Or rather, in other words, in short
Something has been said, and you put it another way. When it was wrong, じゃなくて simply corrects it; when a word was not quite right, というより and というか give a closer one. つまり and 要するに leave the meaning alone and say it again, more plainly or more briefly.
| Form | What it does | Where |
|---|---|---|
| AじゃなくてB | "Not A but B": A is wrong | Conversation; ではなく in writing |
| AというよりB | "Not so much A as B": B is the closer word | Conversation and writing |
| AというかB | "Or rather": tries B without dropping A | Conversation, chatty writing |
| AといおうかB | The same as と | Essays, novels |
| むしろB | "If anything": B is the truer word or the better choice | Conversation and writing |
| つまり | "In other words": the same thing, said another way | Conversation and writing |
| すなわち | "That is": an exact equivalent | Textbooks, rules, formal speeches |
| 要するに | "In short": the one point of a long explanation | Conversation and writing |
じゃなくて: not A but B
Full pageではなく・
じゃなくて crosses one thing out and puts the right one in its place. It corrects a fact, and it takes back a slip of your own, like "no, I mean". A whole statement is crossed out with んじゃなくて, "it's not that…".
Are we meeting on Friday?
No, not Friday—Thursday.
The meeting is from three, no, I mean four.
It's not that I forgot. I didn't have time.
というより: not so much A as B
Full pageというよりN3
というより says the first description isn't quite right and gives a closer one. Both halves describe the same thing. It is softer than じゃなくて: the first word is off the mark, not false. Among friends it is often っていうより.
It's not so much cool today as cold.
You're not so much helping as getting in the way.
Not "rather than" for a choice
English "rather than" also picks between two things: the bus rather than the train. というより doesn't.
Not said: 今日は
(Today I'll take the bus rather than the train.)
A choice between two things is 電車じゃなくて、バスで行きます.
というか: or rather
Full pageというか・
というか reaches for a closer word and doesn't throw the first one out: "or rather", "I mean". People say it constantly, as っていうか, and among friends as てか. In polite talk it is といいますか.
More like sleepy.
How shall I put it… it's a bit hard to say.
The pause while you look for the word.
Said twice, it tries two words and keeps both. People soften a criticism this way. といおうか is というか for essays and novels; you almost never hear it.
He's careful, or maybe a worrier. Anyway, he takes a while to decide.
Joy, or should I say relief: something welled up in me.
じゃなくて, というより or というか?
All three can be said about the same man. What changes is what happens to the word "kind".
It's not that he's kind. He just can't say no when he's asked.
"Kind" is wrong.
It's not so much that he's kind. He just can't say no when he's asked.
"Kind" isn't quite the word.
He's kind, or rather, he just can't say no when he's asked.
"Kind" stays.
むしろ: if anything
Full pageむしろN3
むしろ stands in front of the side you are keeping: the truer of two words, or the better of two things to do. It often follows というより.
It's not so much cool today as cold, if anything.
If anything, the train is quicker than going by car.
It also opens a short reply, often the opposite of what the other person expected: むしろ好き, むしろ助かる.
Isn't this job hard?
No. If anything, it's fun.
むしろ needs something to set aside, so the "rather" of "rather cold" is かなり.
つまり・すなわち: in other words
Full pageつまり・
つまり says the same thing another way, or sums it up: "in other words", "so basically". In conversation it is how you say back what you have just heard, to check that you have understood; the sentence often ends in ってこと.
The store is open only on Saturdays and Sundays. In other words, it is closed on weekdays.
I heard all of today's flights are canceled.
So basically, we can't get home today?
So what are you saying?
Asking someone to get to the point.
すなわち is つまり in writing and formal speeches, for an exact equivalent: "that is". It often stands between two nouns.
An international conference was held in the capital of Japan, that is, Tokyo.
Essays, explanations and presentations also reword with 言い換えれば, "to put it another way".
Seventy percent of the Earth's surface is sea. To put it another way, only thirty percent is land.
Not the "so" of a result
English "so" also brings in a result. What follows つまり is what the first sentence amounts to, not a new event.
Not said: 急に
(It suddenly started raining, so I bought an umbrella at a convenience store.)
Buying an umbrella isn't the rain said another way.
It suddenly started raining, so I bought an umbrella at a convenience store.
What came of the rain is それで.
要するに: in short
Full page要するにN2
要するに gives the one point of everything that has just been said: "in short". つまり can reword a single phrase; 要するに needs more than that to sum up. After a long explanation, either fits. In conversation you also hear the shorter 要は, "the point is".
The budget is smaller, the deadline is earlier, and there will be no additional staff. In short, we need to scale back the plan.
Summing up your own words, it is neutral. Aimed at what someone else has just said, it can sound as if they took too long, which is risky with a boss or a customer.
I do want to go, but I've been busy lately, and I've got no money…
Basically, you don't want to go, do you?
So what are you actually trying to say?
The opposite result, "which means" and "in the end"
かえってN3
A result that is the reverse of what you'd expect, usually for the worse. むしろ only weighs two things.
I took the medicine and actually got worse.
ということはN2
"Which means…": works out something new from a fact. つまり mostly rewords what is already there.
The lights in the meeting room are off. That means the meeting must be over already.
結局N3
"In the end", not "in short": how things turned out. 要するに sums up what was said.
I listened to the explanation for an hour, but in the end I didn't really understand it.