connective N1 uncommon writtenpolite
〜でもあり〜でもある — is both ~ and ~ at once
〜でもあり〜でもある ・ でもありでもある
Meaning
- is both ~ and ~ at once — ascribing two coexisting (often contrasting) qualities to one thing
Key sentence
彼は厳しい教師でもあり、優しい父親でもある。
He is both a strict teacher and a kind father at the same time.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / な-adjective | N + でもあり + N + でもある | 長所でもあり短所でもある |
When: Written/formal; the two qualities are presented as simultaneously true, frequently a paradoxical pair.
Examples
この決定は好機でもあり、危機でもある。
This decision is both an opportunity and a crisis.
彼女は同僚でもあり、親友でもある。
She is both a colleague and a close friend.
Easily confused with
でもある でもある states a single additional truth ('is also ~'); 〜でもあり〜でもある pairs two such truths, stressing that both hold of the same subject simultaneously. 〜も〜も 〜も〜も lists two items that share a predicate ('both A and B do ~'); でもあり〜でもある assigns two predicative identities to one subject ('X is both A and B').
See 〜でもあり〜でもある in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜でもあり〜でもある the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.