Nakutehaikenai

Usually written in kana.

無くてはいけない (Nakutehaikenai) is a Japanese expression meaning “cannot do without something, indispensable, absolutely necessary, have to do”.

Meanings

  1. expressioncannot do without something; indispensable; absolutely necessary
  2. expressionhave to doafter negative base of verb

Examples

  • You ought not to miss it.

  • I have to brush my teeth.

  • You should be prepared for emergencies.

Sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR).

Kanji in 無くてはいけない

nothingness

Related words

nonexistentunreasonableto be lost (e.g. luggage)isn't it?safetycertainfutilitycannot do without somethingthere's no (other) wayI'm sorryisn't it?radio (communication)