必(かなら)ずしもNot always, Not entirely, Not necessarily

Structure

必(かなら)ずしも + Phrase + わけではない⁽¹⁾
必(かなら)ずしも + Phrase + とは限(かぎ)らない
必(かなら)ずしも + Phrase + とは言(い)えない

⁽¹⁾ わけじゃない

Details

About 必ずしも

Although it is often considered a stand-alone adverb, 必(かなら)ずしも is a combination of the adverb 必(かなら)ず 'invariably', or 'certainly', and the adverbial particles し and も. し and も are often combined in order to strengthen the meaning of the word before it. Due to this, 必(かならず)ずしも may be translated as something similar to 'absolutely certainly'.

However, 必(かならず)ずしも is an expression that is only used in negative sentences, so is commonly translated as 'not always (A)', 'not entirely (A)', or 'not necessarily (A)'. Despite this, the literal meaning is close to 'not absolutely certainly (A)'. 必(かならず)ずしも is often used at the beginning of a phrase, before expressing something that is not 100% certain.

Examples

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男(おとこ)の人(ひと)が必(かなら)ずしも運転(うんてん)が上手(じょうず)とは限(かぎ)らない。

Men are not necessarily good drivers.

失敗(しっぱい)は必(かなら)ずしも悪(わる)いわけではない。

Failure is not necessarily bad.

必(かなら)ずしも上達(じょうたつ)するわけではない。

You will not necessarily become more proficient.

思(おも)い出(で)が必(かなら)ずしも美(うつく)しいとは限(かぎ)らない。

Memories are not always beautiful.

天気(てんき)予報(よほう)は必(かなら)ずしも当(あ)たるわけではない。

Forecasts are not always right.

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必ずしも – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (6 in total)

mrnoone

English translation:
Not always
not entirely
not necessarily

Structure:
必ずしも + Phrase + わけではない / とは限らない / とは言えない

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matt_in_mito
Can someone please explain what the addition of this does to a sentence, vs it not being in the sentence?
Simply ～とは限らない, etc. already seems as though emphasis is being placed on the ‘not necessarily’ part, so I’m not sure I understand the point of adding 必ずしも into a sentence.
Thanks in advance
mrnoone
Although とは限らない already means “not necessarily/not always” by itself, it is very often used together with the 必ずしも for even more emphasis.
matt_in_mito
@mrnoone thanks! Got it!
rever4217
There’s a mistake in the second example sentence. Double も’s.
刑務所にいる人たちは必ずしもも犯罪を犯したとは限らない。
CrisH
Could you say more about the し in this construction? Is this the particle for listing reasons, or does the かな have another use represented here?
Pablunpro
Hi!

It is the 必ずしも grammar point (N3, lesson 9, first grammar point).

HTH!