✨ Basic Meaning
🎯 Primary Function
📋 Grammar Structure
🎭 Usage Contexts
Common in formal speeches or written essays to express deep conviction or emotion.
Used when sharing deep personal feelings or reactions with friends.
Highly common in novels, biographies, and newspaper editorials.
Used in spoken Japanese, though ‘nai de wa irarenai’ is a more common colloquial alternative.
💡 Common Applications
📌 Important Points
⚠️ Common Mistakes
🏛️ Cultural Context
🔍 Subtle Differences
📝 Conjugation Notes
The ‘zu’ form is an old negative form. To conjugate: take the Nai-form of the verb and replace ‘nai’ with ‘zu’. Example: Tabenai -> Tabezu. Nomai -> Nomazu. Exception: Suru -> Sezu.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The ‘wa’ (particle) is often included for emphasis (zuni wa irarenai) but can sometimes be omitted in faster speech or specific writing styles.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘zu’ as a formal ‘nai’. ‘Irarenai’ comes from ‘iru’ (to be) in the potential negative form. So literally, ‘I cannot stay in a state of not doing it.’
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