The classical negative: 〜ず／〜ざる
Verb in ない without ない + ず ／ + ざる + noun（する → せず／せざる、ある → あらず）
The classical negative: ず at the end of a clause (言わず), ざる before a noun (働かざる者). する → せず／せざる, ある → あらず. Very common in fixed expressions (少なからず, やむを得ず).
In short
ず and ざる are the forms of the classical negative, still very much alive in writing. ず ends a clause or a sentence (何も言わず出て行った), ざる goes before a noun (働かざる者). You find them in fixed expressions: 知らず知らず, 少なからず, やむを得ず, 見ざる聞かざる言わざる. Written register, proverbs.
- 彼は何も言わず、部屋を出て行った。かれはなにもいわず、へやをでていった。He left the room without saying a word.
- 見ざる、聞かざる、言わざる。みざる、きかざる、いわざる。See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. (the three wise monkeys)
- その本には少なからず影響を受けた。そのほんにはすくなからずえいきょうをうけた。That book influenced me considerably.
The basics
Classical Japanese negated verbs with ず. Two main forms of this negative have survived: ず, to end a clause (“without doing, not doing”), and ざる, to qualify a noun (“who does not”).
In modern writing, 〜ず often replaces 〜ないで or 〜なくて mid-sentence, and 〜ざる + noun gives a grave tone to a title or a formula — a little like English “unseen”, “unsaid”, or the archaic “he who does not”.
He left the room without saying a word.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 雨にも負けず、風にも負けず。あめにもまけず、かぜにもまけず。Unbowed by the rain, unbowed by the wind. (Miyazawa Kenji)
How to form it
Start from the ない-form without ない. Two verbs are irregular: する gives せず / せざる, and ある gives あらず / あらざる. 来る gives 来ず (こず).
| Verb | ず (end of clause) | ざる + noun | modern ない |
|---|---|---|---|
| 言う | 言わず | 言わざる | 言わない |
| 見る | 見ず | 見ざる | 見ない |
| する | せず | せざる | しない |
| 来る | 来ず（こず） | 来ざる（こざる） | 来ない |
| ある | あらず | あらざる | ない |
- これは予期せざる事態だった。これはよきせざるじたいだった。It was an unforeseen situation.
- あの人はただ者にあらず。あのひとはただものにあらず。That man is no ordinary person.
Fixed expressions to recognise
Many common words hide a ず or a ざる: 知らず知らず (without realising), 少なからず (not a little), やむを得ず (reluctantly, for want of a choice), 相変わらず (as usual), 思わず (in spite of oneself), 〜ざるを得ない (N2, to have no choice but to).
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 知らず知らず（のうちに） | without realising it |
| 少なからず | not a little, considerably |
| やむを得ず | for want of a choice |
| 思わず | in spite of oneself, involuntarily |
| 〜ざるを得ない | to have no choice but to |
- 台風のため、やむを得ず旅行を中止した。たいふうのため、やむをえずりょこうをちゅうしした。Because of the typhoon, we reluctantly had to cancel the trip.
- あまりの美しさに、思わず声を上げた。あまりのうつくしさに、おもわずこえをあげた。It was so beautiful that I cried out in spite of myself.
ず, ずに, ない
〜ずに is the common adverbial form (“without doing”), and 〜ず can often replace it in writing, with a comma. But at the end of a sentence or before a noun, you have to choose: 〜ない is modern, 〜ず and 〜ざる are classical. Don't mix them: “働かない者食うべからず” is lopsided; the set formula keeps ざる.
- 朝ごはんを食べずに出かけた。あさごはんをたべずにでかけた。I went out without having breakfast. (ずに, everyday)
Common mistakes
- Conjugating する as “しず”: the form is せず, and before a noun せざる.
- Putting ず before a noun: you say 働かざる者, not “働かず者”.
- Taking 少なからず for “a little”: it's the opposite, “not a little”, so “a lot”.
8 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Hokkaidō Line (Classical and formal language) of the Shinkansen.