Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 9: 8/21

ずくめCompletely, Entirely, All in, Nothing but, A real streak of, Without exception, Jet

づくめ is an older, pre-reform variant. ずくめ should be used instead., There is another suffix that uses づくし, meaning “all sorts/kinds of (A)”

Structure

Noun + ずくめ
Noun (A) + ずくめ + の + Noun (B)

Details

  • Register

    Standard

About ずくめ

Originally stemming from the suffix use of 尽(づ)く 'completely', or 'using solely', and the addition of め, ずくめ came to be preferentially written as hiragana, with ず replacing づ. This structure may be translated as 'completely (A)', 'all in (A)', or 'nothing but (A)'. Generally, it is attached directly to nouns, and expresses that (A) is to such an extent that nothing apart from (A) can be seen, felt, or noticed.

In cases where ずくめ will directly modify the following noun, の will come between ずくめ and that noun.

Although づくめ may occasionally be seen in older literature, it is mostly considered incorrect kana usage these days.

While ずくめ may be used in either positive or negative contexts, it is mainly seen in set expressions, so is best used with combinations that you have already heard or read.

Fun Fact

尽(づ)くし is another older structure that is used to express things that are separate, but are grouped together. This is usually translated as 'all sorts of (A)', or 'all kinds of (A)'. It is the conjunctive form of the う-Verb 尽(つ)くす 'to be exhaustive' with a voiced pronunciation of the つ.

  • 国(くに)づくしの偉(えら)い人(ひと)が集(あつ)まった。
    Great people from all sorts of countries gathered.

Examples

--:--

    新聞(しんぶん)の見出(みだ)し：「６月(ろくがつ)猛暑(もうしょ)記録(きろく)ずくめ」

    Newspaper headline: 'June - A Heatwave full of Temperature Records'

    規制(きせい)は必要(ひつよう)であるが規則(きそく)ずくめで窒息(ちっそく)しそうな社会(しゃかい)は強圧的(きょうあつてき)ではないだろうか。

    Regulations are needed, but isn't a society that is about to suffocate with nothing but restrictions overbearing ?

    ２０２０年(にせんにじゅうねん)は異例(いれい)ずくめの大変(たいへん)な年(とし)でしたが何(なん)とか乗(の)り切(き)りました。

    2020 was a very challenging year full of irregularities, but we somehow got through it.

    ツイッターの投稿(とうこう)：「朝(あさ)から晩(ばん)まで、ごちそうずくめで結婚(けっこん)を祝(いわ)う。」

    Twitter post: 'We are celebrating the marriage with nothing but delicacies from morning till night.'

    黒(くろ)ずくめのスーツに身(み)を包(つつ)んだ男(おとこ)はベンチに座(すわ)り、逆(さか)さに持(も)った新聞(しんぶん)を読(よ)むふりをしていた。

    A man dressed in a completely black suit was sitting on a bench and pretending to read a newspaper that was upside down.

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

  • Online

      There are no Online resources listed for 「ずくめ」.

      You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

    • Offline

        There are no Offline resources listed for 「ずくめ」.

        You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

      • Track Resources!

        Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

      ずくめ – Grammar Discussion

        There's currently no discussion for ずくめ
        Ask questions and learn together with other Bunpro users!

      Join the Discussion