Meaning
〜わけではない expresses partial negation, meaning 'it's not necessarily that' or 'it's not always the case that.' Unlike 〜わけがない which means something is impossible or makes no sense, this pattern acknowledges that part of what's being discussed is true, but denies that it's entirely or always true. It softens a negation by suggesting exceptions or variations exist.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| 動詞普通形 | わけではない |
| い形容詞 | わけではない |
| な形容詞 な | わけではない |
| 名詞 な／である | わけではない |
Examples
-
これらの果物が全部新鮮というわけではない。
These fruits are not necessarily all fresh. -
仕事が忙しいと言っても、英語を勉強する暇がまったくないわけではない。
Even though work is busy, it's not that I have no time at all to study English. -
彼だけが特別なわけではありません。
It's not that only he is special.
Summary
- Used to partially negate or qualify a statement—denying totality rather than absolute truth
- Can be followed by も to create 〜わけでもない with the same meaning
- Key difference from 〜わけがない: this denies part of something, not the possibility/logic of the entire situation