See it through to the end: 〜ぬく
Verb (stem) + ぬく（抜く）／ぬいた + N
Stem + 抜く: go all the way, overcoming the ordeal (走り抜く, やり抜く), or “to the utmost” with a verb of suffering (悩み抜く).
In short
〜ぬく (often written 〜抜く) attaches to a verb stem: you carry the action through to the end, overcoming an ordeal. 最後まで走り抜く (run all the way to the finish line in spite of everything), 考え抜く (think something through thoroughly), 守り抜く (protect at all costs), 生き抜く (survive a hard era). With verbs of suffering, it means “to the utmost”: 困り抜く, 悩み抜く. Neutral register; very common in sport, pep talks and personal accounts.
- 足を怪我したが、彼は最後まで走り抜いた。あしをけがしたが、かれはさいごまではしりぬいた。He'd injured his leg, but he ran all the way to the end.
- 考え抜いた末に、会社をやめることにした。かんがえぬいたすえに、かいしゃをやめることにした。After thinking it through thoroughly, I decided to leave the company.
- 一度決めたことは、最後までやり抜くつもりだ。いちどきめたことは、さいごまでやりぬくつもりだ。Once I've decided on something, I intend to see it through to the end.
The basics
抜く means “to pierce, to go right through”. Attached to another verb, it keeps that image: you go through the action from one end to the other, without stopping, despite the obstacles. 走り抜く isn't just “run”, it's “hold out all the way to the finish”.
The ordeal is essential: you don't use 〜抜く for an easy action.
He'd injured his leg, but he ran all the way to the end.
- other
- noun
- verb
- grammatical form
- チームは最後の一秒まで戦い抜いた。ちーむはさいごのいちびょうまでたたかいぬいた。The team fought to the very last second.
- どんなことがあっても、家族を守り抜く。どんなことがあっても、かぞくをまもりぬく。Whatever happens, I'll protect my family.
How to form it
Verb stem + 抜く, which conjugates like an ordinary う-verb. Before a noun, the past form is very common: 考え抜いた結論, 鍛え抜いた体. In the passive, 選び抜かれた means “hand-picked”.
| Verb | With 抜く | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 走る | 走り抜く | run all the way to the end |
| やる | やり抜く | see it through despite everything |
| 守る | 守り抜く | protect at all costs |
| 生きる | 生き抜く | survive a hard period |
| 考える | 考え抜く | think it through thoroughly |
| 選ぶ | 選び抜かれた | hand-picked (passive) |
- 当店では、選び抜かれた材料だけを使っています。とうてんでは、えらびぬかれたざいりょうだけをつかっています。At our restaurant, we use only carefully selected ingredients.
Two meanings: to the end, and to the extreme
With a verb of action or will, 抜く says “to the end” (やり抜く). With a verb of suffering or difficulty, it says “to the utmost”: 困り抜く (be utterly at a loss), 悩み抜く (agonise for a long time). Often followed by 末（に）, “after, at the end of”.
Don't confuse it with compound verbs where 抜く keeps its literal meaning: 追い抜く (overtake, pass), 引き抜く (pull out, poach).
- 困り抜いた末に、先生に相談した。こまりぬいたすえに、せんせいにそうだんした。Completely at my wits' end, I finally went to my teacher for advice.
- 前のトラックを追い抜いた。まえのとらっくをおいぬいた。I overtook the lorry in front. (literal meaning: pass)
抜く, きる, 通す
〜きる (N3) only says you've done it all, with no idea of an ordeal: 食べきる, 使いきる. 〜通す stresses unbroken continuity: やり通す, 黙り通す. 〜抜く adds the struggle: you held out in the face of difficulty.
| Form | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜抜く | to the end despite the ordeal | 最後まで走り抜く |
| 〜きる | completely, all of it | お金を使いきる |
| 〜通す | without a break, start to finish | 一晩中歩き通す |
- 旅行で財布のお金を全部使いきった。りょこうでさいふのおかねをぜんぶつかいきった。I spent all the money in my wallet on the trip.
Common mistakes
- Using it for an action with no difficulty: ×水を飲み抜く. For “drink it all”, 飲みきる or 飲み干す.
- Attaching it to the て-form: ×考えて抜く. It's the stem: 考え抜く.
- Reading 追い抜く as “chase to the end”: it means “overtake, pass”.
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 N2 point is on the Kamiiida Line (Health and the body) of the Nagoya lines.