必ずしも

Japanese

Kanji in this term
必
かなら Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Etymology

From 必(かなら)ず (kanarazu, “certainly, (negative polarity) not necessarily”) + しも (shimo, emphatic word). The しも (shimo) can also be seen in 誰しも (dareshimo) and まだしも (madashimo).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) かならずしも [kànárázúꜜshìmò] (Nakadaka – [4])^[1]^[2]
(Tokyo) かならずしも [kànárázúshíꜜmò] (Nakadaka – [5])^[1]
IPA^(key): [ka̠na̠ɾa̠zɨɕimo̞]

Adverb

必(かなら)ずしも • (kanarazushimo)

(chiefly in the negative) (not) always, (not) necessarily, (not) all
- c. 800, Han Yu, On Teaching(師說):
  
  是(こ)の故(ゆえ)に弟(てい)子(し)は必(かなら)ずしも師(し)に如(し)かずんばあらず、師(し)は必(かなら)ずしも弟(てい)子(し)より賢(けん)ならず。
  Kono yue ni teishi wa kanarazushimo shi ni shikazunba arazu, shi wa kanarazushimo teishi yori ken narazu.
  For this reason, apprentices do not have to be inferior to their masters; masters do not have to be more virtuous than their apprentices.

Usage notes

Sometimes paired with とは限らない (to wa kagiranai) in written Japanese.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-1] 1.0 ^1.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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