ずくめ (日本語能力試験 N1)

「ずくめ」の情報

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.

今月(こんげつ)も仕事(しごと)ずくめになりそうだ。
It seems like I'm going to be doing nothing but work again this month.
最近(さいきん)は嫌(いや)なことずくめで全然(ぜんぜん)楽(たの)しくない。
I'm not having the best time right now, because nothing but bad things are happening.
彼(かれ)は黒(くろ)ずくめの男(おとこ)たちに誘拐(ゆうかい)された。
He was kidnapped by men covered in black.
警察(けいさつ)への電話(でんわ)：もしもし、家(いえ)の前(まえ)に黒(くろ)ずくめの車(くるま)が何台(なんだい)も止(と)まっているんで今(いま)から言(い)う住所(じゅうしょ)まできてもらってもいいですか。
Calling the cops: Hello, there are several jet black cars parked in front of my house, so could you please come to the address I'm about to tell you?

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.

例文

新聞(しんぶん)の見出(みだ)し：「６月(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(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.
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