Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 70th issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Today, we’re simply going through…

Anime of the day: Gachiakuta

The Future Tense in Japanese

(and why it’s not really a “tense” at all)

What You Need to Know First

In Japanese, there's no separate “future tense” verb form like in English. Instead, the present tense form is used for both present and future actions.

📌 Example:
あした、映画を見ます。
Ashita, eiga o mimasu.
Tomorrow, I will watch a movie.

Even though “見ます (mimasu)” is technically present tense, context (the word “ashita” = tomorrow) makes it clear this is a future action.

So, How Do We Express the Future?

Use non-past verb forms (that is, the dictionary form or ます-form) + a time word like:

• あした (ashita) = tomorrow

• らいしゅう (raishuu) = next week

• 来年 / らいねん (rainen) = next year

• 今夜 / こんや (kon'ya) = tonight

Then just use the same grammar as you would for the present tense!

Affirmative Examples:

• 明日、仕事をします。
  Ashita, shigoto o shimasu.
  Tomorrow, I will work.

• 来年、日本に行く。
  Rainen, Nihon ni iku.
  Next year, I will go to Japan.

Negative Future:

Just use the negative form of the present tense.

• 明日、行きません。
  Ashita, ikimasen.
  I won’t go tomorrow.

• 来年、日本に行かない。
  Rainen, Nihon ni ikanai.
  I will not go to Japan next year.

Future Questions:

Just add か at the end of a question as usual.

• あした、行きますか？
  Ashita, ikimasu ka?
  Are you going tomorrow?

Future Plans vs. Immediate Intentions

Use:

• つもり (tsumori) = “plan to”

• でしょう / だろう (deshou/darou) = probably

• よてい (yotei) = scheduled to

• 〜たい (tai) = want to

Example:
来年、日本に行くつもりです。
Rainen, Nihon ni iku tsumori desu.
I plan to go to Japan next year.

Mini Story: The Lazy Samurai’s Political Future

Let’s test what you’ve learned in context.

のんびり侍とえらい人たち
Nonbiri-zamurai to erai hitotachi
The Lazy Samurai and the Important People

昔々（むかしむかし）、のんびりした侍がいました。
Mukashi mukashi, nonbiri shita samurai ga imashita.
Once upon a time, there was a lazy samurai.

彼の名前は五郎でした。
Kare no namae wa Gorou deshita.
His name was Gorou.

えらい政治家たちは、会議をします。
Erai seijika-tachi wa, kaigi o shimasu.
Important politicians are holding a meeting.

五郎は言います：「明日、会議に行きません。」
Gorou wa iimasu: ‘Ashita, kaigi ni ikimasen.’
Gorou says: “I won’t go to the meeting tomorrow.”

(Grammar: 行きません = negative non-past = “will not go”)

「え？行かないの？」
"E? Ikanai no?"
"What? You’re not going?"

「うん。明日は昼ねをします。」
"Un. Ashita wa hirune o shimasu."
"Yeah. Tomorrow I will take a nap."

(Grammar: します = future action via context)

「でも、将軍が来ますよ！」
"Demo, shougun ga kimasu yo!"
"But the shogun is coming!"

「じゃあ、来週行きます。」
"Jaa, raishuu ikimasu."
"Then, I’ll go next week."

(Grammar: 来週 + 行きます = “will go next week”)

将軍は言いました：「この侍は…おもしろい。」
Shougun wa iimashita: ‘Kono samurai wa… omoshiroi.’
The shogun said, “This samurai is… interesting.”

そして、五郎は政治家になります。
Soshite, Gorou wa seijika ni narimasu.
And then, Gorou becomes a politician.

(Grammar: なります = becomes/will become)

Grammar Notes from the Story

• 行きません (ikimasen) = “will not go” (negative future)

• します (shimasu) = can mean present or future (context decides)

• なります (narimasu) = become / will become

• Time words like 明日 (ashita) and 来週 (raishuu) show when something will happen