Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
ないで is the negative て form of a verb, used for everyday actions like 買わないでおく or requests like 帰らないで下さい. なしに is a noun-based phrase meaning without something, often with abstract nouns like 同意なしに or 成果なしに, and sounds more formal. Swapping them is unnatural: you would not say 同意ないに or 買わなしにおく. The key is whether you are negating a verb action or saying something happens without a noun-state.
- ないで Use ないで when you want to say not do a verb action or tell someone not to do something.
- なしに Use なしに when something happens without a noun such as consent or result, often in formal contexts.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| ないで naide | Without doing/Don't | N4 |
| なしに nashini | Without doing | N3 |
ないで naide
Without doing/Don't
Do not do something and; without doing ~ | A negative て form of a verb.
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まだあるから買わないでおきました。
Because I still have it, I didn’t buy it (in advance).
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まだ帰らないで下さい。
Please don't go home yet.
なしに nashini
Without doing
Without | An adverbial phrase meaning “without (doing) something”.
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お客様の同意なしに、第三者に個人情報を転送することはありません。
We will never transfer private information to a third party without the customer's consent.
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この実験の最初の10年は何の成果も得ることなしに過ぎてしまった。
The first 10 years of this experiment passed, and we had not obtained a result.
ないで and なしに are JLPT N4–N3 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.