modality N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten
なくもない — it's not that there isn't ~
なくもない
Builds on ない
Meaning
- it's not that there isn't ~ / I do sort of ~ — a compact, casual double-negative hedge admitting a faint degree of something
Key sentence
その気持ちも分からなくもない。
I can sort of understand how you feel.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (ない-stem → なく) / い-adj (くなく) / な-adj・noun (でなく) | V(なく) / Aく+なく / Nで+なく + もない | 食べたくなくもない / 不安でなくもない |
Examples
高いが、買いたくなくもない。
It's expensive, but it's not that I don't want to buy it.
理由はある。納得できなくもない。
There's a reason for it — I can't say it makes no sense to me.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Frequently seen with verbs of understanding/feeling: 分からなくもない, 思わなくもない.
See なくもない in real sentences
Jengo shows なくもない 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 Advanced Japanese Grammar.