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

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

「話題に事欠かない」「食料に事欠く」 — no shortage of, vs short of (plus 言うに事欠いて).

「言うに事欠いて、そんな暴言を」 — of all things to say, you pick the worst

The word 「事欠く」 hides a reproach idiom the N1 loves — 「言うに事欠いて、親に向かって何て口を (of all things to say, what a way to speak to your parents).」 「〜に事欠かない／〜に事欠く」 has three facets: に事欠かない = not lacking, plenty of (abundant); 〜に事欠いて = of all things, pick the worst ～ (strong reproach); 〜に事欠く = lack, be short of. This guide covers all three at once, focusing on the most-tested 「言うに事欠いて,」 and separating it from the neutral 「困らない」「すぎる.」

Core: not lacking (abundant)／of all things pick this (reproach)／lacking

「事欠く（ことかく）」 originally means “lack, be short of,” yielding three uses:

①「〜に事欠かない」 = not lacking ～, plenty of ～ (abundant, sometimes ironic):

• 彼は話題に事欠かない、いつも座を盛り上げる (he never lacks for topics, always livening things up).

②⭐「〜に事欠いて」 = of all things, pick the worst ～, and yet ～ (strong reproach):

• 言うに事欠いて、恩人を悪く言うとは (of all things to say, to speak ill of your benefactor).

③「〜に事欠く」 = lack, be short of, even ～ is a struggle:

• 一家は、食うに事欠くほど困窮していた (the family was so destitute they even struggled to eat).

Feel: ① “not lacking, plenty of” (abundant, sometimes ironizing “plenty of (bad examples)”); ②⭐ “of all things, pick the worst (when one could choose otherwise)” (strong reproach, incredulity); ③ “lack, be short of” (mostly livelihood hardship). In English: not lacking／of all things／be short of.

Attachment & forms

Examples in context

• あの人は自慢話に事欠かない。(That person never lacks for boasts／is always showing off.) — ① ironic
• 失敗の言い訳に事欠かない男だ。(A man who never lacks excuses for failure／full of excuses.) — ① ironic
• 頼むに事欠いて、よりによって彼に頼むとは。(Of all people to ask, they had to ask him.) — ② reproach
• 言うに事欠いて、病人にそんなひどいことを言うのか。(Of all things to say, do you say something so cruel to a sick person?) — ② reproach
• 戦後は、日々の糧に事欠く暮らしだった。(After the war, life was so hard we even lacked daily food.) — ③ lacking

⚠️ Where learners slip up

① ⭐「言うに事欠いて」 is a reproach idiom for ‘of all things, pick the worst to say,' not the literal ‘lacking to say.' This is the most-tested, most misread point. 「〜に事欠いて」 is not the literal “lacking ～,” but an idiom of strong reproach — “(when one could choose otherwise, say otherwise,) of all things, pick the worst, the least fitting to do／say,” with incredulity, censure. Most typical is 「言うに事欠いて」 = “(of all ways to speak,) pick this (least fitting) thing to say, and yet say such a thing”: 言うに事欠いて、亡くなった人を侮辱するとは (of all things to say, to insult the deceased — strong censure). Its logic is “there's plenty of ways／content to say (no lack), yet you pick the worst,” hence extended to reproach. Test: on seeing 「言うに事欠いて／頼むに事欠いて,」 read it as the reproach “of all things, pick the worst to say／ask,” not literally “lacking.”

② 「〜に事欠かない」 is often ironic, not just a neutral ‘not lacking.' This is use ①'s feel-point. 「に事欠かない」 literally is “not lacking ～, plenty of ～” (abundant), but in actual use it often carries irony, mockery — used to say “(bad things) are plentiful, a pile”: 言い訳に事欠かない (full of excuses — ironic), 自慢話に事欠かない (always boasting — mocking), 悪い噂に事欠かない (bad rumors never cease). Of course there's a neutral use (話題に事欠かない = talkative, rather positive), but often it's irony via “plentiful.” Test: on seeing 「(a negative thing) に事欠かない,」 it's mostly the irony “plenty of (such rubbish).”

③ 「事」 read 「こと,」 「欠く」 read 「かく」; 「食うに事欠く」 = livelihood hardship. In reading, 「事欠く」 is 「ことかく」 (事 = こと, 欠く = かく, lack). Use ③ 「〜に事欠く」 means “lack, be short of,” most typically 「食う（生活）に事欠く」 = “even eating／living is a struggle” = destitution, poverty: 生活費に事欠く (short even of living costs), 明日の米に事欠く (short even of tomorrow's rice). Test: 「〜に事欠く」 (standalone, non-て-form) means “lack, be short of” (mostly livelihood); 「〜に事欠いて」 (て-form) is the reproach idiom “of all things, pick the worst.”

④ Separate it from 「すぎる」 — 事欠かない is ‘plenty of (＋ irony),' すぎる is ‘(neutral) excess.' Here we contrast use ①. 「〜に事欠かない」 = not lacking ～, plenty of ～ (quantity, often ironic): 例に事欠かない (plenty of examples — stressing “quantity,” often ironic). 「〜すぎる」 = too ～, excessively ～ (degree exceeding, neutral, see 〈すぎる〉): 食べすぎる (eat too much — degree exceeding, neutral). Difference: 「事欠かない」 stresses “(kinds, quantity) plentiful,” often ironic; 「すぎる」 stresses “(degree) exceeding, overdone,” neutral (see 〈すぎる〉). Test: to say “(such things) plentiful, a pile” (often ironic) → に事欠かない; to say “(degree) too ～, excessive” → すぎる.

🔄 Nuance & comparison: に事欠かない／に事欠いて／に事欠く／すぎる

💡 An exam judgment tip

「事欠く,」 one word, three facets: ①に事欠かない = not lacking, plenty of (often ironic), ②⭐に事欠いて = of all things, pick the worst (strong reproach), ③に事欠く = lack, be short of (livelihood hardship). What to nail here most is ②「言うに事欠いて」 — a high-frequency N1 idiom for the incredulity, reproach “(of all ways to speak,) pick this least-fitting thing to say,” never read literally as “lacking to say.” All three share the base “事欠く = lack”: not lacking (①), (having options but) picking the worst (②), lacking (③). To scold “of all things, pick this to say／do,” 「言う（頼む）に事欠いて」 is most vivid; to ironize “plenty of (rubbish),” use 「に事欠かない.」

❓ Common questions

Q: What exactly does 「言うに事欠いて」 mean? The literal reading makes no sense.

「言うに事欠いて」 = “(of all ways to speak,) pick this (least fitting) thing to say, and yet say such a thing,” an idiom of strong reproach, incredulity, not to be read literally. Though its literal is “lacking (something) to say,” its actual meaning is fully idiomatic — the logic being “(there's plenty one could say, yet you) pick the worst, least fitting thing to say,” hence extended to censure for “picking the least fitting content to say”: 言うに事欠いて、恩人の悪口を言うとは (of all things to say, to badmouth your benefactor — incredulity, censure), 言うに事欠いて、子供にそんな脅し文句を (of all things to say, such threats to a child). The same structure appears in 「頼むに事欠いて」 (of all (people／things) to ask), 「するに事欠いて」 (of all things to do, do this worst thing). Test: on seeing 「〜するに事欠いて,」 read it as the reproach “of all things, do the worst ～,” usually followed by 「〜とは／〜なんて」 (to actually ～) intensifying the incredulity. It's an idiom — don't translate word for word.

Q: Is 「話題に事欠かない」 praise or irony?

Either is possible, depending on the object and context, but often it's ironic. 「〜に事欠かない」 literally is “not lacking ～, plenty of ～” (abundant). On neutral, positive things, it can be praise: 話題に事欠かない (never lacks topics = talkative, engaging — rather positive), 彼は引き出し (his “drawers” of knowledge) に事欠かない (rich in knowledge, full of ideas — praise). But on negative things, it becomes irony, mockery — jabbing via “plentiful”: 言い訳に事欠かない (full of excuses — mocking his always making excuses), 自慢話に事欠かない (always boasting — mocking), 彼の悪評に事欠かない (his bad reputation never ceases — ironic). The key is whether the following word is positive or negative: a positive word (話題／知識／引き出し) → mostly praise (talkative, rich); a negative word (言い訳／自慢／悪評) → mostly irony (“plenty of such rubbish”). So 「話題に事欠かない」 for “talkative” is praise, but overall, 「に事欠かない」 is very often used to ironize the “plenty” of negative things — watch the context's praise-or-blame.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「彼女は明るくて、友達___。」(has no shortage of friends / plenty of friends)

(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. What does 「食料に事欠く」 mean?

(A) To lack food

(B) To have plenty of food

(C) To waste food

(D) To not eat food

Q3. What does 「言うに事欠いて」 mean?

(A) Of all things to say, choosing that (uncalled-for) remark (reproach)

(B) Having nothing to say

(C) Speaking very well

(D) Not wanting to speak

Q4. What is the nuance of 「に事欠かない」?

(A) No shortage of ~ / plenty of ~ (ample quantity)

(B) None at all

(C) Cannot help but

(D) Although ~, yet

Q5. Which connection is correct?

(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。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) に事欠かない ── No shortage of friends.

2. (A) ── To lack food.

3. (A) ── Of all things, choosing that uncalled-for remark (reproach).

4. (A) ── No shortage of ~ / plenty.

5. (A) ── 「話題に事欠かない」 is correct.