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ずに. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ずに, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ずに in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ずに you have here. The definition of the word
ずに will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
ずに, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Japanese
Pronunciation
Suffix
ずに • (-zuni)
- to not do something and do something else
- 中田さんは大阪に行かずに京都に行った。
- Nakada-san wa ōsaka ni ikazuni kyōto ni itta.
- Mr. Nakada didn’t go to Osaka; he went to Kyoto.
- without doing something
- ナンシーはきのう朝ご飯を食べずに学校へ行った。
- Nanshī wa kinō asagohan o tabezuni gakkō e itta.
- Nancy went to school yesterday without eating her breakfast.
- 辞書を使わずに読んでください。
- Jisho o tsukawazuni yonde kudasai.
- Please read it without using a dictionary.
- 一郎は帽子を脱がずに部屋に入った。
- Ichirō wa bōshi o nugazuni heya ni haitta.
- Ichiro entered the room without taking off his hat.
- "Verb + ずに + おく": to not do something (in advance); to leave something (in a state) without doing something
- まだあるから買わずにおきました。
- Mada aru kara kawazuni okimashita.
- Because I still have it, I didn’t buy it (in advance).
- 食べずにおいた。
- Tabezuni oita.
- I left it uneaten.
- (literally, “I left it without eating it.”)
Usage notes
- In the above sentences, ずに and ないで (naide) are interchangeable. However, in the following sentences, ないで must be used, because ずに is grammatically incorrect.
- まだ帰らないでください。 ― mada kaeranaide kudasai. ― Please don’t go home yet.
- 電話しないで欲しい。 ― denwashinaide hoshī. ― Lit. I want you not to call me. (Fig. Don’t call me.)
- 見ないでください。 ― minaide kudasai. ― Please do not look at it.
- ずに has the exact same formation as ないで in almost all cases. The sole exception is the verb する (suru), which changes from しないで (shinaide) to せずに (sezuni).
- The difference between ないで and ずに is that ないで is used in informal speech or conversational Japanese, whereas ずに is used in formal speech or written Japanese.
- For the following sentences in which the ないで clause indicates some cause for human emotion that is expressed in the main clause, なくて (nakute) can replace ないで, but not ずに.
- 僕は英語が話せないで恥ずかしかった。 ― boku wa eigo ga hanasenaide hazukashikatta. ― I felt ashamed because I couldn’t speak English.
- スージーが遊びに来ないでほっとした。 ― sūjī ga asobi ni konaide hottoshita. ― I felt relieved because Susie didn’t come to play.
- For sentences that express the idea of “X is not Y but X,” neither ないで nor ずに can replace なくて.
- 私は学生ではなくて先生です。 ― watashi wa gakuseide wa nakute sensei desu. ― I am not a student but a teacher.[1]
Synonyms
References
- ^ Makino, Seiichi, Tsutsui, Michio (1989 January 1) “Main Entries: -nai de”, in A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, 1st edition, 5-4, Shibaura 4-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0023, Japan: The Japan Times, →ISBN, pages 271-273