“〜nuki de・nuki ni・wo nuki ni shite”: Without / Leaving Out 〜 (omission/exclusion) [JLPT N2]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
Master 〜抜きで・抜きに and say goodbye to expression barriers!
「わさび抜きで、お願いします」 — leaving out what would normally be there
Ordering sushi, you say 「わさび抜きで、お願いします」 (without wasabi, please) — 「〜抜きで・〜抜きに・〜を抜きにして」 = without ～, leaving out ～, setting ～ aside, meaning “removing, omitting, leaving out a part that would normally be there.” From “no wasabi” when ordering to 「冗談抜きで (joking aside)」, it's all this. This guide covers 「抜き」's several uses (leave out/set aside/indispensable) and how to tell it from 「を除いて.」
Core: removing, leaving out a part that would normally be there
「noun ＋ 抜き」's core is “removing, omitting, leaving out a part that would normally/naturally be there,” with several related uses:
- 〜抜きで／抜きに = without ～, leaving out ～, minus ～: 朝食抜きで出かける (go out without breakfast), 税抜きの値段 (the price minus tax), わさび抜き (no wasabi).
- 〜を抜きにして = setting ～ aside, leaving ～ out: 冗談は抜きにして、本題に入ろう (joking aside, let's get to the point).
- 〜抜きには〜ない = without ～, can't (indispensable): 彼の協力抜きには、成功しなかった (without his help, it wouldn't have succeeded).
Feel: “without ～, minus ～, setting ～ aside, without ～ can't…” — the core is all “removing, leaving out a part.” 「抜き」 is the noun form of 「抜く (pull out, remove),」 pulling out what would normally be there.
Attachment & forms
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| noun ＋ 抜きで／抜きに | without ～, leaving out ～ | 朝食抜きで |
| 冗談抜きで | joking aside, seriously | 冗談抜きで |
| noun ＋ を抜きにして | setting ～ aside | 前置きを抜きにして |
| noun ＋ 抜きには〜ない | without ～, can't | 君抜きには |
See it in context
- ダイエット中なので、昼食抜きで頑張っている。(On a diet, so I'm getting by without lunch.)
- 冗談抜きで、この計画は本当にすごいと思う。(Joking aside, I really think this plan is amazing.)
- 細かい話は抜きにして、まず結論を言おう。(Setting the details aside, let's state the conclusion first.)
- 皆さんの協力抜きには、このイベントは実現できなかった。(Without everyone's cooperation, this event couldn't have happened.)
- このハンバーガー、ピクルス抜きでもらえますか。(Can I get this burger without pickles?)
⚠️ Where learners slip up
① 「抜き」 = removing a part that ‘would normally be there,' not excluding an exception. 「抜き」's core is “removing, omitting, leaving out a part that would normally/naturally be there” — わさび抜き (sushi normally comes with wasabi, remove it), 朝食抜き (you'd normally eat breakfast, omit it), 税抜き (normally tax-inclusive, remove the tax), 前置き抜き (there'd normally be a preamble, omit it). It stresses “removing a part that would normally be there.” This differs from 「〜を除いて (excluding an exception)」 — 「を除いて」 is “subtract an exception from a group, the rest holds” (一部を除いて全部 = all except some, see 〈を除いて〉), leaning “exclude, not include”; 「抜き」 is “remove, omit a part that would normally be there,” leaning “take out a component.” Test: to say “leave out/remove a part that would normally be there” (no wasabi, skip breakfast) → 抜き; to say “exclude an exception, the rest holds” (all except A) → を除いて.
② 「冗談抜きで」 = joking aside, seriously (a very common idiom). 「冗談抜きで（じょうだんぬきで）」 is a very common idiom meaning “joking aside, in all seriousness, seriously,” used to stress that what follows is serious, not a joke: 冗談抜きで、彼は天才だと思う (joking aside, I think he's a genius), 冗談抜きで話そう (let's talk seriously). Literally “remove the joke,” extended to “(joking aside,) speaking seriously.” Similar is 「お世辞抜きで (no flattery, sincerely)」: お世辞抜きで、本当においしい (no flattery, it's really tasty). To stress “I'm serious, this isn't a joke,” 「冗談抜きで」 is idiomatic.
③ 「抜きには〜ない」 = without ～, can't (indispensable). 「〜抜きには〜ない」 is a use expressing a “necessary condition” = “without ～ (this), can't…, ～ is indispensable”: あなたの助け抜きには、この仕事は終わらなかった (without your help, this work couldn't have been finished), 彼抜きには、チームは語れない (you can't talk about this team without him), 日本語の学習は、努力抜きにはあり得ない (learning Japanese is impossible without effort). It stresses “～ is absolutely necessary; remove it and it doesn't hold.” The main clause is often negative (〜ない・〜られない). To stress “(some part) is indispensable; without it, it won't work,” use 「〜抜きには〜ない.」 (This is close to 〈ないことには〉 “unless ～, can't.”)
🔄 Compare with similar forms: 抜きで／を除いて／なしで／を抜きにして
| Form | Feel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜抜きで／抜きに | without ～, leaving out ～ (removing what would normally be there) | わさび抜きで |
| 〜を除いて | except for ～ (excluding an exception, see 〈を除いて〉) | 一部を除いて |
| 〜なしで | without ～ (in a state of not having ～) | 傘なしで |
| 〜を抜きにして | setting ～ aside | 冗談を抜きにして |
💡 How to remember this
「〜抜きで・抜きに・を抜きにして」's core is “removing, leaving out a part that would normally be there” — three points: ① 「抜き」 = remove/omit what would normally be there — わさび抜き (no wasabi), 朝食抜き (skip breakfast), 税抜き (minus tax); ② three common extensions — 「冗談抜きで (joking aside, seriously)」 (an idiom), 「〜を抜きにして (setting ～ aside)」, 「〜抜きには〜ない (without ～, can't; indispensable)」; ③ division of labor with 「を除いて」 — 抜き is “remove a part that would normally be there (take out a component),” を除いて is “exclude an exception (the rest holds)” (see 〈を除いて〉). This pattern is very everyday — ordering 「わさび抜きで」, saying seriously 「冗談抜きで」, stressing indispensability 「〜抜きには〜ない」 — each with its scene, very practical.
❓ Quick FAQ
Q: What does 「冗談抜きで」 mean and how do I use it?
「冗談抜きで（じょうだんぬきで）」 = “joking aside, in all seriousness, seriously, for real,” a very common conversational idiom used to stress “what I'm about to say is serious, not a joke.” Literally “remove the joke (冗談) — 抜き,” i.e. “(joking aside,) speaking seriously.” Common uses: ① stressing that what follows is serious: 冗談抜きで、これは人生最高の映画だ (joking aside, this is the best movie of my life), 冗談抜きで言うけど、君はもっと自信を持つべきだ (I'm telling you seriously, you should have more confidence); ② turning from joking back to the point: (after joking around) 「さて、冗談抜きで、真面目に考えよう (okay, joking aside, let's think seriously).」 It corresponds to “seriously, no joke, in all seriousness, for real,” letting the other know “this isn't a joke, it's my genuine thought.” A similar idiom is 「お世辞抜きで (no flattery, sincerely)」: お世辞抜きで、本当に素晴らしい作品だ (no flattery, it's a truly wonderful work). Both are idiomatic 「抜き」 uses — remove the “joke/flattery” to mean “serious, sincere.” To stress “I'm serious, this is my genuine thought” in conversation, 「冗談抜きで」 is natural and idiomatic.
Q: 「抜きで」 and 「を除いて」 both mean ‘removing' — how do I tell them apart?
The difference is “removing a component that would normally be there” vs “excluding an exception from a whole.” 「〜抜きで／抜きに」 = without ～, leaving out ～, minus ～ (removing a part that would normally/naturally be there): stresses “removing a part/component that would normally exist,” often for “not adding what would normally be added”: わさび抜きで (no wasabi — sushi normally has it), 朝食抜きで (skip breakfast — you'd normally eat it), 税抜き (minus tax — normally tax-inclusive), 前置き抜きで (skip the preamble). It's “taking out a component that would normally be there” (missing that part). 「〜を除いて」 = except for ～ (excluding an exception from a whole/group, the rest holds): stresses “subtract an exception from the whole, the rest all holds”: 一部を除いて、全員合格 (all pass except some — subtract “some” from everyone), 日曜を除いて、営業 (open except Sundays — subtract Sunday from the week, see 〈を除いて〉). It's “exclude an exception, the rest holds” (all the rest). Difference: 「抜きで」 is “remove a component that would normally be there” (no wasabi, skip breakfast — take out a component); 「を除いて」 is “exclude an exception from a whole, the rest all holds” (all except A — exclude an exception). Test: to say “leave out/skip something that would normally be there” (no wasabi when ordering, skip a step) → 抜きで; to say “except for some exception, all the rest ～” (all except A) → を除いて (see 〈を除いて〉). E.g. 「肉抜きのカレー (meat-free curry — remove the ‘meat' component)」 uses 抜き; 「肉料理を除いて、全部食べた (ate everything except the meat dishes — exclude ‘meat dishes' as an exception)」 uses を除いて. One removes a component, one excludes an exception.
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「彼女の助け___、このプロジェクトは成功しなかっただろう。」(Without her help, this project would not have succeeded)
(A) を抜きにして (B) 抜きで (C) 抜きに (D) どれも
Q2. 「玉ねぎ___作ってもらえますか？」(Could you make it without onions? — colloquial, ordering food)
(A) を抜きにして (B) 抜きで (C) 抜きに (D) なしで
Q3. 「練習___、上達はあり得ない。」(Leaving practice aside, improvement is impossible)
(A) 抜きで (B) を抜きにしては (C) に抜きに (D) をなくして
Q4. 「お世辞___言いますと、この作品には問題があります。」(Speaking without flattery, this work has problems)
(A) をこめて (B) 抜きで (C) を通じて (D) において
Q5. 「を抜きにしては」の後に来やすい表現は？
(A) から・ので（理由）
(B) 語れない・考えられない (cannot 〜)
(C) のに・けれど（逆接）
(D) たら・ば (conditional)
Answer Explanations
1. (A) を抜きにして ── 「彼女の助けを抜きにして」(leaving her help aside), 「成功しなかった」(it would not have succeeded) = written / emphasizing necessity → を抜きにして.
2. (B) 抜きで ── 「玉ねぎ抜きで」(without onions), 「作ってもらえますか」= colloquial ordering, leaving out an item → 抜きで is the most natural.
3. (B) を抜きにしては ── 「練習を抜きにしては」(leaving practice aside), 「上達はあり得ない」(improvement is impossible) = emphasizing necessity / written → を抜きにしては.
4. (B) 抜きで ──「お世辞抜きで言いますと」(speaking without flattery) = leaving out / without 〜. (A) をこめて (with feeling), (C) を通じて (through), (D) において (at/in 〜) mean different things.
5. (B) ── 「を抜きにしては」is often followed by 「語れない」(cannot be discussed), 「考えられない」(cannot be imagined), 「あり得ない」(impossible) = emphasizing that the element is indispensable.