Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 1: 4/23

~ざるTo not ~, Un~

Structure

Verb[ない]+ ざる + Noun

Details

    About ~ざる

    ざる is the attributive form of the classical auxiliary verb ず. It keeps the same negation 'not' meaning as ず, and will conjugate with verbs in the same way as ない. ざる will also often be translated as 'un~', like in 'unstoppable'.

    In most cases, ざる will be seen attached to verbs that are describing a noun that comes directly after them.

    Although ざる may be used in place of ない, in modern Japanese it is primarily only seen as part of common expressions or sayings, such as the ざるを()ない 'have no choice but to (A)' grammar structure.

    Caution

    As with many old-fashioned grammar patterns, ざる will conjugate with the せ stem of する, rather than the more modern し stem.

    • 病気(びょうき)事故(じこ)などの理由(りゆう)で、宿泊(しゅくはく)をキャンセルせざるをえない場合(ばあい)はキャンセル(りょう)発生(はっせい)(いた)しません。
      No cancellation fee will be charged if you need to cancel your stay due to illness or accident.

    Fun-fact

    Some dictionaries list ざる as the attributive form of the classical auxiliary verb ざり. However, ざり itself is just a contraction of ず and あり 'to be'. Due to this, both variations may be considered as correct, with ず being the underlying origination.

    Examples

    --:--

      たゆまざる努力(どりょく)のおかげで成功者(せいこうしゃ)になった。

      Thanks to my unrelenting efforts, I became a successful person.

      たゆまざる努力(どりょく)をすることが、成功(せいこう)への(かぎ)だ。

      Putting in unrelenting effort is the key to success.

      あの作家(さっか)()られざる名画(めいが)(ぼく)()っています。

      I know that artist's unknown masterpiece.

      ()ざる(きず)()ってしまい、()()んでいる。

      I suffered a wound that will not disappear, so I am depressed.

      (うそ)をつかざる(ひと)しか信頼(しんらい)することができない。

      You cannot trust anyone apart from a person who does not lie.

    • Get more example sentences!

      Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

    Self-Study Sentences

    Study your own way!

    Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

    • Online

        There are no Online resources listed for 「~ざる」.

        You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!


      • Offline

          There are no Offline resources listed for 「~ざる」.

          You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

        • Track Resources!

          Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

        ~ざる – Grammar Discussion

        There's currently no discussion for ~ざる

        Start it to ask questions and learn together with other Bunpro users!

        Start Discussion