ず

See also: す

ず U+305A, ず HIRAGANA LETTER ZU Composition: す [U+3059] + ◌゙ [U+3099] ← す [U+3059] Hiragana せ → [U+305B]

Japanese

Stroke order

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [d͡zɨᵝ], [zɨᵝ]

Etymology 1

The hiragana character す (su) with a dakuten (゛).

Syllable

ず • (zu) 

1. The hiragana syllable ず (zu). Its equivalent in katakana is ズ (zu).

See also

The Hiragana script
あぁ	かゕがか゚	さざ	ただ	な	はばぱ	ま	やゃ	らら゚	わゎわ゙	ん
いぃ	きぎき゚	しじ	ちぢ	に	ひびぴ	み	𛀆	りり゚	ゐ𛅐ゐ゙
うぅゔ	くぐく゚	すず	つっづ	ぬ	ふぶぷ	む	ゆゅ	るる゚	𛄟
えぇ	けゖげけ゚	せぜ	てで	ね	へべぺ	め	𛀁	れれ゚	ゑ𛅑ゑ゙
おぉ	こごこ゚	そぞ	とど	の	ほぼぽ	も	よょ	ろろ゚	を𛅒を゙
Additional symbols ーゝゞゟ

Etymology 2

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).

/nisu/ → */nzu/ → /zu/

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

Suffix

ず • (-zu) 

1. 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).

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

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