Japanese by Example
Learning through examples in manga

Don't worry with すんな

Grammar Explanation: Contracting 〜る＋な to 〜んな

Manga panel from 俺物語!! showing example of Don't worry with すんな.
俺物語!! » Volume 6 » Page 56

Takeo takes his pregnant mother to the hospital, as she’s getting close to delivery. Once there, she gives Takeo and his friend Suna a list of things to take care of during her stay.

母(かあ)さん:
「大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)から心配(しんぱい)すんな」
“I'll be fine, so don't worry.”

Key Points

  1. すんな = contraction of するな (“don’t do”)

    • すんな is a casual spoken contraction of するな (the prohibitive form: “don’t do X”)

    • The full form here would be: 心配(しんぱい)するな → “Don’t worry”

    • Pattern: 〜る ＋ な → 〜んな (drop る, add んな)

  2. Why this contraction sounds casual

    • The prohibitive な itself is already informal/casual (more direct than ないで)

    • The contraction 〜んな makes it even more colloquial and abrupt

    • Common in everyday speech, especially among family or close friends

  3. 心配(しんぱい)する = “to worry”

    • 心配(しんぱい) means “worry” or “concern” (noun)

    • 心配(しんぱい)する turns it into a verb: “to worry”

    • Other examples: 勉強(べんきょう)する (“to study”), 準備(じゅんび)する (“to prepare”)

  4. から adds reasoning

    • 大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)だから = “because I’ll be fine”

    • The から connects the reason to the command that follows

    • “I’ll be fine, so (therefore) don’t worry”

See Also