Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 6: 15/24

決(けっ)して〜ない

Never, By no means

Structure

決(けっ)して + Verb［ない］
決(けっ)して + ［い］Adjective［ない］
決(けっ)して + ［な］Adjective + ではない(1)
決(けっ)して + Noun + ではない(1)

(1) じゃない

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About 決して〜ない

決(けっ)して by itself is the て form of the verb 決(けっ)する 'to determine'. However 決(けっ)して is special in that it is considered to be a stand-alone adverb. As an adverb, it carries the meaning of 'decidedly', or 'assuredly', and is used in sentences that contain ない, in order to convey 'never (A)', 'under no circumstances (A)' or 'by no means (A)'.
Like many other adverbs in Japanese, 決(けっ)して can appear at the beginning of a sentence, or directly before the word it is modifying (which will be in its ない form).
  • この道(みち)はものすごく危(あぶ)ないので、決(けっ)してグループから離(はな)れないで下(くだ)さい。
    This road is very dangerous, so please under no circumstances leave the group.
  • 決(けっ)して痛(いた)くないとは言(い)えないです。
    By no means, can I say that it does not hurt.
  • この乗(の)り物(もの)は決(けっ)して危険(きけん)ではないです。
    This ride is by no means dangerous.
  • この子(こ)は決(けっ)して悪(わる)い人(ひと)ではないけど、時々(ときどき)失礼(しつれい)なときがある。
    By no means do I think that this person is bad, but they are rude at times.
While the translation is 'never', the literal meaning of 決(けっ)して is 'decidedly not (A)', or 'assuredly not (A)', simply emphasizing the negative point within a sentence.
Caution
決(けっ)して may also sometimes be paired with other structures that are not specifically negative, the primary example of this being ものか (a grammar point that we will learn about later). ものか strongly confirms a statement as being something that does not exist/will not be done.
  • この宝石(ほうせき)を決して渡(わた)すものか！
    There is no way I will hand over this treasure.
  • お前(まえ)に決してお金(かね)を貸(か)すものか！
    There is no way I will lend you money.

Examples

  • トムは決(けっ)して頭(あたま)が悪(わる)いわけではない。単(たん)なる怠(なま)け者(もの)なだけだ。

    Tom is by no means dumb, he is simply lazy.

  • 何回(なんかい)友達(ともだち)に行(い)こうと誘(さそ)われても、決(けっ)して行(い)かない。

    No matter how many times my friends pressure me to go, I will never go.

  • 嘘(うそ)をついたら決(けっ)して許(ゆる)さない。

    I will never forgive you if you lie to me.

  • 何(なに)があっても、決(けっ)してあきらめない。

    I will never give up, no matter what happens.

  • 彼(かれ)は決(けっ)して妥協(だきょう)しない人(ひと)だ。

    He is a person that never compromises.

  • 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.

決して〜ない – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (8 in total)

  • Pushindawood

    Pushindawood

    @codewiz I have updated the alternative answers to include 絶対. Cheers!

    Working on it!

  • Yryrdz

    Yryrdz

    Can this grammar point work with negative desire form? I.E; 決して諦めたくない。I don’t see why not but I’m just confirming here.

  • Daru

    Daru

    Straight from the writeup:

    As an adverb, it carries the meaning of ‘decidedly’, or ‘assuredly’, and is used in sentences that contain ない, in order to convey ‘never (A)’, ‘under no circumstances (A)’ or ‘by no means (A)’.

    So yeah! It can be used with ～たくない. The key here is for the verb to be in its ない form.

Got questions about 決して〜ない? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion