“〜ni koto kakanai・〜ni koto kaku”: Have No Shortage Of / Lack [JLPT N1]

By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026

A written evaluative expression of abundance or lack.

“〜ni koto kakanai・〜ni koto kaku”: Have No Shortage Of / Lack

「(noun) ＋ に事欠かない (ことかかない)」 means “have no shortage of 〜, have plenty of 〜, don't lack 〜” (abundant in quantity): 「彼女は明るくて、友達に事欠かない」 (she's cheerful and has no shortage of friends), 「話題に事欠かない人だ」 (a person who never runs out of topics); conversely 「〜に事欠く」 = “lack 〜, be short of 〜”: 「食料に事欠く」 (short of food). ⚠️ There's also the idiom 「言うに事欠いて」 = ‘of all things to say (saying something one shouldn't)' (rebuking improper speech). 「事欠く」 = ‘lack, be short'; 「事欠かない」 = ‘not lack, have no shortage.' A somewhat written evaluative expression.

🧠 Core nuance: no shortage, plenty (事欠かない) / lack (事欠く)

The core is (in quantity) abundant, no shortage vs lacking, insufficient: ① に事欠かない — have no shortage of, have plenty, don't lack (something abundant in quantity, not lacking: 友達に事欠かない = no shortage of friends, 話題に事欠かない = never short of topics, 例に事欠かない = plenty of examples); ② に事欠く — lack, be short (some necessity insufficient: 食料に事欠く = short of food, 生活に事欠く = hard-pressed in life). 「事欠く」 originally = ‘lack, be short'; the negative 「事欠かない」 = ‘not lack, no shortage.' ⚠️ Important idiom: 「言うに事欠いて」 = of all things to say (saying something one shouldn't), how could you say that (rebuking improper speech, picking the worst thing to say: 言うに事欠いて、そんなひどいことを = of all things to say, something so cruel). ⚠️ Connection: noun ＋ に事欠かない/に事欠く. 事欠かない leans written, evaluative (often for ‘no shortage of some merit/resource').

📌 How to Connect

💬 Example Sentences

• 彼女は社交的で、友達に事欠かない。(She's sociable and has no shortage of friends.) — no shortage
• あの人は博識で、話題に事欠かない。(That person is knowledgeable and never short of topics.) — plenty
• 失敗の例なら、枚挙に事欠かない。(As for examples of failure, they're too many to count.) — plenty of examples
• 戦時中、人々は食料に事欠いていた。(During the war, people were short of food.) — に事欠く
• 言うに事欠いて、よくもそんなひどいことが言えたものだ。(Of all things to say, how could you say something so cruel.) — idiom (rebuke)

🔄 Compare: に事欠かない vs に困らない vs に欠ける vs に乏しい

⚠️ Common Mistakes

1. 事欠かない vs 事欠く: 事欠かない = no shortage, abundant; 事欠く = lack, insufficient — direct opposites.
2. Idiom 言うに事欠いて: = of all things to say (saying something one shouldn't) (rebuking improper speech).
3. Connect to a noun: noun ＋ に事欠かない/に事欠く (✗ noun を事欠く).
4. Distinguish from に欠ける: に事欠かない = no shortage in quantity (friends/topics); に欠ける = lack a quality (common sense/responsibility).

💡 Nuance & When to Use

「に事欠かない」 means “have no shortage of 〜, have plenty of 〜, don't lack 〜” (abundant in quantity: 友達に事欠かない, 話題に事欠かない); its opposite 「に事欠く」 = lack, be short (食料に事欠く). 「事欠く」 = lack, be short, so the negative is ‘not lack.' ⚠️ Important idiom 「言うに事欠いて」 = of all things to say (saying something one shouldn't) (rebuke). Distinguish from the ‘not want for' に困らない and the ‘lack a quality' に欠ける. Somewhat written, evaluative. A must at N1.

🎯 JLPT Exam Tips

• High-frequency N1: noun ＋ に事欠かない = no shortage, plenty (abundant in quantity); opposite に事欠く = lack, be short.
• Idiom: 言うに事欠いて = of all things to say (saying something one shouldn't) (rebuking improper speech).
• Distinction: に事欠かない (no shortage in quantity, written) vs に困らない (not want for, general) vs に欠ける (lack a quality).

🖊️ 練習題（5題）

Q1. 「彼女は明るくて、友達___。」（不乏朋友／朋友很多）

(A) に事欠かない　(B) に堪えない　(C) に当たらない　(D) を禁じ得ない

Q2. 「食料に事欠く」の意味は?

(A) 缺乏糧食

(B) 糧食充足

(C) 浪費糧食

(D) 不吃糧食

Q3. 「言うに事欠いて」の意味は?

(A) 偏偏挑這種(不該說的)話來說（責備）

(B) 無話可說

(C) 說得很好

(D) 不想說話

Q4. 「に事欠かない」の語感は?

(A) 不乏〜／多得是（數量充足）

(B) 完全沒有

(C) 不得不

(D) 雖然〜卻

Q5. 接法が正しいのは?

(A) 話題に事欠かない人だ。　(B) 話題を事欠かない。

(C) 話題に事欠かないのに当たる。　(D) 話題だ事欠かない。

答案解析

1. (A) に事欠かない ── 不乏朋友。

2. (A) ── 缺乏糧食。

3. (A) ── 偏偏挑不該說的話來說(責備)。

4. (A) ── 不乏〜/多得是。

5. (A) ── 「話題に事欠かない」正確。