〜なき

A literary equivalent of 〜のない, meaning that the following noun lacks X. It appears in titles, slogans, editorials and other weighty writing, and it gives a phrase a set, solemn tone. It is a noun modifier, unlike 〜なしに or 〜なくして, which attach to a following clause. It should not be confused with its homophone 亡き, 'the late, deceased'.

『映画ちいかわ』を国際政治学から読み解く：なぜ争いは始まり、なぜ終わらないのか · 2026年11月6日

では、「セイレーンなき平和（Peace without Siren）」はどうだろうか。

Then what about "Peace without Siren"?

なき attaches directly to the noun セイレーン and modifies 平和, giving 'peace without the Siren'. The writer coins this phrase on the model of Wilson's 勝利なき平和 in the previous paragraph, and a plain セイレーンのいない平和 would lose both the echo and the solemn, slogan-like ring. The wit lies in the shift of meaning: Wilson's phrase rejects a victor's peace, while this one asks whether peace follows from removing the enemy. Do not confuse なき with 亡き, 'deceased', which sounds the same.

Examples

In real texts 1 occurrence(s)