Nihoner

言いわ

いわ · iwa

JLPT N5 verb 未然形

is the negative stem of 言う — to say, to utter, to declare.

  • to name, to call
  • to go (e.g. "the alarm went ping"), to make a noise
Classical Japanese — you’ll mostly meet it in older texts and set phrases
Full entry for

How it’s built

言う 言わ

Negative stem (). Never used alone — it is the base for ない (not), れる/られる (passive), せる/させる (causative): 書か → 書かない.

言う is a classical japanese conjugation, so it follows that pattern.

In real sentences

My little brother was told to eat his vegetables without leaving any.

Nihoner sentence bank

According to him, this plan is impossible.

Nihoner sentence bank

According to the teacher, this problem is easy.

Nihoner sentence bank

Other forms and spellings

言や言やぁ言お言おっ言う言ふ言い言っ言え言おう言おふ
negative stem of 言う