adverbial N2 common casual
ろくに〜ない — not properly ~
ろくに〜ない
Meaning
- not properly / not even adequately ~ — something is done so little or so poorly it doesn't reach a decent level, with a tone of complaint
Key sentence
忙しくて、ろくに食事もしていない。
I've been so busy I haven't even eaten properly.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ろくに + negative predicate | ろくに + 〜ない | ろくに寝ていない / ろくに話せない |
Examples
彼はろくに調べもせずに、結論を出した。
He reached a conclusion without even looking into it properly.
緊張して、ろくに挨拶もできなかった。
I was so nervous I couldn't even greet them properly.
Easily confused with
Notes
- ろく (碌) means 'satisfactory / decent', so ろくに〜ない is 'not to a decent degree'. It implies the speaker thinks the level fell short of what it should be.
See ろくに〜ない in real sentences
Jengo shows ろくに〜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.