“〜to wa ienai・〜to wa kagiranai”: Can't Say It's 〜 / Not Necessarily 〜 (two subtle negatives) [JLPT N2]
Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026
「理想的だとは言えない」vs「有名でも美味しいとは限らない」 — “isn't quite” vs “not necessarily.”
「安いとは言えない」 vs 「安いとは限らない」 — two 「とは」 negations, a small gap that means a lot
To negate gently, 「決して安いとは言えない」 (it can't be called cheap at all); to say there are exceptions, 「安いとは限らない」 (it's not necessarily cheap) — 「〜とは言えない・〜とは限らない」 are two look-alike 「とは」 negations with different meanings: one is “(still) can't be called ～, doesn't amount to ～,” the other “not necessarily ～, not always ～.” This guide clarifies the subtle gap and links them to 「必ずしも」 and 「に限らず.」
Core: one negates ‘can be said,' the other negates ‘always holds'
Both take 「とは,」 but negate different things:
① 〜とは言えない = (still) can't be called ～, doesn't amount to ～ (negates “you can say it／this judgment holds”):
- これで十分だとは言えない (this still can't be called enough).
- 決して安いとは言えない (it can't be called cheap at all).
② 〜とは限らない = not necessarily ～, not always ～ (negates “absolutely／always so,” admitting exceptions):
- 高いものが良いとは限らない (expensive things aren't necessarily good).
- 日本人だからといって敬語が上手とは限らない (being Japanese doesn't necessarily mean good keigo).
Feel difference: 「とは言えない」 discounts “the judgment／statement A” — “(to call it A,) it's not quite there, doesn't amount to it”; 「とは限らない」 discounts “A always holds” — “(A is common, but) it's not always so, there are exceptions.” One negates “the statement holding,” the other “the rule being absolute.”
How it attaches
| Form | Meaning | Common pairings |
|---|---|---|
| plain form ＋ とは言えない | (still) doesn't amount to ～, can't be called ～ | 決して・必ずしも |
| plain form ＋ とは限らない | not necessarily ～, not always ～ | 必ずしも・からといって |
See it in context
- 給料は上がったが、生活が楽になったとは言えない。(The salary rose, but you still can't say life got easier.)
- 努力すれば必ず成功するとは限らない。(Effort doesn't necessarily always lead to success.)
- この判断が正しかったとは言えない。(This judgment can't be called correct.)
- 有名だからといって、質が高いとは限らない。(Being famous doesn't necessarily mean high quality.)
- 便利だが、安全だとは言えない面もある。(It's convenient, but there's a side that can't be called safe.)
⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid
① The core divide: ‘doesn't amount to' (negate a judgment) vs ‘not necessarily' (negate the absolute). This is the key difference. 「〜とは言えない」 = (still) doesn't amount to ～, can't be called ～: it negates “you can apply judgment／evaluation A,” meaning “(to call it A,) it's not there yet, doesn't amount to it” — discounting the holding of a judgment itself: この結果は成功とは言えない (this result can't be called a success — the label “success” doesn't apply). 「〜とは限らない」 = not necessarily ～, not always ～: it negates “A always／absolutely holds,” meaning “(A is common, but) not always so, there are exceptions” — discounting the absoluteness of a rule: 高いものが良いとは限らない (expensive things aren't necessarily good — “expensive→good” isn't an iron law). Test: to say “(some judgment) doesn't apply, doesn't amount to it” → とは言えない; to say “(some rule) doesn't always hold, has exceptions” → とは限らない. In one line: 言えない = doesn't amount to (discount the judgment); 限らない = not necessarily (discount the absolute).
② Both often pair with 「必ずしも,」 but the meanings still differ. 「必ずしも〜ない (not necessarily)」 can pair with both, but watch what's negated. 必ずしも〜とは言えない = can't necessarily be said to be ～ (doesn't necessarily amount to it): 必ずしも正しいとは言えない (can't necessarily be called correct). 必ずしも〜とは限らない = not necessarily always ～: 高ければ必ずしも良いとは限らない (expensive isn't necessarily always good). Both carry “not necessarily,” but 「言えない」 still lands on “(can you) say it／does this judgment hold,” and 「限らない」 on “(is it) always／absolutely so.” When pairing with 「〜からといって (just because ～)」 it mostly takes 「とは限らない」: 安いからといって、質が悪いとは限らない (just because it's cheap doesn't necessarily mean poor quality).
③ Don't confuse it with the sibling 「とは言いながら.」 There's a look-alike pattern 「〜とは言いながら（も）」 = although one says ～, yet… (a concession of word-vs-deed), a completely different meaning! 「言えない (can't be called)」 negates a judgment; 「言いながら (although saying)」 is an adversative concession (what's said vs what's done): ダイエット中とは言いながら、ケーキを食べる (says she's dieting, yet eats cake — word vs deed). The three side by side: とは言えない = doesn't amount to (negate a judgment); とは限らない = not necessarily (negate the absolute); とは言いながら = although one says, yet (adversative concession). Seeing 「とは」 at the start, don't rush to equate them — check whether it's 「言えない／限らない／言いながら」 (for 「とは言いながら」 see 〈とは言いながら〉).
🔄 Compare: とは言えない／とは限らない／必ずしも〜ない／に限らず
| Form | Emphasis | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜とは言えない | (still) doesn't amount to ～, can't be called ～ (negate a judgment) | 十分とは言えない （you can't call it sufficient） |
| 〜とは限らない | not necessarily ～, not always ～ (negate the absolute, exceptions) | 良いとは限らない （not necessarily good） |
| 必ずしも〜ない | not necessarily (often with the above two) | 必ずしもそうではない （that's not necessarily so） |
| 〜に限らず | not just limited to ～ (scope expansion, not “not necessarily”) | 男性に限らず |
💡 Learning tip
「〜とは言えない・〜とは限らない」 are two often-confused 「とは」 negations — three points: ① the core divide — 「とは言えない = (still) doesn't amount to ～, can't be called ～」 (negate a judgment holding), 「とは限らない = not necessarily ～, not always ～」 (negate “absolutely so,” admit exceptions); ② both take a plain form, often with 「必ずしも」 (not necessarily), and 「とは限らない」 often with 「〜からといって」 (just because ～ doesn't necessarily); ③ don't confuse it with the sibling 「とは言いながら (although one says, yet)」 (that's an adversative concession, see 〈とは言いながら〉). Both are handy hedged／rigorous expressions — when you don't want to overstate, 「〜とは言えない (doesn't quite amount to)」 is tactful; to point out “there are exceptions, don't tar all with one brush,” 「〜とは限らない (not necessarily)」 is most precise. For a stronger “not necessarily,” pair with 〈かならずしも〉.
❓ Questions you might have
Q: Do 「これは成功とは言えない」 and 「これは成功とは限らない」 mean the same?
No — a big difference. 「これは成功とは言えない」 = this still can't be called a success: it judges “this thing” itself — “to apply the evaluation ‘success' to ‘this,' it's not there yet, doesn't amount to it” — discounting the evaluation of the case at hand: 結果を見ると、これは成功とは言えない (judging by the result, this can't be called a success — as this case goes, it doesn't amount to success). 「これは成功とは限らない」 = this won't necessarily succeed: it negates the inevitability “this will definitely succeed,” meaning “(this looks good, but) it won't necessarily succeed, there's a chance of failure” — discounting the absoluteness of ‘inevitable success': 計画は良いが、これで成功するとは限らない (the plan is good, but this won't necessarily succeed — no guarantee). Difference: 「成功とは言えない」 is “(as of now) doesn't amount to success” (evaluating the present); 「成功するとは限らない」 is “(in future) won't necessarily succeed” (doubting the inevitability). Test: to say “(this thing) doesn't amount to／can't be called A” (evaluate a case) → とは言えない; to say “(A is common／seems so, but) not necessarily A” (negate the absolute, leave exceptions) → とは限らない. So 「言えない」 is mostly for “an evaluation of a case not being there yet,” 「限らない」 for “negating a seemingly-inevitable rule (that actually has exceptions).”
Q: 「とは限らない」 and 「に限らず」 look alike — are they the same?
No — though same root (both from 「限る」), the meaning and usage are entirely different. 「〜とは限らない」 = not necessarily ～, not always ～: here 「限らない」 is “not limited to ～ (being so),” extended to “not necessarily” — negating “A absolutely holds,” admitting exceptions: 高いものが良いとは限らない (expensive things aren't necessarily good — “expensive” doesn't mean “good”), 成功するとは限らない (won't necessarily succeed). It's a negative expression (= not necessarily), echoing the adverb 「必ずしも.」 「〜に限らず」 = not just limited to ～, not only ～: here 「限らず」 is “not limited to ～ (there are others),” expressing scope expansion — “not just A, (even B, C) too…”: 男性に限らず、女性にも人気だ (not just men, popular with women too — scope expands from men to women), 週末に限らず、平日も混んでいる (not just weekends, weekdays are crowded too). Difference: 「とは限らない」 is “(A) doesn't necessarily hold” (negate the inevitable, = not necessarily); 「に限らず」 is “not just limited to (A), there are others” (scope expansion, = not only). Test: to say “not necessarily (there are exceptions)” → とは限らない; to say “not just ～, not only ～ (a wider scope)” → に限らず (see 〈に限らず〉). E.g. 「甘いものが体に悪いとは限らない (sweets aren't necessarily bad for you — negate the inevitable)」 uses とは限らない; 「甘いものに限らず、塩分も控えめに (not just sweets, go easy on salt too — scope expansion)」 uses に限らず. One is “not necessarily (negation),” the other “not only (expansion) — don't mix them just because they look alike.
🖊️ Practice Questions (5)
Q1. 「この結果は理想的だ___。もっと改善できる。」(can't say it's ideal; a negative evaluation)
(A) とは言えない (B) とは限らない (C) わけではない (D) はずがない
Q2. 「有名なレストランが美味しい___。」(a famous restaurant isn't necessarily good; denying inevitability)
(A) とは言えない (B) とは限らない (C) わけではない (D) はずがない
Q3. 「彼のプレゼンは分かりやすい___。聴衆が理解できなかった部分もある。」(can't say it was easy to follow)
(A) とは言えない (B) とは限らない (C) わけではない (D) べきではない
Q4. 「努力した人が全員成功する___。」(not everyone who works hard necessarily succeeds; denying inevitability)
(A) とは言えない (B) とは限らない (C) わけではない (D) べきではない
Q5. What's the difference between 「彼女が怒っているわけではない」 and 「怒っているとは言えない」?
(A) They mean exactly the same.
(B) わけではない corrects a misunderstanding; とは言えない reserves judgment on an evaluation.
(C) とは言えない is more colloquial.
(D) わけではない is written; とは言えない is colloquial.
Answer Explanations
1. (A) とは言えない ── 「理想的だとは言えない」= a negative assessment of the result (can't say it reached the ideal) → とは言えない (a mild negation of an evaluation).
2. (B) とは限らない ── 「有名なレストランが美味しいとは限らない」= denying inevitability (famous ≠ necessarily good, exceptions exist) → とは限らない.
3. (A) とは言えない ── 「分かりやすいとは言えない」= since some listeners didn't understand, you can't render the assessment "easy to follow" → とは言えない (negating an evaluation).
4. (B) とは限らない ── 「全員成功するとは限らない」= not everyone who works hard necessarily succeeds (exceptions exist) → とは限らない (denying inevitability).
5. (B) ── わけではない = clarifying a possible misunderstanding ("it's not that she's angry"); とは言えない = reserving an assessment of the situation ("you can't say she's angry," more objective/cautious).