無くします（なくします、nakushimasu）
- to lose

The Japanese verb 無くします無くします means "to lose," "to misplace," or "to get rid of" something. It implies the inability to find something that one previously possessed or the act of intentionally removing something. It can refer to physical objects, opportunities, or even abstract concepts like confidence. The implication is often that the item or state is no longer in the speaker's possession or control.

⚫︎ 鍵を無くしました。 Translation: I lost my keys. ⚫︎ チャンスを無くすのは残念だ。 Translation: It's a pity to lose the chance. ⚫︎ タバコを無くしたい。 Translation: I want to quit smoking (to get rid of the habit).

This verb is used in various contexts where something is lost, misplaced, or eliminated. ⚫︎When talking about losing physical objects. ⚫︎When talking about losing opportunities or advantages. ⚫︎When expressing the desire to eliminate something, such as a bad habit. The appropriate polite form to use depends on the level of formality required, with 無くします being a polite form.

無くします無くします is typically written using a combination of kanji and hiragana. ⚫︎ Kanji: 無 (mu - nothing, without) and く (ku - hiragana that acts as a verb ending when combined with others.) ⚫︎ Hiragana: なくします (nakushimasu) The okurigana (suffix hiragana) is くします. There are no other common ways to write this word. The stem is 無く無く (naku).

⚫︎ 失くす (なくす) - "to lose" (more casual than 無くします) ⚫︎ 落とす (おとす) - "to drop," "to lose" (implies something accidentally falling.) ⚫︎ 見失う (みうしなう) - "to lose sight of," "to miss" ⚫︎ 紛失する (ふんしつする) - "to lose" (more formal)

⚫︎ 見つける (みつける) - "to find" ⚫︎ 得る (える) - "to gain," "to obtain" ⚫︎ 手に入れる (てにいれる) - "to get," "to obtain"

財布を無くしました。どこを探しても見つかりません。 ・Translation: I lost my wallet. I can't find it no matter where I look. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the loss of a physical object (the wallet) and the unsuccessful search to find it. The use of 無くしました clearly indicates the state of having lost the wallet.

彼は自信を無くして、試験に失敗しました。 ・Translation: He lost his confidence and failed the exam. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 無くして (the -te form of 無くします) to show the loss of confidence and its impact on the exam result. It illustrates how the word can be used beyond physical objects.

The verb 無くす無くす is derived from the adjective 無い (ない), meaning "to not have" or "to be without." The verb ending, すす, is a causative suffix, indicating that someone is causing something to become "not had" or "lost."