classical ~ず (negative)
grammar55 sentences
The classical negative form ~ず, equivalent in meaning to modern ~ない or ~ないで / ~なくて. Persists in modern Japanese in literary and formal registers — terser and slightly more elevated than the modern alternatives. Frequently appears in formal writing, set phrases (絶えず 'ceaselessly,' 知らず知らず 'unknowingly'), and as a conjunctive form ('without ~ing').