Chapter 6 — The Imperative and Prohibitive

The imperative form is a direct command: "do it." The prohibitive is its negative counterpart: "don't do it." Both are blunt, forceful, and carry no politeness. You will rarely use them in conversation. But you will encounter them constantly — on signs, in sports, in manga and anime, in emergency instructions, in rough or emotional speech, and in certain fixed expressions. This chapter is primarily about recognition. You need to know what these forms mean when you see or hear them, even if you would never choose to produce them yourself.

The chapter also covers なさい, which is a softened command form that sits between the raw imperative and polite requests. It is common in family settings, schools, and instructions.

6.1 Imperative Formation

The imperative form is short and sharp — often a single syllable change from the dictionary form.

五段 Verbs

Change the final う-row sound to the corresponding え-row sound. That is the entire form — no suffix is added.

Notice that for 五段 verbs, the imperative ending is the same as the え-row shift used for the potential form — but the potential adds る (書ける), while the imperative does not (書け). The imperative is just the bare え-row stem.

一段 Verbs

Drop the final る and add ろ.

An alternative 一段 imperative using よ instead of ろ (食べよ, 見よ) exists in literary and archaic Japanese. You may encounter it in formal written commands, classical texts, or certain set phrases. In modern spoken Japanese, ろ is standard.

Irregular Verbs

しろ follows the 一段-like pattern (ろ ending). 来い is completely irregular — the reading changes to こい and the ending is い. Both must be memorized.

べんきょうする → べんきょうしろ ("Study!") もってくる → もってこい ("Bring it!")

6.2 Prohibitive: Dictionary Form + な

The prohibitive tells someone not to do something. Its formation is simple: take the dictionary form of the verb and add な.

The prohibitive な must not be confused with the sentence-final particle な that expresses emotion or self-directed musing (いいなあ "that's nice," 行きたいな "I'd like to go"). The prohibitive な always follows a dictionary form verb and has a sharp, falling intonation. The emotional な follows other forms and has a softer, often drawn-out intonation (なあ).

動くな！ "Don't move!"

さわるな！ "Don't touch!"

来るな！ "Don't come! / Stay away!"

ここで　食べるな。 "Don't eat here."

あきらめるな。 "Don't give up."

6.3 Where You Encounter These: Signs, Sports, Manga, Emergencies

The imperative and prohibitive are not random rudeness. They appear in specific, predictable contexts where either brevity is essential or the social dynamic permits (or requires) direct commands.

Signs and Public Notices

Signs often use imperative or prohibitive forms for brevity and impact. They may also use more formal alternatives (禁止, きんし — "prohibited"), but the raw forms do appear.

立入禁止（たちいりきんし） "No entry" (literally: "entering prohibited")

さわるな "Don't touch" (on museum displays, etc.)

止まれ（とまれ） "Stop" (traffic sign — imperative of 止まる)

The traffic sign 止まれ is perhaps the most widely seen imperative form in Japan. It appears at intersections where a full stop is required.

Sports and Competition

Coaches, teammates, and spectators use the imperative freely during sports.

走れ！ "Run!"

投げろ！（なげろ） "Throw it!"

がんばれ！ "Do your best! / Hang in there!"

打て！（うて） "Hit it!" (baseball)

あきらめるな！ "Don't give up!"

がんばれ is one of the most common imperative forms in daily Japanese. It is used as encouragement in sports, at work, at school, and in casual conversation. Despite being an imperative, it carries a supportive nuance — more like English "you can do it!" than a harsh command. It is one of the few imperative forms that does not sound aggressive.

Manga, Anime, and Fiction

Characters in manga and anime use the imperative and prohibitive extensively, particularly male characters and characters in positions of authority or danger. Reading manga without understanding these forms means missing a large portion of the dialogue.

待て！ "Wait!"

黙れ！（だまれ） "Shut up!" (literally: "Be silent!")

逃げろ！ "Run! / Get out of here!"

来い！ "Come! / Come here!"

見ろ、あれを！ "Look, at that!"

言うな！（いうな） "Don't say it!"

Emergencies

In emergencies, the imperative is used because there is no time for politeness.

逃げろ！ "Run! / Escape!"

助けて！（たすけて） "Help!" (て-form used as a plea — not technically imperative, but serves the same function)

止まれ！ "Stop!"

降りろ！（おりろ） "Get down! / Get off!"

6.4 なさい — Softened Command

なさい is attached to the ます-stem of a verb and produces a command that is softer than the raw imperative but still clearly a directive. It is used by parents speaking to children, teachers to students, and in written instructions (such as on exams).

Formation: ます-stem ＋ なさい

なさい is strongly associated with maternal speech — the kind of firm but caring instruction a mother gives a child. Japanese sometimes calls this お母さん語（おかあさんご）— "mother language."

はやく　起きなさい。 "Get up quickly."

やさいも　食べなさい。 "Eat your vegetables too."

しゅくだいを　しなさい。 "Do your homework."

もう　ねなさい。おそいよ。 "Go to bed now. It's late."

静かに　しなさい。（しずかに） "Be quiet."

なさい also appears on exams and in written instructions:

つぎの　ぶんを　読んで、しつもんに　こたえなさい。 "Read the following sentences and answer the questions."

正しい　ものを　えらびなさい。（ただしい） "Choose the correct one."

In casual speech, なさい is sometimes shortened to な or なよ:

はやく　食べな。 "Eat quickly." (casual, motherly)

もう　行きなよ。 "You should go already." (casual advice/nudge)

This shortened な is distinct from the prohibitive な (which follows the dictionary form). 食べな (casual なさい) means "eat." 食べるな (prohibitive) means "don't eat." The forms they attach to are different — ます-stem versus dictionary form — so they are not ambiguous in practice.

6.5 Recognition Only — Not for Polite Conversation

This section serves as an explicit reminder of what was implied throughout the chapter. The imperative and prohibitive forms are not appropriate in polite conversation. Using 食べろ with someone you should be polite to — a stranger, a superior, an elder — would be startlingly rude. Even among friends, the imperative can sound aggressive depending on tone and context.

For making requests in polite Japanese, you already have てください (Stage 1). For casual requests among friends, the て-form alone functions as a soft command (待って, "wait"; 見て, "look"). For negative requests, ないでください is polite and ないで is casual.

The following table summarizes the command forms from most polite to most blunt:

The imperative and prohibitive occupy the bottom of this scale. They are tools for comprehension, not production. Know them when you encounter them; do not deploy them yourself until your command of Japanese register is advanced enough to know exactly when they are appropriate.

6.6 Vocabulary List