🚫🗣️🇯🇵

How to Say ‘I can't speak Japanese.’ in Japanese

日本語が話せません。

nihon go ga hanase mase n

[nee-hon goh ga hah-NAH-seh mah-seh n]

💬 Usage Tip: With "can" verbs like 話せる "can speak", the thing you can or can't do usually takes が instead of を.

Phrase Breakdown

日本語が

nihon go ga

Japanese (language)

日本語 (nihongo) means the Japanese language. The particle が (ga) marks what you can or can't do.

Example

日本語が好きです。

I like Japanese.

Words in this phrase

日本

nihon

[nee-hon]

Japan

The country Japan; often used in museum exhibit names.

Example

日本の歴史を見ます。

I will see the history of Japan.

語

[goh]

language

Suffix meaning language, attached to country names.

Example

英語を話します。

I speak English.

が

[ga]

subject marker

A particle marking the subject of the sentence.

Example

興味がある分野を教えてください。

Please tell me the field you are interested in.

話せません。

hanase mase n

can't speak

The polite negative of 'can speak'. Say 'ha-na-se-ma-sen'.

Example

まだ話せません。

I can't speak it yet.

Words in this phrase

話せ

hanase

[hah-NAH-seh]

can speak

Potential form of 話す (to speak), meaning 'be able to speak'.

Example

フランス語が話せます。

I can speak French.

ませ

mase

[mah-seh]

polite negative (part of ません)

「ませ」 is part of 「ません」, the polite negative form.

Example

はいていません。

I haven’t vomited.

ん

[n]

negative ending

The final sound completing the negative polite form.

Example

一人は魚が食べられません。

One person cannot eat fish.

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