Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 8: 19/23

ずにWithout doing

に can be omitted

Structure

Verb［ない］+ ず(に)

Exceptions:
する ￫ せず(に)

Details

  • Register

    Formal

About ずに

Although it is not considered to be one of the primary 18 auxiliary verbs that are used in modern Japanese, ず is a classical auxiliary verb that has the same role as ぬ, and ない. This role is negating the verb that it is attached to. ずに is simply the addition of the case marking particle に to ず. Together, they mean 'without doing', in a similar way to ないで.

To use ずに, attach it to the indeterminate form of the verb that you wish to express as 'without doing (A)'. This is the same form used with ない.

ずに is quite a bit more formal than ないで, but still frequently used in modern Japanese. Especially as part of set phrases, like ずにすむ (which we will learn about in another lesson).

Caution

When used with a する verb, する will become せずに, not しずに. Both せ and し are indeterminate forms of する. し, the more common form that is used in east Japan appears with ない.

  • 勉強(べんきょう)せずにテストを受(う)けたから、テストの点数(てんすう)が低(ひく)かった。
    Because I took the test without studying, I got a low score.
  • あんまり無理(むり)をせずに頑張(がんば)ってくださいね。
    Please do your best without trying too hard.

Related

Examples

--:--

    忘(わす)れずに届(とど)けてくれてありがとうございます。

    Thank you for notifying me (without forgetting).

    何(なに)も知(し)らずにあんなこと言(い)ってごめんなさい。

    Sorry for saying those things without knowing the full story.

    悩(なや)まずに生(い)きるなんて不可能(ふかのう)なのかもしれない。

    It might not be possible to live without worrying.

    値段(ねだん)を見(み)ずに買(か)ったら大変(たいへん)なことになった。

    I bought it without checking the price and now I am in a bind.

    彼(かれ)は朝(あさ)ごはんを食(た)べずに仕事(しごと)に行(い)きました。

    He left for work without eating breakfast.

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

  • Online

      There are no Online resources listed for 「ずに」.

      You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

    • Offline

        There are no Offline resources listed for 「ずに」.

        You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

      • Track Resources!

        Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

      ずに – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (16 in total)

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        English translation:
        without doing

        Structure:
        Verb[ない] + ずに

        :
        する → せず

        View on Bunpro

      • megatron0000

        megatron0000

        I can’t help wondering how this looks similar to まま. Are they generally interchangeable ?

        Well, not exactly interchangeable, but ずに seems to be replaceable for まま. For example, the first reading sentence of the grammar point:

        彼は朝ごはんを食べずに仕事に行きました -> 彼は朝ごはんを食べないまま仕事に行きました

      • Anthropos888

        Anthropos888

        Is the ず form basically the same as ないで meaning “don’t”? As in:

        去る者は追わず。

        Do you have this ず as separate grammar point? If not, you should mention it’s function and meaning in the ないで or ずに grammar.

      • Anthropos888

        Anthropos888

        @mrnoone ?

      • Ambo100

        Ambo100

        Another grammar resource:

      • flowsnake

        flowsnake

        Most of the sentences give you the hint that you don’t need a に before a comma, so why does one of the examples have せずに 、?

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        Hey

        My fault, fixed it!

        Sorry for the inconvenience!
        Cheers!

      • Johnathan-Weir

        Johnathan-Weir

        You should note that the に isn’t necessary and makes the phrase more stiff. Luckily there are already example sentences but the meaning page doesn’t reflect those usages.

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        Hey

        I have added the information about the fact that に can be omitted

        Cheers

      • asdfpotato

        asdfpotato

        I’m a bit confused as to why the sentence 休まず、一日中ゲームをやり続けた uses 休まず instead of 休みず?

      • FredKore

        FredKore

        休まない
        休まない + ず
        休まず
        ta-dah!

      • cineebon

        cineebon

        The nihongo no mori video has been made private. Does anyone still have access to it?

      • Daru

        Daru

        Seems to me like they still haven’t made the update, but still delisted the old one.
        I’ve replaced it with another resource video, thank you for pointing that out!

      • Pablunpro

        Pablunpro

        Hi!

        Whilst looking into Tae Kim’s online resource, I see that he also includes「くる」as an exception, as it becomes「こず」and not 「くず」.

        Could this be included in the Exceptions or is there any consideration preventing it?

        EDIT: after listening to Tezuka Sensei in the Meshclass video, I’ve realised that my request is not valid, as 「くる」follows the standard pattern, its indeterminate form being 「こ」.

        間違えてすみません。

        良い一日を

      • GudGud07

        GudGud07

        I’m sorry for reviving this topic, but I’m a bit lost, why are we not adding a に at the end of the sentence ?

      • FredKore

        FredKore

        The meaning of “not doing” is captured in the ず. Adding the に turns it into something kinda like an adverb – it describes how the phrase that follows is being done, so it gets translated into “without doing”.
        休まない = not rest, doesn’t rest
        休まず = not rest, doesn’t rest
        休まないで勉強する = study without resting
        休まずに勉強する = study without resting
        Because it’s from classical Japanese, ず shows up in a lot of idioms. It’s not as common as ない in everyday conversation, but it has the same meaning.

      • IcyIceBear

        IcyIceBear

        Because of the comma it’s not needed

      Got questions about ずに? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

      Join the Discussion