connective N2 common casualpolitewritten
なしに — without ~ing
なしに
Meaning
- without ~ / without doing ~ — an action happens with an expected accompanying step absent; formal
Key sentence
彼は何の説明もなしに帰ってしまった。
He left without any explanation at all.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + なしに | 許可なしに入る |
| Verb (plain) + こと | Vること + なしに | 休むことなしに働く |
When: Formal and written; with a noun (許可なしに) it is common, while the longer 〜ることなしに is stiff and literary.
Examples
予約なしに来店されても、ご案内できません。
If you come to the store without a reservation, we can't seat you.
彼女は涙なしにその話を語れなかった。
She couldn't tell that story without tears.
When you can't use it
- Marks the absence of an expected accompanying action or thing; with verbs it needs the こと nominaliser (Vることなしに). The plainer spoken equivalent is 〜ないで.
Easily confused with
〜ないで ないで is the everyday spoken 'without ~ing' (見ないで 'without looking'); なしに is the formal, often noun-based counterpart (断りなしに 'without notice'). 〜ことなく Both are formal 'without ~ing'. ことなく stresses 'not even once / not at all' over a span; なしに stresses the simple absence of an expected accompanying step.
See なしに in real sentences
Jengo shows なしに the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.