ないでもない — Not Entirely Without

Meaning & Usage

ないでもない takes the negative (ない) form of a verb and appends でもない, wrapping the statement in two layers of negation that resolve into a guarded positive. English equivalents include "I wouldn't say I don't...," "it's not that I entirely fail to...," or "there is at least some degree of...," though none of these quite captures the reluctance baked into the Japanese.

Rather than asserting something directly, the speaker denies the complete absence of a quality or action. Saying 「分わかる」 claims understanding outright. Saying 「分わからないでもない」 says only "it is not the case that I completely fail to understand" — a far more hedged position. That gap matters: declaring full understanding can feel presumptuous in Japanese, and partial acknowledgment often lands more gracefully than a direct yes.

The pattern serves three main purposes: expressing partial empathy without full endorsement, signaling reluctant possibility, and offering a qualified admission. Asked whether you might accept an uncertain offer, 「受うけ入いれないでもない」 says you have not agreed but have not ruled it out — keeping options open while still engaging meaningfully with the proposal.

ないでもない appears in both spoken and written Japanese. In conversation, it signals careful restraint — the speaker is still weighing something and not ready to issue a verdict. In formal or literary writing, it introduces scholarly qualification, letting a writer acknowledge a counterpoint without adopting it. Against its close relative なくもない, this form sounds slightly more deliberate and literary, though both serve the same hedging function.

Picture a simple spectrum: 「全然ぜんぜん分わからない」 sits at one extreme (I understand nothing); 「よく分わかる」 at the other (I understand clearly). ないでもない lands just short of the positive end — a small concession, offered with detectable reluctance, the speaker maintaining visible distance from full agreement. That combination of "barely yes, and I'm not entirely comfortable admitting it" is exactly the feeling this pattern is designed to convey.

Structure & Formation

Formation is straightforward: take the ない form (plain negative form) of a verb and attach でもない. This works across all three verb groups. In でもない, the ない is the adjective meaning "not" or "without"; でも means "even" or "also." Together, でもない means roughly "is also not the case." Stacking this onto an already-negative verb form produces the characteristic weak positive.

A contrasting clause with が or けれど often follows, giving the extended pattern: [Verb-ない form] + でもない + が/けれど + [contrasting statement]. This mirrors English constructions like "I wouldn't say I don't..., but..." and is the most natural way this pattern appears in connected speech and writing. It also pairs well with 複合動詞ふくごうどうし (compound verbs): 理解りかいできないでもない, 納得なっとくできないでもない.

Example Sentences

共感きょうかんと理解りかい (Expressing Partial Understanding)

あなたの言いいたいことが分わからないでもないが、賛成さんせいはしかねる。

Anata no iitai koto ga wakaranai de mo nai ga, sansei wa shikaneru.

I can somewhat understand what you are trying to say, but I am hesitant to agree.

可能性かのうせいと意欲いよく (Expressing Reluctant Possibility)

行いかないでもないが、あまり気きが進すすまない。

Ikanai de mo nai ga, amari ki ga susumanai.

I wouldn't say I won't go, but I'm not really in the mood.

もう一度いちど試ためしてみないでもない。

Mō ichido tameshite minai de mo nai.

I might give it another try.

感情かんじょうと態度たいど (Expressing Guarded Feelings)

心配しんぱいしないでもないが、きっと大丈夫だいじょうぶだろう。

Shinpai shinai de mo nai ga, kitto daijōbu darō.

I do have some worries, but I'm sure it will be fine.

彼女かのじょに同情どうじょうしないでもないが、自業自得じごうじとくだと思おもう。

Kanojo ni dōjō shinai de mo nai ga, jigō jitoku da to omou.

I have some sympathy for her, but I think it is largely her own doing.

あの映画えいがが面白おもしろいと思おもわないでもない。

Ano eiga ga omoshiroi to omowanai de mo nai.

I do not entirely find that movie uninteresting.

承認しょうにんと同意どうい (Expressing Reluctant Acceptance)

その提案ていあんに納得なっとくできないでもない。

Sono teian ni nattoku dekinai de mo nai.

I can somewhat come to terms with that proposal.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Treating It as a Simple Negative

❌ 分わからないでもない → 「全まったく分わからない」（completely unable to understand）

✅ 分わからないでもない → 「ある程度ていど分わかる」（somewhat understand — a weak positive）

The most common error is reading ないでもない as a plain negative because it contains the word ない. Two negatives produce a weak positive — that is the core rule. When you see ないでもない, decode it as a qualified, reluctant affirmation rather than a denial. Getting this right is the foundation everything else builds on.

Mistake 2: Incorrect Verb Form

❌ 行いくないでもない / 行いきないでもない ✅ 行いかないでもない

The base must be the ない form (plain negative form) of the verb, not the dictionary form or the masu-stem. For Group 1 (u-verbs), this requires the proper vowel-row shift before adding ない: 行いく → 行いか + ない. Attaching でもない directly to the dictionary form or the masu-stem is ungrammatical and will immediately mark the speaker as non-native. Always conjugate into the proper ない form first.

Mistake 3: Using It When Full Certainty Is Appropriate

❌「この問題もんだいが分わからないでもない」（実際じっさいはよく理解りかいしている場合ばあい）

✅「この問題もんだいがよく分わかる」

ないでもない inherently signals reluctance or uncertainty. Using it when you feel strongly positive comes across as evasive or oddly self-deprecating. Reserve it for situations where you genuinely feel partial agreement, guarded empathy, or reluctant possibility. Treating it as a blanket politeness marker misleads listeners about your actual position.

Mistake 4: Confusing with ないことはない

❌ 行いかないでもない と 行いかないことはない を完全かんぜんに同義どうぎとして扱あつかう ✅ 行いかないことはない（論理的ろんりてきな可能性かのうせいを強調きょうちょう） vs. 行いかないでもない（話者わしゃの意欲いよく・気持きもちを表あらわす）

ないことはない and ないでもない overlap but carry different weight. ないことはない emphasizes logical possibility or capability — it asserts that something is not impossible. ないでもない more directly reflects the speaker's emotional or volitional stance — that they are not entirely unwilling or without feeling. In formal or academic writing, choosing the wrong one produces a subtly awkward sentence that a native speaker will notice.

Mistake 5: Dropping も from でもない

❌ 行いかないでない ✅ 行いかないでもない

The も in でもない is a structural particle and cannot be dropped. ないでない is not a recognized construction in standard Japanese. Keep the full four-part string ないでもない intact. The particle も contributes the meaning of "even" or "also," reinforcing the double-negation logic: "it is also not the case that [X] is entirely absent."

Cultural Notes

ないでもない sits at the center of indirect Japanese communication. Direct refusals can read as needlessly confrontational; enthusiastic agreement can seem shallow. This pattern offers a third option — acknowledging something without fully committing to it — and native speakers reach for it constantly in professional and personal settings alike.

In the workplace, it surfaces often when evaluating ideas from colleagues. Saying outright 「面白おもしろい案あんだ」 (that is an interesting proposal) can seem too eager; dismissing it outright risks damaging the relationship. 「面白おもしろくないでもない」 — "I wouldn't say it's entirely uninteresting" — leaves space for discussion while withholding full endorsement. This calibrated hedging is not evasiveness; it is a sign of social awareness and situational judgment.

In personal relationships, the pattern lets speakers hint at feelings they are not yet ready to name directly. 「好すきになれないでもない」 (I wouldn't say I couldn't come to like you) is a very Japanese way of implying attraction without the exposure of a direct confession. It preserves face for both parties while still communicating something real — and that balance between openness and self-protection is something learners need to feel, not just understand, before using this pattern convincingly.

JLPT Tips

On the JLPT N1 exam, ないでもない may appear in grammar selection questions, reading comprehension passages, or sentence completion tasks. The core challenge is recognizing that this double-negative construction expresses a weak positive, not a negative. In multiple-choice grammar questions, distractors often include clearly strong positive expressions (such as 「とても〜だ」 or 「確たしかに〜だ」) or clearly negative ones. The correct answer will usually be a hedged, partial, or reluctant expression that fits the weak-positive register of ないでもない.

In reading comprehension passages, treat any sentence using ないでもない as a signal that the author is carefully qualifying a point — especially in academic or journalistic writing where acknowledging an opposing view without adopting it is a common move. The passage's main argument typically differs from or extends beyond the hedged point, so identifying what is being partially acknowledged is key to answering comprehension questions correctly.

For grammar form selection tasks, the verb must be in its ない form before でもない is attached. Watch for distractor options using the dictionary form or the masu-stem — common traps that test whether students know the exact conjugation requirement. Sentences using this pattern also frequently end with a contrasting clause introduced by が or けれど, signaling that while something is partially acknowledged, a more important qualification follows.

When differentiating ないでもない from なくもない and ないことはない: ないでもない carries the most literary, deliberate tone; なくもない is the most conversational; ないことはない leans toward logical capability rather than emotional willingness. N1 grammar questions target these distinctions directly, so treating all three as interchangeable "double negatives" is not sufficient.