Grammar › Exclusion & Omission
なしに — “without doing”
A formal way to say an expected step or condition was skipped entirely
Noun + なしに says something happened without a step that would normally be expected first — “without X” — reading as more formal than the plain verb negative + で. It often implies the missing step was procedurally or socially expected.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + なしに | 断りなしに使わないでください — Please don't use it without permission |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 予告なしに値上げされた。 | よこくなしにねあげされた。 yokokunashinineagesareta。 | The price was raised without any advance notice. |
| 彼は挨拶なしに部屋を出て行った。 | かれはあいさつなしにへやをでていった。 karehaaisatsunashiniheyawodeteitta。 | He left the room without so much as a greeting. |
| 努力なしに結果は出ない。 | どりょくなしにけっかはでない。 doryokunashinikekkahadenai。 | No results come without effort. |
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Watch out
なしに attaches directly to a noun (断りなしに), while the similar-meaning ずに attaches to a verb stem (断らずに) — they overlap in meaning but aren't interchangeable in form.