～なくなる (no longer)

Japanese Grammar Basic Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral なくなるnakunaru
Reading なくなる
Romaji nakunaru
Formation Verb ない-form stem + なくなる / い-Adj stem + くなくなる / な-Adj + ではなくなる

Meaning

A construction expressing that a state or action has ceased to occur or is no longer the case. It indicates a change to a situation where something that used to happen or be true no longer does.

なくなる combines the negative form なく with なる (to become), literally meaning 'to become not.' For verbs, the negative stem is used: 食べる → 食べなくなる (no longer eat), 行く → 行かなくなる (no longer go). For い-adjectives, drop い and add くなくなる: 高い → 高くなくなる (no longer expensive). For な-adjectives and nouns with だ: 静かではなくなる, 学生ではなくなる. The pattern emphasizes a change — it implies that the action or state previously existed but has stopped. This is different from simply stating a negative: 食べない means 'don't eat,' while 食べなくなった means 'stopped eating' or 'no longer eat.' It is very common in describing life changes, habit changes, and evolving situations.

Examples

  1. 最近コーヒーを飲まなくなった。 I stopped drinking coffee recently.
  2. 引っ越してから友達に会えなくなりました。 After moving, I could no longer meet my friends.
  3. 年を取ると小さい字が見えなくなる。 As you get older, you can no longer see small text.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: reflective

Do Say

  • 子供が野菜を食べなくなって困っています。
  • 運動を始めてから疲れにくくなった。
  • あの店は人気がなくなってきた。

Don't Say

  • 最近テレビを見ないなった。(Using ない directly with なった — the correct form is なくなった with adverbial く) → 最近テレビを見なくなった。
  • 行くなくなった。(Attaching なくなる to dictionary form — use the ない stem: 行かなくなった) → 行かなくなった。

Origin & History

This pattern is a combination of the negative auxiliary ない in its adverbial form なく and the verb なる meaning 'to become.' Together they express the transition into a negative state — literally 'becoming not,' which naturally conveys the cessation of a previous action or condition.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Related Phrases

～て (て form) The て form is one of the most versatile verb and adjective conjugations in Japanese. It connects clauses, forms compound verbs, makes requests, and serves as the base for many auxiliary constructions such as ている, てしまう, and ておく. ～てくる (1) (directional) An auxiliary verb construction where くる follows the て form to express that someone or something moves toward the speaker. It indicates physical movement in the direction of the speaker's location. ～てみる (try doing) An auxiliary verb construction where みる follows the て form to express trying or attempting an action to see what happens or what it is like. It conveys the nuance of doing something experimentally or for the first time. ～ことができる (able to) A construction expressing ability or possibility. It states that doing a particular action is possible, either because of personal skill, circumstances, or permission. It is the formal equivalent of the potential form of verbs. ～すぎる (too much) An auxiliary verb attached to verb stems and adjective stems to express that something is done excessively or a state is excessive. It conveys the meaning of 'too much' or 'overly.' ～ていく (1) (moving away) An auxiliary verb construction where いく follows the て form of a verb to indicate that an action or movement proceeds in a direction away from the speaker or a reference point. It describes going somewhere while doing something, or doing something and then going. ～ていく (2) (ongoing change) An auxiliary verb construction where いく follows the て form of a verb to express that an action or state continues to change or progress from the present into the future. It describes a gradual, ongoing shift moving forward in time. ～ておく (in advance) An auxiliary verb attached to the て form indicating that an action is done in advance, in preparation for a future need or situation. It conveys the idea of doing something ahead of time and leaving the result in place.
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