Contractions – casual Japanese
Meaning, explanation and example sentences with translations.
〜ている · 〜ている → 〜てる
an action in progress, or a state
The い of 〜ている usually drops, leaving 〜てる.
The full 〜ている is still correct. The short form is simply what people say out loud.
Friends, family, people your own age. To a customer or a manager, 〜ています stays.
〜てる is not the past tense. The short form of 〜ていた is 〜てた.
Examples
- 弟はテレビを見ている。 → 弟はテレビを見てる。My little brother is watching TV.
- 今、駅で待っている。 → 今、駅で待ってる。I'm waiting at the station right now.
〜ていた · 〜ていた → 〜てた
an action that was going on, or a state that held
The same い drops in the past: いた becomes た.
This is where 〜てる and 〜てた get mixed up. One letter carries the whole difference in time.
Casual. The polite past stays 〜ていました.
〜てた is past. If you mean right now, it is 〜てる.
Examples
- さっきまで働いていた。 → さっきまで働いてた。I was working until a moment ago.
- ずっと駅で待っていた。 → ずっと駅で待ってた。I was waiting at the station the whole time.
〜ています · 〜ています → 〜てます
an action in progress, said politely but not stiffly
The same い drops even inside polite speech: います becomes ます.
This one matters because it shows that shortening is not the same as being casual. 〜てます is still polite — just relaxed.
Relaxed polite: colleagues, shop staff, people you already know at work.
Not for a first meeting, a formal email or a customer. There 〜ています stays whole.
Examples
- 今、電車に乗っています。 → 今、電車に乗ってます。I'm on the train right now.
- 毎日日本語を勉強しています。 → 毎日日本語を勉強してます。I study Japanese every day.
〜ていない · 〜ていない → 〜てない
something has not happened, or is not going on
The same い drops in the negative: いない becomes ない.
Very often this means “not yet”, not “not at all” — 食べてない is usually “I haven't eaten”.
Casual. Politely it is 〜ていません, or the relaxed 〜てません.
Do not read 〜てない as 〜なかった. It is a present state, not a past event.
Examples
- まだ何も食べていない。 → まだ何も食べてない。I haven't eaten anything yet.
- 宿題がまだ終わっていない。 → 宿題がまだ終わってない。My homework isn't finished yet.
〜ていません · 〜ていません → 〜てません
something has not happened, said politely but not stiffly
The polite negative loses the same い: いません becomes ません.
Like 〜てます, this is shortened and still polite. The two axes are separate.
Relaxed polite, like 〜てます.
Not for formal writing. There the full 〜ていません is expected.
Examples
- まだ返事をもらっていません。 → まだ返事をもらってません。I haven't had a reply yet.
- その話はまだ聞いていません。 → その話はまだ聞いてません。I haven't heard about that yet.
〜もの · もの → もん
giving a reason with a hint of complaint or excuse
もの shortens to もん.
This one carries a tone: it pushes back a little. 知らないもん is “well, I didn't know”.
Casual, and it sounds young. Not to a manager or a customer.
Not every もの is this one. The もの meaning “thing” does not become もん here.
Examples
- だって知らなかったもの。 → だって知らなかったもん。But I didn't know!
- 眠いもの、仕方がない。 → 眠いもん、仕方ない。I'm sleepy — can't be helped.
でしょう · でしょう → でしょ
checking that the listener agrees
The final long vowel is simply cut short.
でしょ？ asks for agreement and can sound pushy if you use it upwards.
Casual to relaxed polite. In a presentation, keep でしょう.
でしょ is not the same as だろ. でしょ keeps the polite です inside it.
Examples
- この店、おいしいでしょう。 → この店、おいしいでしょ。This place is good, isn't it?
〜なければ · なければ → なきゃ
the “unless” half of saying you have to do something
なければ contracts to なきゃ.
Almost always the tail (ならない, いけない) is dropped as well, so 〜なきゃ ends the sentence on its own.
Casual. Politely you keep 〜なければなりません.
なきゃ and なくちゃ mean the same thing. They come from different halves — なければ and なくては.
Examples
- もう行かなければ。 → もう行かなきゃ。I have to go now.
- 薬を飲まなければ。 → 薬を飲まなきゃ。I have to take my medicine.
〜なくては · なくては → なくちゃ
the same obligation, coming from the other half
なくては contracts to なくちゃ — the same ては that gives ちゃ elsewhere.
なくちゃ sounds a shade softer and more spoken than なきゃ. Both are everyday.
Casual. Politely 〜なくてはいけません.
Not a different meaning from なきゃ. The two differ in feel, not in what they say.
Examples
- 宿題をやらなくては。 → 宿題をやらなくちゃ。I have to do my homework.
- そろそろ寝なくては。 → そろそろ寝なくちゃ。I should get to bed soon.
〜てはいけない · てはいけない → ちゃいけない
saying that something is not allowed
ては contracts to ちゃ. After a voiced 〜で it is じゃ instead.
This ちゃ is not the ちゃ of 〜ちゃう. Same two letters, different source.
Casual. Politely 〜てはいけません.
食べちゃいけない is “must not eat”; 食べちゃう is “end up eating”. The difference is the whole rest of the word.
Examples
- ここに車を止めてはいけない。 → ここに車を止めちゃいけない。You can't park here.
- そんなことを言ってはいけない。 → そんなことを言っちゃいけない。You mustn't say things like that.
〜てはだめ · てはだめ → ちゃだめ
a plain, direct “no”
The same ては contraction, in front of だめ.
〜ちゃだめ is what a parent says to a child, and what friends say to each other.
Casual and direct. To anyone above you it would be 〜てはいけません.
だめ here is not an adjective describing the thing. It applies to the action.
Examples
- まだ開けてはだめ。 → まだ開けちゃだめ。Don't open it yet.
〜らない · 〜らない → 〜んない
a plain negative, said quickly
らない often becomes んない in relaxed speech.
A whole family runs on this: わかんない, つまんない, 終わんない, 変わんない.
Casual and a little loose. Not in writing, not at work.
It only works where らない is really there. 食べない has no ら and stays 食べない.
Examples
- 全然わからない。 → 全然わかんない。I don't get it at all.
- この映画、つまらない。 → この映画、つまんない。This film is boring.
- 仕事がなかなか終わらない。 → 仕事がなかなか終わんない。Work just won't end.
じゃない · じゃない → じゃん
checking agreement, not denying anything
The tag-question じゃない shortens to じゃん.
Only the tag question does this. The じゃない that denies something never becomes じゃん.
Casual and young-sounding. Not to a manager, not to a customer.
いいじゃん is “that's fine, isn't it” — a compliment. いいじゃない with a flat tone can be a refusal.
Examples
- これ、おいしいじゃない。 → これ、おいしいじゃん。Hey, this is good!
- もう終わったじゃない。 → もう終わったじゃん。It's already finished, isn't it.
〜なければよかった · なければよかった → なきゃよかった
regret about something you did do
The same なければ contraction, with よかった left in place.
The trap is the tail: 〜なきゃ means “I have to”, 〜なきゃよかった means “I wish I hadn't”.
Casual. Politely 〜なければよかったです.
Opposite meanings, one syllable apart in the middle of the sentence. Listen for the ending.
Examples
- あんなことを言わなければよかった。 → あんなことを言わなきゃよかった。I wish I hadn't said that.
- 昨日あんなに飲まなければよかった。 → 昨日あんなに飲まなきゃよかった。I wish I hadn't drunk so much yesterday.
〜ない · 〜ない → 〜ねえ
an ordinary negative said roughly
ない is pronounced ねえ.
Nothing about the meaning changes. What changes is how you come across.
Blunt, and mostly male. Common in fiction and among close friends; out of place almost everywhere else.
Learn to hear this one, not to use it. It is here so 知らねえ does not stop you.
Examples
- そんなこと知らない。 → そんなこと知らねえ。I don't know anything about that.
- 時間が足りない。 → 時間が足りねえ。There isn't enough time.
Where this comes from
Everything above comes from the free part of the Kuzushi app and has passed its content review.
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