〜ずに: 'Without Doing' (Meaning + Examples)
What it means
〜ずに describes an action carried out without another action happening. It answers "in what manner?" — you did X without doing Y first (or at all):
ヤッタンは朝ごはんを食べずに学校へ行った。
ヤッタンは あさごはんを たべずに がっこうへ いった。
Yattan went to school without eating breakfast.
モチは何も言わずに帰った。
モチは なにも いわずに かえった。
Mochi went home without saying anything.
弟は宿題をせずに寝てしまった。
おとうとは しゅくだいを せずに ねて しまった。
My little brother fell asleep without doing his homework.
する becomes せずに, not ×しずに.
The feeling is the same as English "without ~ing." It's slightly more formal and literary than the everyday 〜ないで, so you'll see it often in writing, announcements, and careful speech.
How to form it
Take the ない-form, drop ない, and attach ずに:
| Verb type | Verb | ない-form | 〜ずに |
|---|---|---|---|
| る-verb | 食べる | 食べない | 食べずに |
| う-verb | 言う | 言わない | 言わずに |
| う-verb | 行く | 行かない | 行かずに |
| Irregular | 来る | 来ない | 来ずに (こずに) |
| Irregular | する | しない | せずに |
The only thing to memorize is the する exception: it becomes せずに, not ×しずに. So 勉強する → 勉強せずに, 運動する → 運動せずに.
More examples
先生は休まずに二時間も話し続けた。
せんせいは やすまずに にじかんも はなしつづけた。
The teacher kept talking for two whole hours without taking a break.
辞書を使わずにこの記事が読めますか。
じしょを つかわずに この きじが よめますか。
Can you read this article without using a dictionary?
モチは傘を持たずに出かけて、雨にぬれた。
モチは かさを もたずに でかけて、あめに ぬれた。
Mochi went out without bringing an umbrella and got soaked in the rain.
〜ずに vs 〜ないで vs 〜なくて
These three look similar but split into two jobs.
Manner — "without doing": Both 〜ずに and 〜ないで work. 〜ずに is more formal/written; 〜ないで is more conversational. They are interchangeable in meaning here:
- 何も食べずに出かけた = 何も食べないで出かけた ("went out without eating anything").
Cause/reason — "because ... not": For this you need 〜なくて, not ずに. 〜なくて links a reason to a result, often an emotion or a state you couldn't control:
バスが来なくて、遅刻した。
バスが こなくて、ちこくした。
The bus didn't come, so I was late.
Cause/reason → なくて, not ×来ずに.
A quick test: if you can replace "without ~ing" → use ずに/ないで. If the meaning is "because ... didn't" → use なくて.
A note on bare 〜ず
You will also meet 〜ず on its own (without に), used as a literary connective meaning "and not" or "without." It joins clauses in formal or written Japanese:
ヤッタンは諦めず、最後まで頑張った。
ヤッタンは あきらめず、さいごまで がんばった。
Yattan didn't give up and tried hard to the very end.
Bare 〜ず links clauses; common in writing.
In everyday speech you'd more likely say 諦めないで or 諦めずに. Bare 〜ず has a crisp, written tone — useful to recognize, especially in essays, news, and set phrases (e.g. 思わず "involuntarily," 絶えず "constantly").
Common mistakes
- Saying ×しずに for する. The irregular form is せずに: 連絡せずに帰った ("left without getting in touch"), never 連絡しずに.
- Using ずに for a cause. "I was sleepy because I didn't sleep" needs なくて (寝られなくて眠い), not 寝られずに眠い. ずに/ないで are for manner, not reason.
- Adding を or extra particles before ずに. It attaches straight to the verb stem: 言わずに (✓), not 言わを ずに.
- Treating ずに as casual slang. It's the opposite — ずに leans formal/written. In relaxed conversation, 〜ないで often sounds more natural.
Quick recap
- 〜ずに = "without doing": ない-form minus ない, plus ずに.
- する → せずに (irregular); 来る → 来ずに.
- Same meaning as 〜ないで, but more formal/written.
- For "because ... not," use 〜なくて instead.
- Bare 〜ず is a literary connective ("and not / without").
Your turn
Choose the correct 〜ずに form (watch out for せずに) and tell it apart from なくて.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between 〜ずに and 〜ないで?
They mean the same thing — 'without doing' — but 〜ずに is more formal and written, while 〜ないで is more conversational. 食べずに出かけた and 食べないで出かけた are interchangeable.
Why is it せずに and not しずに?
する is irregular here: its 〜ずに form is せずに. So 勉強せずに ('without studying'), 連絡せずに ('without contacting'). しずに is always wrong.
Can I use 〜ずに to give a reason?
No. ずに describes manner ('without doing'). For a cause ('because ... didn't'), use 〜なくて: バスが来なくて遅刻した ('I was late because the bus didn't come').
What is bare 〜ず without に?
It's a literary connective meaning 'and not / without,' used to link clauses in writing: 諦めず頑張った ('didn't give up and kept trying'). It sounds formal compared with ないで.