Structure
Verb［ない］+ ねばならない
Exceptions:
する ￫ せねばならない
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Formal
About ねばならない
Unlike the standard ば form of hypothetical phrases, ねば makes use of the classical auxiliary verb ず in its ね form. However, the meaning is the same as the modern なければ 'if not (A)'. ねば connects to verbs in the same way as ない, and will then be followed by the negative form of なる 'to become', ならない.
Like なければならない, ねばならない will translate to 'must do (A)', or 'have to do (A)', and is simply a double negative that literally means 'if not (A), it won't be (B)'. This is a formal structure, and will mostly be found in literature.
As ね is a form of the literary auxiliary verb ず, the base of する will change to せねば, in the same way it changes to せず in other grammar patterns.
Caution
Sometimes ならない will be replaced with ならぬ. This has exactly the same meaning and just makes use of the ぬ attributive form of the same auxiliary verb, ず.
- 社長には僕に任せてくださいと言ったので、何があっても成功せねばならぬ。I told my boss to leave it to me, so no matter what happens, I must succeed.
While not changing the meaning at all, the addition of ぬ will make the overall expression sound even more old-fashioned.
Fun-fact
As with other 'must' double-negative structures, the second part of the ねばならない may sometimes be omitted, resulting in ねば or せねば appearing by itself. This is similar to the modern ないと appearing without いけない following it.
- もうこんな時間ですか、そろそろ帰らねば。It's already so late! I must go home soon.
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あなたたちは兄弟でしょう？もっと仲良くせねば。You guys are siblings, aren't you? You guys have to be nice to each other.
Synonyms
Examples
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通りがかりに意識を失った人がいたら、すぐに緊急用の番号に連絡せねばならない。
If you happen to come across a person that has lost consciousness, you have to immediately call an emergency phone number.
指示によると日本語能力試験にはHBの鉛筆を使わねばならない。
According to the instructions, you should use an HB pencil on the JLPT exam.
自然環境は悪化の危機にさらされているため、保護するために国際社会が一致して協力せねばならない。
Because the environmental crisis is growing worse, the international community must join forces to protect it.
体重が激減したため、生活パターンを見直さねばならない。
Due to my weight dropping drastically, I must rethink how I live my life.
血圧が高すぎるので、病院に行かねばならない。
Since my blood pressure is too high, I should go to the hospital.
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Relation between ねば and なければ
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ねばならない – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (5 in total)
lisaki8
Thank you for your reply. I will definitely add ねばならない to my JLPT2 review list.
Could I suggest that the tag-line be changed to read something along the lines of:
Rarely used in modern spoken Japanese; mostly used in literature
Maybe that would be more accurate based on the fact that it is used in modern books?
nekoyama
TBH tags like this could just all be replaced with “don’t use this yourself”. On bunpro, something like “rarely used” usually just means “rare in comparison to other things we learn for the JLPT”. But none of these grammar points are really obscure. Otherwise they wouldn’t appear on the JLPT. The main point to take away from these tags is that it’s not the most normal thing to say.
lisaki8
Thank you. I’ll keep this in mind as I continue studying.
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