connective N3 common politewritten
〜ずに — without ~ing
〜ずに ・ ずに
Builds on 〜ず
Meaning
- without ~ing — does the main action while leaving another action undone
Key sentence
朝ごはんを食べずに、出かけた。
I went out without eating breakfast.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb ない-stem + ずに (する → せずに, irregular) | V[ない-stem] + ずに | 言わずに / 寝ずに / 連絡せずに |
Examples
彼は何も言わずに部屋を出て行った。
He left the room without saying anything.
昨夜は一睡もせずに勉強した。
Last night I studied without sleeping a wink.
When you can't use it
- する becomes せずに, never ×しずに. This is the one irregular form to memorize.
Easily confused with
ないで ないで is the everyday spoken 'without ~ing' (食べないで行く); ずに is the same meaning in a slightly more formal or written register — interchangeable in most sentences. なく なく is a formal continuative that links clauses in writing ('not ~, and…'); ずに specifically frames one action as the unfulfilled accompaniment of another ('without doing X, did Y').
Notes
- ずに is the に-marked form of the classical negative ず. Dropping に gives a more literary 〜ず (休まず働く). Compare 〜ずに済む, 'to get by without ~ing'.
See 〜ずに in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ずに 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, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.