Noun でなくてなんだろう JLPT N1
〜de nakute nandarou
A strong rhetorical question: 'If not X, then what is it?'
Formation
Noun + でなくてなんだろう
Explanation
「Noun + でなくてなんだろう」expresses the speaker’s strong conviction that something must be that noun - no other possibility. Literally, 'If it isn't Noun, then what is it?'
Example sentences
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If this isn’t the truth, then what is?
Kore ga shinjitsu de nakute nandarou.
彼がリーダーでなくてなんだろう。
If he isn’t the leader, then who is?
Kare ga riidaa de nakute nandarou.
-
If this isn’t love, then what is?
Kore ga ai de nakute nandarou.
-
If this isn’t the best restaurant, then what is?
Kore ga saikou no resutoran de nakute nandarou.