“tsukinu / tsukiru koto naku” — Endless / Never Running Out [JLPT N1]

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

“The conversation never ends” — an emotion or resource that never runs dry, formal, with examples. (JLPT N1)

「話は尽きぬ」 — never running out, inexhaustible

Two people reunited after long apart talk all night, topics as if never to run out — 「積もる話は、いつまでも尽きぬ (pent-up things to say never run out).」 「〜尽きぬ／〜尽きることなく」 = inexhaustible, never ceasing. It's the literary, written version of 「尽きない (won't run out),」 for some emotion or resource never drying up. This guide clarifies its core of “the negative of 尽きる (run out),” the literary 「ぬ,」 separating it from the colloquial 「尽きない.」

Core: won't run out, inexhaustible (the negative of 尽きる)

「尽きる（つきる）」 = run out, be used up, dry up. Its negative yields written expressions for “inexhaustible”:

①「尽きぬ（＋noun）」 = inexhaustible, never-running-out (「ぬ」 is the literary negative, = ない):

• 彼への感謝は、尽きぬものがある (my gratitude to him has something inexhaustible).
• 語り合ううちに、話は尽きなかった (as we talked, the conversation never ran out).

②「尽きることなく」 = never ceasing, inexhaustibly (verb ＋ ことなく):

• 泉は、尽きることなく水を湧き出させる (the spring wells up water without ever ceasing).
• 創作への情熱は、尽きることなく燃え続けた (the passion for creation burned on without ceasing).

Feel: 「尽きる」 = run out, dry up, and 「尽きぬ／尽きることなく」 = “won't run out, inexhaustible, never ceasing.” It's a written, refined expression, mostly for emotions, topics, interests, resources never drying up (talk never running out, endless interest, undying passion). 「尽きぬ」's 「ぬ」 is the literary negative (= ない), more refined than 「尽きない.」 In English: inexhaustible, never ceasing, endless, never running out.

Forms & attachment

Examples in use

• 恩師への思いは、今も尽きることなく心にある。(My feelings for my mentor remain in my heart, never ceasing, even now.)
• 彼の探究心は、生涯尽きなかった。(His inquisitiveness never ran dry his whole life.)
• 尽きぬ泉のように、アイデアが湧いてくる。(Like an inexhaustible spring, ideas keep welling up.)
• 語り合いたいことは尽きないが、そろそろ時間だ。(Things to talk about never run out, but it's about time.)
• 自然の恵みは、大切にすれば尽きることがない。(Nature's bounty, if cherished, never runs out.)

⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid

① 「尽きぬ／尽きることなく」 = the negative of 「尽きる (run out)」 = won't run out, inexhaustible. This is the key to understanding. 「尽きる（つきる）」 is an intransitive verb meaning “run out, be used up, dry up, come to an end” — a resource, time, topic being “used up, gone”: 水が尽きる (water runs out), 話が尽きる (a topic runs out), 力が尽きる (strength runs out). Its negative 「尽きぬ／尽きない／尽きることなく」 = “won't run out, inexhaustible, never ceasing”: 話は尽きない (talk never runs out), 尽きぬ興味 (endless interest). Test: 「尽きぬ／尽きることなく」 = “(some emotion／resource) won't run out, inexhaustible,” the negative of 「尽きる (run out).”

② 「尽きぬ」's 「ぬ」 is the literary negative (= ない), more refined than 「尽きない.」 In attachment, 「尽きぬ」's 「ぬ」 is the literary (classical) negative auxiliary, equal to the modern 「ない.」 So 「尽きぬ」 = 「尽きない」 (won't run out), just that 「尽きぬ」 is more literary, refined, resonant, mostly for written, literary use: 尽きぬ思い (inexhaustible feelings — refined) vs 尽きない思い (same, more colloquial). Similar literary negatives: 「知らぬ (unknowing), 絶えぬ (unceasing), 変わらぬ (unchanging).」 Test: 「尽きぬ」 = the literary version of 「尽きない」 (ぬ = ない), more refined.

③ 「尽きることなく」 = never ceasing (verb ＋ ことなく). 「尽きることなく」 is “verb 尽きる ＋ ことなく (= without ～ing),” meaning “without running out at all = never ceasing, inexhaustibly,” mostly modifying a following verb: 尽きることなく湧き出る (well up without ceasing), 尽きることなく続く (continue without ceasing). It's close to 「尽きぬ,」 but 「尽きることなく」 is adverbial (modifying an action, never ceasing‘ly'), 「尽きぬ」 is attributive (modifying a noun, inexhaustible). Test: modifying a noun “inexhaustible ○○” → 尽きぬ ＋ noun; modifying an action “never ceasing ～” → 尽きることなく ＋ verb.

④ Separate it from 「限りない」 — 尽きぬ leans ‘won't run out (dry up),' 限りない leans ‘no bound (infinite).' Both express “endless,” but differ slightly in emphasis. 「尽きぬ／尽きない」 = won't run out, inexhaustible (leaning ‘won't be used up, won't dry up,' mostly with emotions／resources／topics): 話が尽きない (talk never runs out — won't be “used up”), 尽きぬ泉 (an inexhaustible spring). It leans “won't dry up, can't be used up.” 「限りない（かぎりない）」 = infinite, boundless (leaning ‘no bound, boundless'): 限りない愛 (boundless love — no bound), 限りない可能性 (infinite possibility), 空は限りなく青い (the sky is infinitely blue). It leans “no bound, boundless.” Difference: 「尽きぬ」 leans “won't run out, inexhaustible” (can't be used up); 「限りない」 leans “no bound, infinite” (boundless). Test: to say “(emotion／resource) inexhaustible, won't dry up” → 尽きぬ; to say “(love／possibility) infinite, boundless” → 限りない. (They sometimes overlap, but their focus differs.)

🔄 Compare with similar forms: 尽きぬ／尽きることなく／限りない／絶えない

💡 The one thing to remember

「〜尽きぬ／〜尽きることなく」 = inexhaustible, never ceasing — three points: ① it's the negative of 「尽きる (run out, dry up)」 — 尽きぬ／尽きない／尽きることなく = won't run out, inexhaustible (mostly for emotions／topics／interests／resources never drying up); ②「尽きぬ」's 「ぬ」 is the literary negative (= ない), more refined than 「尽きない」 (modifying a noun: 尽きぬ話); ③ separate it from 「限りない (infinite, boundless)」 — 尽きぬ leans “won't be used up.” This expression has real literary lingering — 「積もる話は尽きぬ」「尽きることなく湧き出る情熱」 render, beautifully, that unbroken flow of “like an inexhaustible spring, never drying up.” To refinedly describe “inexhaustible, never running out,” 「尽きぬ／尽きることなく」 has the most resonance; for everyday speech, use 「尽きない.」

❓ Common questions

Q: What's the difference between 「尽きぬ」 and 「尽きない」?

Same meaning (both the negative of 「尽きる = run out」 = won't run out, inexhaustible), differing in that 「ぬ」 is the literary negative, more refined. 「尽きない」 = won't run out, inexhaustible (the modern negative, more general): it uses the modern negative 「ない,」 usable in speech and writing, more general: 話は尽きない (talk never runs out), 興味が尽きない (endless interest). 「尽きぬ」 = won't run out, inexhaustible (the literary negative, more refined, resonant): its 「ぬ」 is the literary (classical) negative auxiliary, equal to 「ない,」 but more refined, written, with a classical resonance, mostly for literary, solemn expression: 尽きぬ思い (inexhaustible feelings), 尽きぬ泉 (an inexhaustible spring). Difference: 「尽きない」 more general (the modern negative, speech and writing); 「尽きぬ」 more refined, written (the literary negative ぬ = ない, resonant). Test: to generally say “won't run out, endless” → 尽きない; to refinedly, with literary resonance say it → 尽きぬ. Same meaning, 「尽きぬ」 the literary upgrade of 「尽きない.」 Likewise, many literary negatives 「ぬ」 = the modern 「ない」: 知らぬ = 知らない, 変わらぬ = 変わらない, 絶えぬ = 絶えない. On seeing 「〜ぬ,」 read it as the refined version of 「〜ない.」

Q: What does 「尽きる」 mean? Is it related to 「疲れる (be tired)」?

「尽きる（つきる）」 = “run out, be used up, dry up, come to an end,” unrelated to 「疲れる (be tired)」 (though in 「精も根も尽き果てる = utterly exhausted」 they appear together, 「尽きる」 itself is “run out,” not “be tired”). 「尽きる」 is an intransitive verb for something (a resource, time, topic, strength) being “used up, gone, at its end”: 水が尽きる (the water runs out), 話題が尽きる (topics run out), 力が尽きる (strength runs out), 資源が尽きる (resources dry up), 運が尽きる (one's luck runs out). So its negative 「尽きぬ／尽きない」 = “won't be used up, won't dry up, inexhaustible.” Test: 「尽きる」 = run out, be used up, dry up (intransitive); 「尽きぬ／尽きない／尽きることなく」 = won't run out, inexhaustible (negative). ⚠️Don't confuse it with look-alikes: 「付く（つく = attach）」「着く（つく = arrive）」 sound similar to 「尽きる（つきる = run out）」 but mean differently. This article is about the “inexhaustible” negative of 「尽きる (run out).」

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「彼の創作意欲は、___わいてくる。」(endlessly welling up)

(A) 尽きることなく　(B) 限りなくゼロに(意味違)　(C) 際限なく(negative nuance)　(D) しばらく

Q2. 「尽きぬ興味」の意味は?

(A) Boundless curiosity / interest

(B) No interest

(C) Losing interest

(D) Fleeting interest

Q3. 「話は尽きない」の意味は?

(A) There's no end of things to talk about

(B) Nothing to say

(C) Don't want to talk

(D) Finished talking

Q4. 「尽きることなく」の意味は?

(A) Never ceasing / endlessly flowing

(B) Drying up immediately

(C) Occasionally

(D) None at all

Q5. 用法が自然なのは?

(A) 感謝は尽きることがない。　(B) 尽きることなくを食べる。

(C) 尽きぬだ高い。　(D) 尽きることなく終わった(矛盾)。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) 尽きることなく ── Endlessly welling up.

2. (A) ── Boundless curiosity.

3. (A) ── There's no end of things to talk about.

4. (A) ── Never ceasing / endlessly flowing.

5. (A) ── 「感謝は尽きることがない」is correct.