JLPT N2 grammar

〜わけではないmeaning and usage

Meaning

Although you may think A; that is not the case.

How to form it

  • verb (plain form)/い-adjectiveわけではない
  • な-adjective (stem)なわけではない
  • nounというわけではない

How it is used

Denies a conclusion the listener might draw: 'it's not that…'. It softens a statement or makes a partial negative, as with 「全部〜わけではない」. Very different from 「〜わけがない」, 'there's no way that…'.

Examples

  1. 魚は、目が開いているからといって起きているわけではない。

    For fish, having their eyes open doesn't necessarily mean they are awake.

  2. 反対しているわけではありません。もう少し考えたいだけです。

    It's not that I'm against it. I just want to think about it a little more.

  3. 全部読んだわけではないけど、この本はおもしろいと思う。

    I haven't read all of it, but I think this book is interesting.