-ず and -ぬ are two alternatives to the negative form -ない / -ません. But I noticed that depending on the word, it's either -ず or -ぬ, although it seems like some words can take both suffixes. Some examples I have encountered:
知らず (lyric in song "touch" by Younha)
わからず (lyric in song "aisuru mono" by Angela Aki)
せず (song title: "yudan sezu ni ikou")
なれず (lyric in song "mirae he" by Kiroro)
気づかぬ (lyric in song "arigatou" by Kokia)
届かぬ (song title: "todokanu omoi")
ならぬ (lyric in song "shunrai" by Yellow Generation)
とらず / とらぬ
できず / できぬ
So are there rules for choosing between -ず and -ぬ?
Answer
In the modern form, ず is only used as an adverbial (食べずに出る leave without eating). ぬ can replace ない.
In 文語, the grammar used in writing until the reformations after WWII and still at least partially in many forms of poetry, songs, and very formal documents, the use of ず and ぬ was/is grammatically constrained in a manner no longer present in modern Japanese. ぬ was used with the 連体形 form of a word, meaning that it connected with a following noun (and it still does that).
ず, on the other hand, connected with the 未然形 and was used for negative assertions. It had conjugations, too, but those are really really rare now (ざら、ざり、ざる、ざれ、ざれ).
Just remember this: ず can end a sentence, but ぬ can't; ぬ modifies nouns, but ず doesn't: 知らぬ人、人知らず.
Of course they've also snuck into idioms and 慣用語: 我知らず (despite oneself)、暑さ知らずの所 (a place that knows no heat), 知らぬ顔 (pretend ignorance)、知らぬ存ぜぬで押し通す (persist in asserting one's innocence). (新和英大辞典)
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