〜ことはない koto wa nai

〜ことはない（koto wa nai）means “there is no need to ~”. Attached to the plain dictionary form, 'V-ることはない' tells the listener there is no need to do V, often to reassure or to talk them out of an unnecessary action or worry. Formation: V-る + ことはない

there is no need to ~

N3

Formation

V-る + ことはない

Explanation

Attached to the plain dictionary form, 'V-ることはない' tells the listener there is no need to do V, often to reassure or to talk them out of an unnecessary action or worry.

Examples

あなたのせいじゃないから、謝ることはないよ。
あなたのせいじゃないから、あやまることはないよ。
It's not your fault, so there's no need to apologize.
まだ時間があるから、そんなに急ぐことはない。
まだじかんがあるから、そんなにいそぐことはない。
There's still time, so there's no need to rush so much.

Note

Different from 〜なくてもいい ('don't have to', neutral); 〜ことはない carries a stronger nuance of reassurance or discouraging an unnecessary act.

FAQ

〜ことはない — what does it mean and how is it used?

there is no need to ~. Attached to the plain dictionary form, 'V-ることはない' tells the listener there is no need to do V, often to reassure or to talk them out of an unnecessary action or worry.

〜ことはない — how do you form it?

V-る + ことはない

〜ことはない — any usage notes?

Different from 〜なくてもいい ('don't have to', neutral); 〜ことはない carries a stronger nuance of reassurance or discouraging an unnecessary act.

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