だめ

• Reading: だめ
• Romaji: dame
• Pronunciation: /da.me/

Meaning

No good; useless; hopeless; must not. Used to express that something is unacceptable or will not work.

A na-adjective and noun with broad usage. Prohibition: ～してはだめ (must not do). Futility: 何をやってもだめだ (nothing works). Spoiled/broken: もうだめだ (it is no good anymore). One of the most frequently used negative evaluations in casual Japanese. Can be written だめ, ダメ, or 駄目, but hiragana and katakana are far more common.

Examples

1. ここでタバコを吸ってはだめですよ。 You must not smoke here.
2. 何回やってもだめだった。 No matter how many times I tried, it was no good.
3. この牛乳は古くなってもうだめだ。 This milk has gone bad — it's no good anymore.

Usage Guide

Context: prohibition, evaluation, daily life

Tone: negative

Origin & History

Written 駄目 in kanji. Originally a Go (board game) term referring to a point on the board that benefits neither player — a useless, neutral intersection. Extended to mean useless or no good in general.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo period

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal