auxiliary N2 uncommon literaryarchaic
ぬ — classical/literary negative auxiliary (= ない)
ぬ
Builds on ない形
Meaning
- not ~ — the classical negative auxiliary, equal in meaning to ない, used to modify a noun or end a sentence
Key sentence
思いがけぬ知らせが届いた。
An unexpected piece of news arrived.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (ない-stem) | V-ない stem + ぬ | 知る → 知らぬ、許す → 許さぬ |
| する (irregular) | せぬ | する → せぬ |
When: Literary and archaic; survives in modern Japanese mainly in set phrases (見て見ぬふり, 知らぬ存ぜぬ) and dialect.
Variants
ん — ぬ contracts to ん in speech and dialect: 分からん, 知らん, できん
Examples
彼は見て見ぬふりをした。
He pretended not to see.
言わぬが花。
Some things are better left unsaid. (lit. 'Not saying is the flower.')
あらぬ噂が広まった。
A groundless rumor spread.
二度と戻らぬ日々を思う。
I think of the days that will never return.
When you can't use it
- する becomes せぬ and ある becomes あらぬ. Don't form 「しぬ」 or 「あらない→あらぬ」 mechanically — these are fixed irregulars.
Easily confused with
See ぬ in real sentences
Jengo shows ぬ 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 Intermediate Japanese Grammar.