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

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 [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.)