modality N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜たつもりはない — didn't mean to ~
〜たつもりはない ・ たつもりはない
Meaning
- I didn't mean to ~ / I have no sense of having ~ed — denies that one did the act, or did it in that way or with that intent
Key sentence
君を傷つけたつもりはない。
I didn't mean to hurt you.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb た-form + つもりはない | V-た + つもりはない | 言ったつもりはない / だましたつもりはない |
Examples
そんな失礼なことを言ったつもりはありません。
I have no recollection of saying anything that rude.
彼に頼んだつもりはないのに、勝手に進められた。
I never meant to ask him to, yet he went ahead on his own.
悪いことをしたつもりはないが、誤解されてしまった。
I don't feel I did anything wrong, but I ended up being misunderstood.
When you can't use it
- Rejects the listener's assumption that you did the act, or did it deliberately/in that manner. It is a defensive denial of intent or of the deed itself, not a neutral statement.
Easily confused with
〜つもりだった つもりだった = 'I had intended to ~ (but it didn't turn out)' — it affirms a past intention. たつもりはない denies it: 'I had no intention of having done ~ / I don't accept that I did.' 〜つもり つもり states a present intention or belief. つもりはない is its flat denial, and with the た-form it specifically rejects that a completed act was meant or done.
See 〜たつもりはない in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜たつもりはない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.