Abstract

The most standard way to express prohibition is to say V-te wa ikenai/ikemasen, which literally means ‘it is wrong to V.’ Other variations of this expression such as V-te wa komaru ‘it is problematic’ or V te wa dame da ‘it is bad’ are also available. This expression conveys a strong tone of command, so this is not used toward superiors. You should use negative requests rather than prohibition toward superiors or strangers, such as -naide itadakenai deshoo ka ‘May I ask you not to do V?’.