ぬ (archaic negation)

• Reading: ぬ
• Romaji: nu
• Formation: Verb 未然形 (irrealis stem) + ぬ/ん

Meaning

An archaic auxiliary that indicates negation, equivalent to ない. It survives in modern Japanese in fixed expressions, proverbs, and literary/formal writing.

ぬ (also written as ん in some contexts) is the classical Japanese negative auxiliary derived from ず. While ない has replaced it in everyday speech, ぬ persists in many common set phrases: 知らぬ間に (without knowing), あらぬ方向 (unexpected direction), ならぬ (must not). It also appears in literary prose and formal/archaic contexts for stylistic effect. The form attaches to the 未然形 (irrealis stem) of verbs, just like ない. Its conjugation differs from ない: attributive form is ぬ, predicative is ぬ/ず, and continuative is ず. Learners should recognise ぬ when reading but typically use ない in production except in fixed expressions.

Examples

1. 知らぬ間に季節が変わっていた。 Before I knew it, the seasons had changed.
2. あの日のことは忘れられぬ思い出だ。 That day is an unforgettable memory.
3. 努力せぬ者に成功はない。 There is no success for those who do not make an effort.

Usage Guide

Context: written, literary, proverbs

Tone: literary

Do Say

• 言わぬが花ということもある。
• あらぬ誤解を招いてしまった。
• 捨てられぬ思い出がたくさんある。

Don't Say

• 明日は行かぬ。(Using ぬ in casual everyday speech sounds stilted and unnatural) → 明日は行かない。
• この映画は面白くぬ。(い-adjectives do not attach to ぬ; the negative is 面白くない) → この映画は面白くない。

Origin & History

ぬ is the attributive form of the classical negative auxiliary ず, which was the primary negation in Old and Classical Japanese. It was gradually replaced by ない from the Edo period onward but remains in fixed expressions.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal