日本語道場
Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2
N3
~てはならない
~te wa naranai
must not
When to use it
Use ~てはならない for absolute prohibitions in written or formal registers — contracts, company rules, compliance notices, policy documents, and speeches. It is markedly stiffer than ~てはいけない and carries the tone of a rule imposed from above rather than a personal warning, so it rarely appears in casual conversation. In email and meetings it surfaces mostly when quoting regulations or stating principles (「~てはなりません」 in polite speech).
Formation
Examples
Customer information must not be taken outside the company.
The contents of this contract must not be disclosed to third parties.
Nothing recorded in the minutes may differ from the facts.
We must not damage the other side's trust during price negotiations.
A delay in reporting is something that must never happen.