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文法 · JLPT N3 grammar
〜わけではない
wake dewa nai · it's not that ~, it doesn't mean ~
〜わけではない softens or corrects an assumption: 嫌いなわけではない, it's not that I dislike it.
How to form it
| Plain form + わけではない | 行きたくないわけではない |
| な-adj + な + わけではない | 嫌いなわけではない |
| Casual: 〜わけじゃない | 高いわけじゃない |
How it is used
It denies one conclusion, not the whole statement: 「お金がないわけではないが、買わない」, I do have money; I just won't buy it.
With 全部 or いつも it means not all, not always: 「日本人がみんな寿司が好きなわけではない」.
Examples
Tap a kanji for its reading.
- 肉が嫌いなわけではありませんが、あまり食べません。It's not that I dislike meat; I just don't eat much.
- 高い物がいつもいい物だというわけではない。Expensive things aren't always good things.
- 行きたくないわけじゃないけど、今日は疲れている。It's not that I don't want to go; I'm just tired today.
- 日本人がみんな納豆を食べるわけではありません。Not every Japanese person eats natto.
Practice: 3 JLPT questions using 〜わけではない
この 人は なぜ めがねを 買いかえましたか。
I replaced the glasses I'd used for five years. Not because they broke. But since last year my eyesight has gradually got worse, and distant letters were hard to see. The new glasses are very clear.
Q: Why did this person replace their glasses? — Their eyesight got worse.
日本語が話せない（ ）。少しは話せます。
It's not that I can't speak Japanese. I can speak a little.
女の 人は どうして 新しい けいたいを 買いましたか。
Why did the woman buy a new phone? → She wanted one with a better camera.