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Grammar detail: てはならない

てはならない  must not ~; should not ~; is strictly forbidden to ~
196 words
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verb て form
+
はならない
はなりません
means
must not ~; should not ~; is strictly forbidden to ~
~てはならない is used to express strong prohibitions. It means that something must not be done because it goes against laws, rules, social norms, or moral principles. It is mainly used in formal writing and formal speech.
In everyday speech, it is more common to use ~てはいけない for warnings, instructions, and everyday prohibitions (e.g., a parent telling a child not to eat sweets). By contrast, ~てはならない carries a much stronger, more formal, and authoritative tone.
  • Where you'll see it: Public signs, written rules and regulations, legal documents, academic writing, formal speeches, and statements of moral principle.
  • Tone: Authoritative, formal, and impersonal. It expresses an official or objective stance rather than a personal opinion.
  • Typical verbs: Verbs describing actions in public spaces (e.g., enter, smoke, litter) and abstract verbs related to duty or responsibility (e.g., forget, overestimate, ignore).

Official rules & regulations

かんない
館内
しゃしん
写真
さつえい
撮影
してはならない
Taking photographs inside the building is strictly prohibited.

Moral duty & principles

わたし
たちこの
いた
ましい
れきし
歴史
わす
れてはならない

We must never forget this tragic piece of history.
いかなる
くに
たこく
他国
ないせい
内政
かんしょう
干渉
して
はならない
No country should interfere in another country's internal affairs.
しみん
市民
だれ
でもその
けんり
権利
うば
われて
はならない
No citizen should be deprived of his rights.
わたし
たちその
ひげき
悲劇
かえ
してはならなかった

It was a tragedy that we ought never to have repeated.

Safety procedures & professional ethics

あんぜんそうち
安全装置
かいじょ
解除
した
まま
きかい
機械
そうさ
操作
してはならない

You must not operate the machinery while the safety device is disabled.
Other usage
これ
のが
して
はならない
ぜっこう
絶好
きかい
機会
かれ
おも
った

He felt that this was too good a chance to miss.
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Kanji used in this grammar

カン    building   やかた castle, mansion   
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ナイ   ダイ   うち inside   
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シャ   photo   うつ to duplicate, to depict   うつ to be photographed   
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シン   truth   ま exactly; deep   
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サツ   take a picture   と to take (a picture)   
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エイ   かげ shadow   
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シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
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ツウ   いた painful   いた to hurt, be painful   いためる to hurt, damage   
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レキ    passing of time   
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シ    history   
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ボウ   わすれる to forget   
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コク   くに country   
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タ   ほか other   
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セイ   ショウ   まつりごと government   
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カン   dry; drying frame   ひ to get dry   ほ to dry (something), to air   
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ショウ    ford   
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シ   いち market   
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ミン   たみ people   
だれ who   
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ケン   ゴン    a right   
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リ    effective, interest, profit, advantage   き to be effective   
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ダツ   うば to snatch (away), to take by force, to steal   
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ヒ   かなしい sad   かなしむ to be sad   
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ゲキ    dramatic, drama, play   
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to wind, reel, spin   
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ヘン   かえ to return, to come back   かえ to return (something)   
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アン   やす peaceful; cheap   
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ゼン   まった entirely   すべ everything   
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ソウ   ショウ   よそお to wear; to pretend   
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チ   お to put   
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カイ   ゲ   と to untie, solve, resolve   とける to come undone, disappear   とかす to melt, dissolve   
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ジ   ジョ   のぞ to exclude; to remove   
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キ    machine   はた loom   
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カイ    contraption   
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ソウ   あやつ to control   みさお chastity, faith   
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サク   サ   つく to make   
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トウ   にげる    のがれる to escape   にがす    のが to free   
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ゼツ   たえる to die out   たやす to eradicate   た to sever, to cut off   
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コウ   この    す to like   
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カイ   エ   あ to meet   
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ヒ   かれ he   
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シ   おも to think   
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