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JLPT N5Prohibition

てはいけない— The Absolute Wall

Declares an action forbidden — legally, morally, or by the rules. It literally reads "as for doing X, it won't do". This is a stronger, more authoritative prohibition than a simple negative request.

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A short lesson: the pattern, its sentence anatomy, a quick quiz and a sentence to build.

Pro lessonUNIT 12 · PROHIBITION

Structure · 形

[Verb te-form] + はいけない / はいけません

Examples · 例文

  • ここで写真を撮ってはいけません。

    Koko de shashin o totte wa ikemasen.

    You must not take pictures here.

    撮って (take, te-form) + は (topic marker) + いけません (won't do / not allowed)

  • 絶対に入ってはいけない。

    Zettai ni haitte wa ikenai.

    You absolutely must not enter.

    絶対に (absolutely) + 入って (enter) + はいけない (plain, stern prohibition)

  • そんなことをしてはいけないよ。

    Sonna koto o shite wa ikenai yo.

    You shouldn't do that kind of thing.

    そんなこと (such a thing) + して (do) + はいけないよ (authoritative scolding, よ for emphasis)

Usage notes · 注意

  • The ladder of prohibition: 1) てはいけません (public signs / teachers — stern authority). 2) てはだめです (common scolding — firm but personal). 3) ちゃだめ！ (casual contraction — ては collapses into ちゃ). • This is NOT a polite request. To ask someone nicely not to do something, use 〜ないでください instead.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones てはいけない is tested against.

vs〜ないでください

ないでください is a polite request not to do something ('please don't'); てはいけない is a firm rule or prohibition ('you must not').

vs〜なければならない

なければならない states a positive obligation ('must do'); てはいけない states the opposite — a ban on doing ('must not do').

vs〜なくてもいい

なくてもいい gives permission to NOT do something ('you don't have to'); てはいけない removes permission to do it at all.

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