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あながち Japanese meaning | Kotomora

あながち

あ

な

が

ち

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

adverb

not necessarily; not entirely; not altogether

usually written using kana alone

Used with a negative predicate to soften a denial, meaning 'not necessarily' or 'not completely'. Often appears in formal or written contexts.

彼かれの言いうこともあながち間ま違ちがいではない。
What he says is not necessarily wrong.
その噂うわさはあながち

嘘うそ

と

も

言い

い

切き

れ

ない

。

You can't say that rumor is entirely a lie.

Written forms

あながちUsage95%
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 強ち is rare and may be confusing.
強あながちUsage5%
Rare kanji spelling; learners should use the kana form.

Kanji

強strong

Similar words

必かならずしも
必ずしも is more common and neutral for 'not necessarily', while あながち is slightly more literary and often implies a subjective judgment.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the classical adverb あな (expressing strong feeling) combined with かち (tendency), but this is not firmly established.