At a glance
～ぬく means "to do something all the way to the end" or "to do something thoroughly." It is used when a person keeps going through difficulty or does something to the fullest.
Verb ます-stem + ぬく
最後までがんばりぬきました。 I kept trying all the way to the end.
How to form it
Remove ます from the polite form and add ぬく:
| Verb group | Dictionary form | ます-stem | + ぬく |
|---|---|---|---|
| う-verb | 走る | 走り | 走りぬく |
| う-verb | 守る | 守り | 守りぬく |
| る-verb | 考える | 考え | 考えぬく |
| る-verb | 耐える | 耐え | 耐えぬく |
For "carry out a task to the end," やりぬく is the usual choice.
ぬく itself conjugates like the う-verb 抜く:
| Form | Polite | Casual |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 走りぬきます | 走りぬく |
| Past | 走りぬきました | 走りぬいた |
| て-form | 走りぬいて |