N3 Emphasis, Limitation, and Addition
~じゃない: meaning, usage and examples
~じゃない means: ...isn't it? (rhetorical, seeking agreement).
How to form it
＜Verb / い-adj plain＞ + じゃない / ＜Noun / な-adj＞ + じゃない (falling or rising tone)
Examples
その服、いいじゃない。
Hey, those clothes look nice!
すごいじゃない！おめでとう！
That's amazing! Congratulations!
この写真、よく撮れてるじゃない。
Hey, this photo came out really well!
田中さんも誘えばいいじゃない。
Why don't you just invite Mr. Tanaka too?
When to use it
Not a negative here. Said with a falling or rising tone, じゃない asks for agreement or shows surprise: いいじゃない 'that's nice, isn't it'. It is also used to remind someone: 言ったじゃない 'I told you, didn't I'. Use it in casual talk to praise, agree, or point out what should be obvious.
Nuance
Casual. The polite version is じゃないですか. Some speakers use じゃん (casual, younger) or じゃないか (stronger). Pointing out something obvious can sound like blame, so keep it to friends and family.
Compare
Compare the negative じゃない: 学生じゃない 'is not a student' (flat tone). 学生じゃない? with a rising tone means 'isn't he a student?'. Compare でしょう: 高いでしょう asks for agreement softly; 高いじゃない sounds more surprised or emotional.
Tip: Listen for the tone. Flat じゃない is a plain negative; a rising or emotional one is agreement or surprise.
More in Emphasis, Limitation, and Addition
- ~ばかり (nothing but): only... / nothing but...
- ~ばかりか/~ばかりでなく: not only... but also...
- ~うえに: on top of... / in addition to...
- ~はもちろん〜も: ...of course, but also...
- ~こそ: the very... (for emphasis)
- ~(で)さえ: even... (as an extreme example)
- ~なんか/〜なんて: ...like (expresses surprise, disgust, or de-emphasis)
- ~まで: even... (to such an extent...)
- ~ば〜ほど: the more... the more...
Frequently asked questions
What does ~じゃない mean?
...isn't it? (rhetorical, seeking agreement). Example: その服、いいじゃない。 (Hey, those clothes look nice!)
How do you form ~じゃない?
＜Verb / い-adj plain＞ + じゃない / ＜Noun / な-adj＞ + じゃない (falling or rising tone). Listen for the tone. Flat じゃない is a plain negative; a rising or emotional one is agreement or surprise.