欠かせない
かかせない
i-adjective
indispensable; essential; cannot do without
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 欠かせない | 欠かせなくない |
| Past | 欠かせなかった | 欠かせなくなかった |
| て form | 欠かせなくて | 欠かせなくなくて |
| Adverbial | 欠かせなく | — |
| Conditional ば | 欠かせなければ | 欠かせなくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 欠かせなかったら | 欠かせなくなかったら |
1.
indispensable; essential; cannot do without
Describes something that is absolutely necessary and cannot be omitted or removed. Derived from the potential-negative form of the verb 欠く (to lack), literally meaning 'cannot be made to lack.'
Grammatically, 欠かせない is the causative-negative form of 欠く (to lack), meaning literally 'cannot cause to be absent.' It functions as an adjective modifying nouns (e.g., 欠かせない存在) or as a predicate with the pattern ～に欠かせない (indispensable to/for ~).
Usage
The most common pattern is [noun]に欠かせない, where に marks the domain or context in which something is essential. It appears frequently in formal writing, news articles, and academic texts.
Common collocations
- 欠かせない存在: indispensable presence/figure
- 欠かせない要素: indispensable element
- 欠かせない条件: essential condition
- 生活に欠かせない: indispensable to daily life
- 成長に欠かせない: essential for growth