connective N2 common writtenpolite
〜ことなく — without ~ing (even once)
〜ことなく ・ ことなく
Builds on こと
Meaning
- without ~ing (at all / even once) — an action continues or completes while the named action never occurs; formal/written
Key sentence
彼は一度も休むことなく働き続けた。
He kept working without resting even once.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain dictionary form) + ことなく | Vる + ことなく | 迷うことなく決める |
When: Formal and written/literary — speeches, narration, reports. In conversation 〜ないで is far more natural.
Examples
彼女は最後まで諦めることなく走り切った。
She ran all the way to the end without ever giving up.
誰にも頼ることなく、一人でやり遂げた。
Without relying on anyone, she pulled it off alone.
When you can't use it
- Attaches to the dictionary form (×食べたことなく) and means the action did not happen throughout; it carries a nuance of 'not even once', stronger than a plain 'without'.
Easily confused with
See 〜ことなく in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ことなく 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.