JapaneseJLPT
JLPT N3 grammar · Chapter 20

～ようではないか・～ようじゃないか

Invite others to take action together

You’ll be able to make an encouraging or rhetorical proposal meaning that a group should do something.

Illustration of the scene described by We are almost at the mountain summit, so let's join forces and hike all the way to the top!
Read it first

山頂さんちょうまであと少すこしだから、みんなで力ちからを合あわせて登のぼり切きろうじゃないか。

sanchou made ato sukoshi da kara, minna de chikara o awasete noborikirou ja nai ka.

What do you think this sentence means?

We are almost at the mountain summit, so let's join forces and hike all the way to the top!

Why it means that

Make an inspiring call to action

～ようではないか (or conversational ～ようじゃないか) is a passionate, inspiring proposal calling upon a group to take action together ("let us...", "shall we not...").

Examples

今日きょうはみんなで楽たのしもうじゃないか。

kyou wa minna de tanoshimou ja nai ka.

Let's all have a good time today!

自分じぶんたちの町まちをきれいにしようではないか。

jibuntachi no machi o kirei ni shiyou dewa nai ka.

Let us make our own town clean!

How it is built

Attach ではないか or じゃないか to the volitional form

Conjugate the verb into its volitional form (～よう／～ろう) and attach ではないか (formal/literary) or じゃないか (spoken/encouraging). It urges the listeners to unite in action.

verb (volitional form)+ではないか／じゃないか
Example

自然しぜん環境かんきょうを守まもるために、できることから始はじめようじゃないか。

shizen kankyou o mamoru tame ni, dekiru koto kara hajimeyou ja nai ka.

To protect the natural environment, why don't we start with what we can do!

Compare

～ましょう vs ～ようじゃないか

Both invite others to act together. ～ましょう is an everyday “let’s”. ～ようじゃないか (written ～ようではないか) is a rousing call to a group, like a leader firing everyone up.

  • ～ましょう, let's

    みんなで頑張がんばりましょう。

    minna de ganbarimashou.

    Let's all do our best.

    Everyday and polite.

  • ～ようじゃないか, come on, let's

    みんなで頑張がんばろうじゃないか。

    minna de ganbarou ja nai ka.

    Come on, let's all do our best!

    A rallying cry to a group.

Examples

皆みなさん、この町まちの古ふるいお祭まつりを次つぎの世代せだいに残のこそうではないか。

minasan, kono machi no furui omatsuri o tsugi no sedai ni nokosou de wa nai ka.

Everyone, let us pass this town’s old festival on to the next generation.

試合しあいに負まけたのは悔くやしいが、来年らいねんこそ優勝ゆうしょうしようじゃないか。

shiai ni maketa no wa kuyashii ga, rainen koso yuushou shiyou ja nai ka.

It hurts that we lost, but let’s make sure we win next year!

売うり上あげが落おちている今いまこそ、新あたらしいことに挑戦ちょうせんしようではないか。

uriage ga ochite iru ima koso, atarashii koto ni chousen shiyou de wa nai ka.

Now that sales are falling, let us take on something new!

7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.