Mai in Japanese: The Negative Volitional, Will Not and Probably Not

What mai means

Mai is the negative counterpart of the volitional form. Where the volitional ikō expresses intention or invitation, and the conjectural iku darō expresses a guess, mai combines both in the negative: ikumai can mean I will not go or someone probably will not go.

Which meaning applies depends on the subject. With a first-person subject and a verb you can control, mai is usually a resolution: I will not do it. With a third-person subject, or with events outside anyone's control, it is a guess: it probably will not happen.

Mai belongs to written and formal Japanese. It gives a sentence a firm, literary tone, and you will see it in novels, essays, editorials and speeches. In everyday conversation it sounds old-fashioned or theatrical, except in a few fixed expressions.

How to form mai

Godan verbs take the dictionary form plus mai: iku becomes ikumai, nomu becomes nomumai. Ichidan verbs take either the dictionary form plus mai or the stem plus mai: taberumai and tabemai are both used, with taberumai perhaps more common in modern writing.

The irregular verbs are where the quirks lie. Suru has three forms: surumai, sumai, the old classical form, and shimai. Kuru has kurumai, komai and, less commonly, kimai. Grammars disagree slightly on which are standard, so treat all of them as recognisable and choose surumai or kurumai if you need to write one.

For nouns and na-adjectives, use de wa arumai or ja arumai, and for i-adjectives use ku wa arumai or ku mo arumai. The polite form masumai exists, as in ikimasumai, but it is very old-fashioned and rarely used today.

Meaning one: I will not

The volition meaning is a firm resolution by the speaker, and it often pairs with nidoto, never again, or kesshite, absolutely not. It has the tone of a vow made to oneself, which is why it appears in diaries, novels and dramatic moments.

In running text, first-person mai often appears with to omou or to kokoro ni kimeru, I decided in my heart, to show that it is an internal decision.

Meaning two: probably not

The conjecture meaning is a negative guess, roughly equal to nai darō or nai to omou. It is typical of commentary and narration, where a writer judges what is unlikely.

Arumai, from aru, is especially common here. De wa arumai ka, isn't it perhaps, is a formal way to raise a possibility in essays: kore wa mondai de wa arumai ka, might this not be a problem? It works like de wa nai darō ka.

Mai to omou and mai to suru

Mai to omou means I intend not to or I have resolved not to, and mai to suru means try not to or make an effort not to. Both are the negative equivalents of yō to omou and yō to suru.

Mai to suru often describes a visible effort, especially in narrative: namida o misemai to shita, she tried not to show her tears. Like yō to suru, it can describe someone else's effort from outside.

Yō ka mai ka and u ga mai ga

Yō ka mai ka pairs the volitional with mai to mean whether to or not: ikō ka ikumai ka mayou, hesitate over whether to go. It usually appears with mayou, to be torn, or nayamu, to worry over. In speech, people say ikō ka dō ka or iku ka dō ka instead.

U ga mai ga and u to mai to mean whether or not, it makes no difference: ame ga furō ga furumai ga, shiai wa aru, the match goes ahead whether it rains or not. The second half says something that holds either way. In speech, this becomes te mo nakute mo or ka dō ka ni kakawarazu.

Fixed expressions you will actually hear

Some mai expressions are alive in everyday speech. The best known is ja arumai shi, it is not as if..., used to push back: kodomo ja arumai shi, hitori de ikeru yo, I'm not a child, I can go on my own. The shi gives a reason, and the whole phrase sounds lively rather than stiff.

Others include mono de wa arumai, surely not, and wake de mo arumai, it's not as if. You will also hear nidoto... mai in films and dramas when a character makes a vow.

Mai vs modern spoken equivalents

For speaking, you will almost always want a modern form. Negative intention becomes nai tsumori or nai yō ni suru, and negative guess becomes nai darō or nai to omou. Using mai in conversation can sound like a line from a period drama.

• Common mistake: attaching mai to the nai form. Ikanaimai is wrong; mai already contains the negative.
• Common mistake: using mai for other people's intentions. Kare wa ikumai means he probably won't go, not he intends not to go.
• Common mistake: using mai in polite conversation with a superior; it sounds stiff and dramatic. Use itashimasen or nai yō ni itashimasu.