IntermediateJLPT N3 Grammar

なく

Not ~ and; not ~ but (adverbial negation)

Romaji: naku

Meaning & usage

Not ~ and; not ~ but | a continuative form of ない used in written Japanese (to indicate a reason/cause for what follows if ない is attached to Adjective (い/な) and contrast if it is attached to a Noun+Copula).

Example sentences 8

  1. 今年の冬はあまり寒くなく、オーバーも二、三度しか なかった。

    It wasn't very cold this winter and we wore our overcoats only two or three times.

  2. 僕が好きなのは日本料理ではなくタイ料理だ。

    What I like is not Japanese cuisine, but Thai cuisine.

  3. 彼女と別れた時はそれほど悲しくなく、自分でも驚いた。

    I was surprised that I did not feel so sad when I parted with her.

  4. 日本語の期末試験はあまり難しくなく、ほっとした。

    The Japanese final examination was not very hard, and I felt relieved.

  5. 昨日見た映画は実に面白くなく、途中で寝てしまった。

    The movie I saw yesterday was so boring that I went to sleep during it.

  6. 私には日本語を教えてくれたのは日本人ではなく、アメリカ人だった

    The person who taught me Japanese was not a Japanese but an American.

  7. 私には日本語を聞くのが 容易よういではなく、 大分だいぶ 苦労くろうした。

    To listen to Japanese was not easy, and I had quite a difficult time.

  8. 私の 研究対象けんきゅうたいしょう現代史げんだいしではなく、 古代史こだいしだ。

    My research area is not modern history, but ancient history.