noun, used as a suffix
without knowing; unaware of; not having
Noun suffix that attaches to a noun or verb stem to mean 'without knowing X' or 'unaffected by X'. Often used in set phrases like 見知らず (without knowing someone) or 我知らず (unconsciously).
彼は見知らずの人に道を尋ねられた。
He was asked for directions by a stranger (someone he didn't know).
我知らず涙がこぼれた。
Tears spilled over without my realizing it.
conjunction
aside from; not to mention; let alone
Conjunction used in the pattern ～は知らず to mean 'leaving aside X' or 'I don't know about X, but...'. It sets aside a topic to focus on another.
結果は知らず、努力したことに意味がある。
I don't know about the result, but the effort itself has meaning.
他の人は知らず、私はその意見に反対だ。
I don't know about others, but I'm against that opinion.
conjunction
I know not whether; I know not if
Archaic conjunction used at the beginning of a sentence to express uncertainty. Not used in modern Japanese outside of classical or poetic contexts.
知らず、この道は正しきか。
I know not whether this path is right.
The base verb meaning 'to know'. 知らず is the negative continuative form, which developed into a suffix and conjunction.
The modern negative form of 知る, used as a predicate. 知らず is more formal or literary and often appears in fixed expressions.
Derived from the negative continuative form of the verb 知る (to know). The suffix and conjunction uses developed from this grammatical form.