Grammar › Obligation & Permission
〜なくてもいい — “don't have to”
No obligation: 行かなくてもいい — you don't have to go
The opposite of “must”: take the ない-form, change い to くてもいい, and you get “don't have to / it's fine not to”. 心配しなくてもいいよ = you don't need to worry.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| 〜ない → 〜なくてもいい | 行かない → 行かなくてもいい — don't have to go |
| Politer: 〜なくてもいいです | 急がなくてもいいです — no need to hurry |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 明日は来なくてもいいです。 | あしたはこなくてもいいです。 ashitahakonakutemoiidesu。 | You don't have to come tomorrow. |
| お金は払わなくてもいい。 | おかねははらわなくてもいい。 okanehaharawanakutemoii。 | You don't have to pay. |
| 全部食べなくてもいいよ。 | ぜんぶたべなくてもいいよ。 zenbutabenakutemoiiyo。 | You don't have to eat it all. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
Built on the ない-form's て-form (なくて). Don't confuse “don't have to” (なくてもいい) with “must not” (てはいけない) — they're near-opposites, and swapping them changes the meaning completely.