Hanashimasen
Hanashimasen is the polite non-past negative form of the Japanese verb hanasu, meaning to speak or to tell. It translates roughly as “I will not speak” or “I do not speak,” depending on context. The form is used in formal or courteous speech to indicate that the speaker will refrain from speaking about a topic or in a given situation.
- It is commonly used to state a deliberate choice not to discuss a subject, or to request
- The subject can be the speaker or, with an explicit subject marker, another person (for example,
- It is not a command; rather, it is a polite statement of intention or decision.
Conjugation and related forms:
- Plain negative: hanasanai (話さない)
- Polite non-past negative: hanashimasen (話しません)
- Past polite negative: hanashimasen deshita (話しませんでした)
- Related forms include the affirmative polite hanashimasu (話します) and the plain forms hanasu (to speak) and hanasanai
- Watashi wa koko de hanashimasen. I will not speak here.
- Kare wa mada hanashimasen. He still does not speak.
- Sono koto ni tsuite wa watashi wa hanashimasen. I will not speak about that matter.
- Hanasu, the verb meaning to speak or tell
- Japanese polite speech styles and negative forms
- Distinctions between plain and polite forms in conversation
Hanashimasen thus serves as a concise, respectful way to indicate that one will refrain from speaking