日本語道場

Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2

Grammar

N2

～ことなしに

koto nashi ni

without doing

When to use it

Use ～ことなしに in formal writing or prepared speech to say "without doing X (…, Y cannot happen)". It almost always sets up a negative or impossible consequence — X is presented as an unavoidable prerequisite — which distinguishes it from the more neutral ～ことなく. Typical in reports, proposals, editorials and speeches; in email or conversation ～ないで／～なければ sounds far more natural.

Formation

  • Verbs: dictionary form + ことなしに → 見ることなしに、調整することなしに
  • Not used with the ない-form (×行かないことなしに) or the た-form
  • Nouns: use なしに directly → 予告なしに、承認なしに（×ことなしに）
  • い-adjectives / な-adjectives: not used
  • The following clause is normally negative or expresses impossibility: 〜ことなしに〜ない／〜られない／〜は難しい
  • More neutral cousin: ～ことなく (may be followed by an affirmative clause)

Examples

  • We can't make a judgment without seeing the site ourselves.

  • There's no progress on improvements without listening to customers.

  • An organization cannot change without some pain.

  • We can't present it to them without coordinating with head office.

  • You can't open up a new market without taking risks.