Meaning

Primary

To Be Gone

Alternatives

To Run Out, To Be Lost, To Disappear

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

Here we have nothing, followed by the verb なる. A verb that means "become nothing"? That'll be to be gone, to run out, to be lost, or to disappear.

This can be translated in various ways depending on the situation, but just remember that it always refers to something changing from being there, to not being there.

Reading

なくなる
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This uses the kun'yomi reading, which you learned with 無し, so you should be good to go.

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • することが無くなる

    there will be nothing left to do

    必要が無くなる

    to no longer be necessary

    意味が無くなる

    to become meaningless

    時間が無くなる

    to run out of time

    お金が無くなる

    to run out of money, to lose one's money

Context Sentences

あ、トイレットペーパー、もうすぐ無くなるよ。

Oh, our toilet paper is almost gone.

することが無くなっちゃって、ヒマなんだよね。

I've run out of things to do and I'm bored.

正直、カード社会になってから、キャッシュを持つ必要性ってほぼ無くなったよね。

Honestly, since we've become a card-centric society, the need to carry cash has become almost obsolete, hasn't it?

Kanji Composition