Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
“To not try to do…”, “To show no sign of doing…”, or “To refuse to do…”
🎯 Primary Function
To describe a third-person subject’s firm reluctance, lack of effort, or determined refusal to perform an action. It often carries a nuance of criticism or disappointment.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (Volitional Form) + としない
N/A
N/A
N/A (The pattern itself is negative, using としない)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in objective reports or formal complaints about someone’s inaction or lack of cooperation.
Informal Situations
Used to complain or express frustration about someone’s stubbornness (e.g., about a child or a coworker).
Written Language
Very common in narrative writing, news articles, and explanatory texts to describe actions or attitudes.
Spoken Language
Used, but can sound slightly stiff compared to simpler negative forms; it emphasizes the refusal.
💡 Common Applications
Describing a person’s stubborn refusal or resistance.
Used to criticize or point out that someone is actively resisting admitting a mistake, indicating a strong lack of will.
Example: 彼は自分の間違いを認めようとしない。(Kare wa jibun no machigai o mitomeyō to shinai.)
Describing the lack of cooperation from an inanimate object or situation.
Used anthropomorphically to describe something that is stubbornly inactive or refuses to start working, despite attempts.
Example: 古い機械は動こうとしない。(Furui kikai wa ugokō to shinai.)
Expressing frustration or disappointment at a lack of effort or change.
Highlights the subject’s firm unwillingness or resistance to perform an expected action.
Example: 子供は宿題をやろうとしない。(Kodomo wa shukudai o yarō to shinai.)
Frequency
Moderately High (Common in written narratives and formal critique)
Difficulty
JLPT N3
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Example Sentences
Example #1
彼はいくら説得しても、考えを変えようとしない。
Furigana: かれはいくらせっとくしても、かんがえをかえようとしない。
Romaji: Kare wa ikura settoku shite mo, kangae o kaeyō to shinai.
English: No matter how much we try to persuade him, he refuses to change his mind.
Example #2
このドアは古くて、押しても引いても開こうとしない。
Furigana: このドアはふるくて、おしてもひいてもあこうとしない。
Romaji: Kono doa wa furukute, oshite mo hiite mo akō to shinai.
English: This door is old, and it simply won’t open no matter if you push or pull it.
Example #3
その猫は、私が近づくと、絶対に触られようとしない。
Furigana: そのねこは、わたしがちかづくと、ぜったいにさわられようとしない。
Romaji: Sono neko wa, watashi ga chikazuku to, zettai ni sawarareyō to shinai.
English: When I approach that cat, it absolutely refuses to be touched.
Example #4
政府は国民の意見を真剣に聞こうとしない態度だ。
Furigana: せいふはこくみんのいけんをしんけんにきこうとしないたいどだ。
Romaji: Seifu wa kokumin no iken o shinken ni kikō to shinai taido da.
English: The government is taking an attitude of refusing to seriously listen to the public’s opinions.
Example #5
病気の父は、医者の忠告にもかかわらず、薬を飲もうとしない。
Furigana: びょうきのちちは、いしゃのちゅうこくにもかかわらず、くすりをのもうとしない。
Romaji: Byōki no chichi wa, isha no chūkoku ni mo kakawarazu, kusuri o nomō to shinai.
English: Despite the doctor’s advice, my sick father refuses to take his medicine.
Example #6
彼女は失敗から何も学ぼうとしないので、また同じミスを繰り返すだろう。
Furigana: かのじょはしっぱいからなにもまなぼうとしないので、またおなじミスをくりかえすだろう。
Romaji: Kanojo wa shippai kara nani mo manabō to shinai node, mata onaji misu o kurikaesu darō.
English: She refuses to learn anything from her failures, so she will probably repeat the same mistakes.
Example #7
問題の解決には協力が必要なのに、誰も手を挙げようとしない。
Furigana: もんだいのかいけつにはきょうりょくがひつようなのに、だれもてをあげようとしない。
Romaji: Mondai no kaiketsu ni wa kyōryoku ga hitsuyō na noni, dare mo te o ageyō to shinai.
English: Cooperation is necessary to solve the problem, yet no one is willing to volunteer.
Example #8
赤ん坊は夜中に泣き続けて、なかなか眠ろうとしない。
Furigana: あかんぼうはよなかに泣きつづけて、なかなかねむろうとしない。
Romaji: Akanbō wa yonaka ni nakitsuzukete, nakanaka nemurō to shinai.
English: The baby kept crying all night and simply wouldn’t go to sleep.
Example #9
何時間も待ったが、事故渋滞は一向に解消しようとしない。
Furigana: なんじかんもまったが、じこじゅうたいはいっこうにかいしょうしようとしない。
Romaji: Nanjikan mo matta ga, jiko jūtai wa ikkō ni kaishō shiyō to shinai.
English: We waited for hours, but the accident traffic jam showed no sign of clearing up at all.
Example #10
彼はいつも言い訳ばかりで、自分の非を認めようとしない。
Furigana: かれはいつもいいわけばかりで、じぶんのひをみとめようとしない。
Romaji: Kare wa itsumo iiwake bakari de, jibun no hi o mitomeyō to shinai.
English: He is always full of excuses and refuses to admit his own fault.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Used primarily for third-person subjects.
This pattern is used almost exclusively for third-person subjects (people, animals, or objects). It describes their will or lack thereof.
Example: 彼は全く勉強しようとしない。(Kare wa mattaku benkyō shiyō to shinai.)
Implies active resistance or strong reluctance.
「ようとしない」 implies a determined unwillingness or active resistance, often suggesting stubbornness, which is much stronger than a simple statement of non-action (〜ない).
Example: 彼は話そうとしない。(He refuses to talk.) vs. 彼は話さない。(He doesn’t talk.)
Can be used for inanimate subjects.
It can also be used with inanimate objects, phenomena, or situations to describe a persistent non-change or refusal to cooperate.
Example: 病気は治ろうとしない。(The illness shows no sign of healing.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 彼は食べるとしない。(Kare wa taberu to shinai.)
✅ Use the Volitional Form (e.g., 食べよう, ikō, shiyō).
The pattern requires the verb to be in its Volitional Form (意向形) before adding 「としない」. Using the plain form (e.g., 食べる) is incorrect.
❌ 私は朝ごはんを食べようとしない。(Watashi wa asagohan o tabeyō to shinai.)
✅ It should primarily be used for third-person subjects.
If the speaker simply doesn’t perform an action, they should use the simple negative form (e.g., 食べない). Using 「ようとしない」 for oneself often sounds awkward unless used rhetorically.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral to descriptive. The pattern itself is not inherently polite or impolite, but the content often involves criticizing someone’s lack of effort or will.
Social Situations: Often used in situations where the speaker feels the subject *should* be trying or *should* be willing to do something, implying a breach of expectation.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. No significant regional variations in structure, though the frequency of use might vary.
🔍 Subtle Differences
ようとしない vs. たがらない
「ようとしない」 describes the active refusal or lack of effort regarding a conscious action. 「たがらない」 describes a third person’s lack of desire or emotion (e.g., 欲しがらない, 行きたがらない).
When to use: Use 「ようとしない」 when the action requires effort or will (e.g., to admit, to change, to open).
ようとしない vs. ない
「ない」 is a neutral statement of fact (non-action). 「ようとしない」 implies the potential/expectation to do the action exists, but the subject firmly resists doing it.
When to use: Use 「ようとしない」 when expressing disappointment, criticism, or strong insistence about the subject’s non-action.
📝 Conjugation Notes
The pattern is formed by attaching 「としない」 to the dictionary form of a verb’s Volitional Form (意向形). Examples: 飲む → 飲もうとしない, する → しようとしない, 来る → 来ようとしない. The negative component 「しない」 can be conjugated further (e.g., しなかった, しません, しませんでしたが).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The focus often falls on the particle 「と」 which connects the volitional form to the negative verb 「しない」, emphasizing the firm refusal: “shiyō-to-shinai.”
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of 「ようとする」 as “to be on the verge of/to intend to do.” Adding 「としない」 means “not to be on the verge of doing” or “to refuse to show the intention/effort.” (Intentional action + Negative).
Other Grammar
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