わけではない・
You take back a conclusion the other person might jump to: "it's not that I dislike it". It is softer than a flat "no", and often means "not entirely".
This town is quiet, but that does not mean it is inconvenient. The station and shops are nearby too.
This job is not exactly easy, but it is rewarding.
How to form it
Plain form + わけではない
A な-adjective takes な: 不便なわけではない. After a noun, というわけではない is usual. In conversation it is わけじゃない; politely, わけではありません.
- Before it
- What someone might conclude from what they have just seen or heard.
- Tone
- Tactful. It softens refusals, criticism and disagreement.
- Where you'll meet it
- Everywhere: chat, work, essays, the news.
In use
He is slow to reply, but that does not mean he is irresponsible. Even when he is busy, he responds eventually.
It's not that I particularly dislike it, but I don't eat it much.
This doesn't say you like it. It only takes back "dislike". 別に or 特に often goes in front: "not particularly".
Having expensive equipment does not necessarily mean you can take good photographs. How you use light matters too.
Do you not want to go on next month's trip?
That is not it. My work schedule has not been decided yet.
そういうわけじゃない, "that's not it", is a reply you will hear all the time.
Two things to know
With いつも, 毎日 or みんな: not always, not everybody
I'm never home on Sundays.
A plain negative covers every Sunday.
I'm not always home on Sundays.
Only the "always" is taken back.
It is not the case that everyone opposes the plan. Some people support it.
After a negative: a careful yes
The two negatives leave a hesitant yes: you do want to, or you can, more or less. It is how a gentle refusal often begins, with the real reason after が or けど.
It's not that I don't want to go, but I have plans that day…
The four わけ
わけだN3
"So that's why", "no wonder", "which means": it all adds up.
The window is open. No wonder it's cold.
わけがないN3
"There's no way": it couldn't be so. Spoken: わけない.
It's this cheap, so there's no way it's the real thing.
わけにはいかないN3
"I can't very well…": you could, but duty, manners or your position stop you. After a negative, "I can't very well not": you have to.
My staff are still working, so I can't very well be the only one to go home.
Close neighbours
とは限らないN3
For rules and predictions: usually true, but not every time.
Expensive products don't always last long.
Check yourself
1What does this mean?
毎日
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which reply fits?
A
Choose an answer to see why.
3What is this person saying?
食べられないわけじゃないよ。
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
というわけではない means the same; という just wraps the idea up. It often follows からといって, "just because".
Studying Japanese does not necessarily mean that I want to work in Japan. I want to read literature in the original.
わけでもない is a shade vaguer: "not really … either".
It's not that I have anything particular to do, but I want to go home early today.
More sentences
I chose the cheapest shop, but price is not the only thing I care about. I checked the quality too.
I will be absent this time, but it is not that I consider the meeting unimportant. I was unable to change another commitment.
I chose the online course, but that does not mean I dislike learning in a classroom.