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According to [this page](http://gogen-allguide.com/se/setsunai.html) on the
etymology of the word 「切ない」, the 「ない」 in it is not the 「ない」 that means "there
is no ...", but rather an ending that turns the noun 「切」 into an adjective.

On the other hand, there are many adjectives ending with 「ない」 that does seem
to mean "there is no...", e.g. 「そっけない」、「あどけない」.

The questions:

  1. Is there any connection between the 「ない」 in 「切ない」 and the 「ない」 that means "there is no ..."?

  2. If the answer to 1 is no, are there a whole series of adjectives ending with 「ない」 that acts as an adjective ending? If so, what are the most commonly used among them? How about such words as 「すくない」, 「きたない」, etc.?
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etymology
About 「ない」 in 「切ない」
This is like the English prefix _in-_ , which may or may not carry negative
meanings. _In-_ in words like _invasive_ or _inherent_ does not have negative
meanings, whereas _in-_ in words like _indifferent_ or _insecure_ clearly has
negative meanings. [What does _in-_ do in _inflammable_?](https://www.merriam-
webster.com/words-at-play/flammable-or-inflammable) We have to remember each
word and get used to it.

  * ない at the end of some adjectives clearly mean _-less_ , _non-_ , etc., and often there are antonyms that end with ある. 心ない means _heartless_ and 心ある means _hearty_.
  * ない at the end of some adjectives do not mean 無い. ない can be just another common word ending of adjectives. 汚い and 少ない are examples of this.
  * In a few cases, adding ない at the end of an adjective does not change the meaning. See [my previous answer](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/48105/5010).
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2017-08-14T04:32:44.673
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2020-06-09T23:27:12.010
2020-06-09T23:27:12.010
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answer