” -> “tabe nakucha dame” = MUST EAT!
- なくちゃいけない (nakucha ikenai)
- 食べない -> 食べなくちゃいけない
- “tabenai” -> “tabe nakucha ikenai” = MUST EAT!
- なくちゃならない (nakucha naranai)
- 食べない -> 食べなくちゃならない
- “tabenai” -> “tabe nakucha naranai” = MUST EAT!
Similar Grammar
- Very similar to:
- To say the opposite, “must not do”, you can use
- てはいけない (te wa ikenai)
- ちゃいけない・じゃいけない (cha ikenai / ja ikenai) (spoken Japanese)
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なくちゃ - Example Sentences 例文
Each example sentence includes a Japanese hint, the romaji reading, and the English translation.
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Example #1
行かなくちゃ。
Example #2
もう寝なくちゃ。
Example #3
新しい車を買わなくちゃね。
Example #4
よく考えなくちゃダメだよ。
Example #5
君でなくちゃダメなんだ。
Example #6
彼は返さなくちゃいけない借金がある
Example #7
なんで僕がやらなくちゃいけないの。
Example #8
すぐに警察に連絡しなくちゃいけません。
Example #9
世話しなくちゃならない子供がいる。
Example #10
ごめんなさい。早く帰らなくちゃなりません。
Vocabulary List 語彙
| Kanji 漢字 | Kana カナ | English 英語 |
|---|---|---|
| 食べる | たべる | to eat |
| 行く | いく | to go; to move |
| 寝る | ねる | to sleep; to go to bed; to lie down |
| 新しい | あたらしい | new; novel; fresh; recent; latest |
| 車 | くるま | car; automobile; vehicle |
| 買う | かう | to buy; to purchase |
| よく | often, well | |
| 考える | かんがえる | to think |
| 君 | きみ | You |
| 駄目 | だめ | no good; cannot |
| 彼 | かれ | he; him; his |
| 返す | かえす | to return something |
| 僕 | ぼく | I (used by males) |
| 直ぐに | すぐに | immediately; right away; instantly |
| 警察 | けいさつ | police |
| 連絡 | れんらく | to contact; to get in touch |
| 子供 | こども | child |
| 早い | はやい | fast; early |
| もう | already | |
| 借金 | しゃっきん | loan |
| 世話 | せわ | to take care of |
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