決して~ない

kesshite ~ nai

JLPT N3 Formal Chapter 59: Negation Intensity (Not Very / Not At All), 2 of 2

Formation

決して + Verb (negative form)

Express 'never', 'by no means', or 'not at all' when negating a statement.

When to use

Emphatic "never/by no means" - stronger and more deliberate than ぜんぜん; common in writing and serious statements.

Explanation

The 決して~ない grammar point is used to emphasize a negative statement or action. It can be translated as 'never', 'by no means', or 'not at all'. This grammar point must be paired with a negative verb form to maintain its negative meaning.

Example sentences

Negation Intensity (Not Very / Not At All)

Corpus examples (60)

Showing 25 of 60 corpus examples.