~わけではない
〜wake dewa nai
JLPT N3 Neutral
Formation
Verb-casual + わけではない, い-Adjective + わけではない, な-Adjective + だわけではない, Noun + だわけではない
Denies a general assumption; 'it does not mean that', 'it's not the case'.
When to use
"It doesn't mean that/it's not the case that". (Near-duplicate of n2-164 - same construction, taught at both N2 and N3.)
Explanation
The ~わけではない grammar point is used to deny or correct a general assumption or statement without completely negating the situation. It often emphasizes one particular point that is not true, while acknowledging other possibilities.
Example sentences
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Just because he's busy doesn't mean he has no friends.
Kare ga isogashii kara to itte, tomodachi ga inai wake dewa nai.
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It's not that this movie isn't interesting; it's just not my taste.
Kono eiga wa omoshirokunai wake dewa nai ga, konomi dewa nai.
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Just because she's sick doesn't mean she's in bed all day.
Kanojo ga byouki dakara to itte, mainichi nete iru wake dewa nai.
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Just because he didn't go to college doesn't mean he's stupid.
Kare ga daigaku ni itte inai kara to itte, baka da wake dewa nai.
Corpus examples (60)
-
The Japanese do not always make a bow as a mark of respect.
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I'm not angry because you have failed.
彼が頭がいいからと言って、彼が誠実であると決まったわけではない。
Just because he's wise doesn't mean that he's honest.
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It's not that he's angry with you.
彼女はこれらの告発に対して自らを弁護するためにここへ来たわけではない。
She's not here to defend herself against these accusations.
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Not all of the books are instructive.
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Neither of those books is interesting.
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Not all Americans speak English as their mother tongue.
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He doesn't speak either English or French.
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French is not all that difficult to learn.
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In my opinion, alcohol is not necessarily bad for your health.
悪口雑言をいわれても、いわれた人の価値が下がるわけではない。
Even if malicious gossip is being circulated around someone, it doesn't necessarily mean that the value of that person will be diminished.
高価なスキンクリームが安価な物より良い効果があるわけではない。
Expensive skin creams don't work better than inexpensive ones.
トラブルを避けても必ずしも安全が確保されているわけではない。
Avoiding trouble will not always assure safety.
どちらかの味方をしたいわけではないが、あなたの意見には同意する。
It's not that I want to take sides, but I agree with your opinion.
だからといって異議があるわけではない。
Not that I have any objection.
文法的に間違いがあるわけではないのですが、個人的に少し違和感を感じます。
Although there aren't any errors grammatically per se, it personally feels a bit unnatural to me.
-
Not all doctors make a lot of money.
少年犯罪が目立つが、だからといって一般犯罪件数が減少したわけではない。
However, the general crime number has not decreased though the juvenile delinquency stands out.
試験を最初にやり終える学生が必ずしも一番いい成績を取るわけではない。
The student who finishes an examination first does not necessarily get the best grade.
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I'm not moving out of range of that telephone.
この運動はまだその全ての目標を達成しているわけではないが、男女関係の色々な分野にすでにかなりの影響を与えている。
This movement has not yet achieved all its goals, but it has already had considerable impact in many areas of male-female relations.
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Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington.
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Not all of us can speak English.
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Every man cannot be a hero.