immersionlog

〜わけではない

it's not that; not necessarily

Plain form + わけではない (な-adj + な · Noun + という)

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わけではない denies a conclusion someone might draw, without denying everything: 肉が嫌いなわけではないが、あまり食べない, "it's not that I dislike meat, I just don't eat much of it".

It softens and corrects. It's common after a sentence that might be misunderstood, and often followed by が or けど and the real reason.

With words like みんな, いつも or 全部, it means "not all" or "not always": 日本人がみんな寿司を好きなわけではない, "not all Japanese people like sushi".

というわけではない is common after a whole idea: 高ければいいというわけではない, "expensive doesn't automatically mean good". In speech, it's わけじゃない.

Examples

  • 肉にくが嫌きらいなわけではないが、あまり食たべない。

    It's not that I dislike meat, I just don't eat much of it.

  • 日本人にほんじんがみんな寿司すしを好すきなわけではない。

    Not all Japanese people like sushi.

  • 行いきたくないわけじゃないけど、今日きょうは忙いそがしい。

    It's not that I don't want to go, but I'm busy today.

  • 高たかければいいというわけではない。

    Expensive doesn't automatically mean good.

  • お金かねがないわけではありません。

    It's not that I don't have any money.

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