無くす
Meaning in Englishlose, misplace, make disappear
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
What does 無くす mean? It means to cause something to disappear or to no longer exist in a given context, covering both losing a physical item and erasing or eliminating something intangible like pain or doubts, in a way that it ceases to be present.
Main meanings
- To lose or misplace a physical item
- To remove, discard, or eliminate something, making it no longer present
- To relieve or erase an intangible thing such as pain, worry, or doubt
How to use it
Used with を in transitive constructions to indicate making something disappear or cease to exist; usable in formal and casual speech. Typical patterns include Nをなくす for tangible items and 痛みをなくす, 不安をなくす for intangible states, with careful distinction from なくなる, the intransitive counterpart meaning to disappear or run out.
Variants and close terms
- 失くす (nakusu) — same meaning, kanji version often preferred in writing
- 見つける (mitsukeru) — antonym; to find
- なくなる (nakunaru) — intransitive counterpart meaning to disappear or be lost
Composition
- 無: absence, nothingness; used here to emphasize the absence of the object or state
- なくす: the verb form meaning to cause something to disappear or to lose
Etymology
無 signals absence or nothingness; なくす is the native verb form; this orthography is a variant of the more common 失くす, sharing the same pronunciation and core meaning, with the nuance of causing absence or disappearance.
Word class
verb (五段動詞・他動詞)