Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 10: 14/21

(ろく)に~ないNot well or properly, Not much or enough, Barely, Hardly

Other forms - 碌に

Structure

ろくに + (Negative) Phrase

Details

  • Register

    Standard

About 陸に~ない

When the adverb (ろく)に 'satisfactorily' appears in ない sentences, it indicates that (A) is 'not satisfactory', 'not enough', or 'not being done properly'. This grammar pattern appears at the beginning of phrases, before the (B) part of the sentence will include a ない word, often a verb in its potential form.

While ろくに will often appear in the kanji form, it is also common to see this structure in hiragana alone. Alternatively, (ろく) may also sometimes be seen, but this particular kanji is ateji (a kanji used purely for its pronunciation, not its meaning).

This particular grammar point often has the nuance of something that is being done without sufficient effort, or is half-baked.

Fun-fact

(りく) comes from the kanji meaning 'land', and is used with the reading of ろく when the nuance is flatness, correctness, or seriousness.

Examples

--:--

    (ろく)準備(じゅんび)もしていないのに、ショップをオープンさせた。

    Even though we had barely prepared, I had them open the shop. (hardly・not well/properly)

    (かれ)はケーキを()くどころか、シンプルな料理(りょうり)さえ(ろく)にできない

    Far from baking a cake, he can't even cook a simple meal properly. (hardly・not well)

    毎日(まいにち)、うちの(ねこ)()こされるせいで(ろく)にねられない

    Every day I am woken up by my cat, so I can't sleep well. (hardly・not properly)

    (ろく)演技(えんぎ)もできないのに、テレビドラマのオファーがきた。

    I can hardly do a stage play, and yet I was offered a part in a television drama. (hardly/barely・not well)

    (ろく)掃除(そうじ)もしないのに、なぜか洗剤(せんざい)をたくさん()っている。

    Even though I barely clean, I have tons of detergent for some reason. (hardly・not well/properly)

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

  • Online


    • Offline

        • [AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese

          Page 228

      • Track Resources!

        Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

      陸に~ない – Grammar Discussion