adverbial N2 common casualpolitewritten
必ずしも〜ない — not necessarily / not always
必ずしも〜ない ・ かならずしも
Meaning
- not necessarily / not always — denies that something is invariably true (partial negation)
Key sentence
高いものが必ずしも良いとは限らない。
Expensive things aren't necessarily good.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Negative predicate | 必ずしも + …ない（often 〜とは限らない / 〜わけではない） | 必ずしも正しくない |
Examples
高学歴が必ずしも成功を意味するわけではない。
A good education doesn't necessarily mean success.
多数派の意見が必ずしも正しいとは言えない。
The majority view isn't always right.
Easily confused with
See 必ずしも〜ない in real sentences
Jengo shows 必ずしも〜ない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.