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決して (けっして) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

決けっして

also: けして

け

っ

し

て

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

adverb

never; not at all; by no means

Always used with a negative predicate to form a strong denial or prohibition. Equivalent to 'never' or 'not in the slightest'.

彼かれは決けっして嘘うそをつかない。
He never tells a lie.
この問もん題だいは決けっして簡かん単

たん

で

は

ない

。

This problem is by no means easy.

Written forms

決してUsage81%
- けっして
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
- けして
  irregular kana usage
けっしてUsage18%
Kana spelling is common in informal writing and when the kanji is not needed.
けしてUsage2%
irregular kana usage
Irregular kana usage; a colloquial or dialectal variant of けっして. Not standard.

Kanji

決decide, fix, agree upon

Similar words

絶ぜっ対たいに
Also means 'absolutely' or 'never' with a negative, but can be used in positive sentences as well. 決して is only used with negatives.
全ぜん然ぜん
Means 'not at all' with a negative, but is more casual and can be used in positive sentences in informal speech. 決して is more formal and emphatic.

Etymology

Derived from the kanji 決 (decide) and the particle して, originally meaning 'decidedly'. The modern usage as a negative polarity item developed from emphatic denial.