ず

From Old Japanese. Generally considered to be a combination of negation suffix ぬ (nu) in its 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of に (ni) + honorific suffix す (su).^[1]^[2]^[3]

/nisu/ → */nzu/ → /zu/

Appears both as zu and as the older nisu form in the Man'yōshū poetry anthology.

Pronunciation

In the modern Tokyo dialect, when -ず attaches to the 未然形 (mizenkei) of a verb, the resulting accent usually follows the accent of the base verb, but exceptions are to be observed:

When attaching to a 平板式 (heiban-shiki) verb, the result is also 平板式 (heiban-shiki):

言(い)う (iu): いう [iu] (Heiban – [0]) → いわず [iwazu] (Heiban – [0])

寝(ね)る (neru): ねる [neru] (Heiban – [0]) → ねず [nezu] (Heiban – [0])

When attaching to a 起伏式 (kifuku-shiki) verb, the result is also 起伏式 (kifuku-shiki) with the アクセント核 (akusento-kaku, “accent kernel”) usually falling on the mora before -ず:

書(か)く (kaku): かく [kaꜜku] (Atamadaka – [1]) → かかず [kakaꜜzu] (Nakadaka)

出来(でき)る (dekiru): できる [dekiꜜru] (Nakadaka) → できず [dekiꜜzu] (Nakadaka)

For some accented -ず forms, the アクセント核 (akusento-kaku, “accent kernel”) falls on the mora before the mora before the -ず. This is in particular the case for fossilized (lexicalized) adverbials, as opposed to spontaneous suffixation. These exceptional accents are more traditional. In some cases, both accents exist with the exceptional, traditional accent being more strongly associated with the fossilized, adverbial meaning and the regular, modern accent being more strongly associated with the predictable verbal meaning.
Examples of exceptional accents include: 非(あら)ず (arazu), 可(べ)からず (bekarazu), 思(おも)わず (omowazu), 問(と)わず (towazu)
As with せぬ (senu) and せよ (seyo), せず (sezu) is accented even though する (suru) is not.
Some lexical items such as 恥(はじ)知(し)らず (hajishirazu) may appear to be exceptional when they are not; they get their accent from compounding:
はじ [hajiꜜ] (Odaka) + しらず [shirazu] (Heiban – [0]) → はじしらず [hajishiꜜrazu] (Nakadaka)

Suffix

ず • (-zu)

not doing
何(なに)も知(し)らず
nani mo shirazu
not knowing anything

Usage notes

Much as the older negation suffix ぬ (nu) and the modern negation suffix ない (nai), ず (zu) must come after the 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis or incomplete form”) of a verb.

The suffix ず (zu) is more formal than the everyday negation suffix ない (nai).

The kanji spelling 不 attaches to verbs as a prefix, forming jukujikun readings such as 不知(しらず) (shirazu) or 不悪(あしからず) (ashikarazu).

Conjugation

Classical conjugation of "ず" (irregular)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	ずざらな^[1]	zu zara na
Continuative (連用形)	ず^[2] ざり^[3] に^[1]	zu zari ni
Terminal (終止形)	ずざり	zu zari
Attributive (連体形)	ぬざる	nu zaru
Realis (已然形)	ねざれ	ne zare
Imperative (命令形)	ざれ	zare
Key constructions
Negative		-
Contrasting conjunction	ねどざれど	nedo zaredo
Causal conjunction	ねばざれば	neba zareba
Conditional conjunction	ずはずばざらば	zufa zuba zaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	ざりき	zariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	ざりけり	zarikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	ざりつ	zaritu
Perfect tense (natural event)	ざりぬ^[4]	zarinu
Perfect-continuative tense	ざりたり	zaritari
Adverbial	ず	zu
^[1]Nara period form. ^[2]Without auxiliary verbs. ^[3]With auxiliary verbs. ^[4]Unattested.

Derived terms

ずに (-zu ni, “without”)

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of ず – see the following entries.

【図】2	[noun] diagram, figure, illustration

【徒】4	[noun] (historical) one of the punishments in the ancient Ritsuryō system; penal servitude

【頭】2	[noun] head

【出】1	[verb] (obsolete) to go or come out [verb] (obsolete) to appear

(This term, ず (zu), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as ず, see Category:Japanese kanji read as ず.)

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJS-3] Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[1]

[2]

[3]

The Hiragana script
あぁあ゙	かゕがか゚	さざさ゚	ただた゚	な	はばぱ	ま	やゃ	らら゚	わゎわ゙	んん゙
いぃい゙	きぎき゚	しじし゚	ちぢち゚	に	ひびぴ	み	𛀆	りり゚	ゐ 𛅐 ゐ゙
うぅゔう゚	くぐく゚	すずす゚	つっづつ゚	ぬ	ふぶぷ	む	ゆゅ	るる゚	𛄟
えぇえ゙	けゖげけ゚	せぜせ゚	てでて゚	ね	へべぺ	め	𛀁	れれ゚	ゑ 𛅑 ゑ゙
おぉお゙	こ 𛄲 ごこ゚	そぞそ゚	とどと゚	の	ほぼぽ	も	よょ	ろろ゚	を 𛅒 を゙
Additional symbols ーゝゞゝ゚ゟ