Posted inN3 Grammar

Beyond “Not Only”: Mastering だけでなく (dake de naku) for JLPT N3

Posted inN3 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

“not only… but also…”

🎯 Primary Function

To indicate that something is true not only for the first element mentioned, but also for the second element.

📋 Grammar Structure

\[Noun/Plain form verb/い-adjective/な-adjective stem + な] だけでなく、\[Clause/Phrase]

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used in formal contexts, though slightly less formal alternatives like ～のみならず might be preferred in very formal writing.

😊 Informal Situations

Frequently used in everyday conversation to add information or emphasize multiple aspects.

✍️ Written Language

Common in both formal and informal writing.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Very common in spoken Japanese.

💡 Common Applications

Adding extra qualities or facts about a subject.
Used to say a person, place, or thing has one quality or characteristic, and also another.
Example: 彼は日本語だけでなく、英語も話せます。 (He can speak not only Japanese, but also English.)
Listing multiple actions or events.
Used to say that someone did one action, and also another action.
Example: 週末は勉強しただけでなく、友達と遊びました。 (On the weekend, I not only studied, but also hung out with friends.)
Pointing out multiple reasons or causes.
Used to state one reason or cause, and then add another reason or cause.
Example: このレストランは値段が高いだけでなく、サービスも悪いです。 (This restaurant is not only expensive, but the service is also bad.)
📊
Frequency
High frequency in daily conversation and writing.
🎚️
Difficulty
Intermediate (N3), mainly due to conjugation rules for different word types and distinguishing from similar patterns.
Example Sentences
このパソコンは軽いだけでなく、性能もいいです。
This laptop is not only light, but its performance is also good.
彼はサッカーが好きであるだけでなく、野球も得意だ。
Not only does he like soccer, but he is also good at baseball.
この本は面白いだけでなく、勉強にもなります。
This book is not only interesting, but it is also useful for studying.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Conjugation is key.
Pay attention to the form preceding だけでなく. Nouns and な-adjectives require な.
Example: 学生であるだけでなく (Noun+である), 静かなだけでなく (な-adj stem + な), 食べるだけでなく (Verb plain form), 美味しいだけでなく (い-adj).
The second part adds information.
だけでなく connects two ideas, where the second idea adds to or supplements the first, often implying “in addition to that”.
Example: 日本語だけでなく、英語も話せます。 (In addition to Japanese, he can also speak English.)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using だけ instead of だけでなく.
✅ Use だけでなく to connect two clauses/phrases showing “not only A, but also B”. だけ usually modifies a single element.
だけ emphasizes limitation (“only”), while だけでなく indicates addition (“not only… but also…”).
❌ Incorrectly attaching to な-adjectives or Nouns.
✅ Remember to add な after the stem of な-adjectives and use the plain form or である with nouns before だけでなく.
e.g., 便利なだけでなく (correct な-adj), 学生であるだけでなく (correct Noun). Conveniだけでなく (incorrect な-adj), 学生だけでなく (often incorrect without な or である depending on context).

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Generally neutral. The politeness depends more on the verb/adjective forms used in the connected clauses.
Social Situations: Used widely in various social contexts.
Regional Variations: The pattern itself is standard Japanese, not typically associated with strong regional variations.

🔍 Subtle Differences

だけでなく vs. ばかりか
Both mean “not only… but also…”. ばかりか can sometimes carry a stronger nuance of “even” or “what’s worse/better”. だけでなく is generally more neutral for simply adding information.
When to use: Use だけでなく for a straightforward addition of information. Use ばかりか when you want to emphasize the surprising or unexpected nature of the second point.
だけでなく vs. 上に (うえに)
Both add information. 上に typically implies that the second point is “on top of” the first, often adding something extra that makes the situation better or worse.
When to use: Use だけでなく when the second point is simply another characteristic or action. Use 上に when the second point feels like an extra layer added onto the first situation.
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When to use: undefined

📝 Conjugation Notes

Verb: Plain form + だけでなく い-adjective: Plain form + だけでなく な-adjective: Stem + な + だけでなく Noun: Noun + である + だけでなく (or sometimes Noun + な + だけでなく, or just Noun + だけでなく depending on the nuance and context, but である is safest/clearest for “not only being X…”)

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

だけでなく (dake de naku) is pronounced smoothly, with the え (e) sound in で flowing into なく (naku).

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of だけ as “only” and なく as “without”. So, “without being only A” implies “not only A, but also…”.

Practice Exercises
このカメラは___、値段も手頃だ。
小さいだけ
小さいだけでなく
小さくなだけ
小さくてだけ
彼は親切___、ユーモアのセンスもある。
なだけでなく
であるだけでなく
だけでなく
だけなく
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