Japanese with Manga

The truth isn't always right with 〜わけじゃない

Grammar Explanation: Not necessarily with 〜わけではない

Two overlapping panels. In front, Manabu, a boy with tousled hair and a loosened tie, stares wide-eyed. Behind him, Yuu, a boy with light, chin-length hair, looks on with a serious expression.
ストロボ・エッジ » Volume 4 » Page 178

Ninako confessed to Ren and was turned down, since he already has a girlfriend. Manabu has been pushing Ren to admit he has feelings for Ninako. After Ren leaves, Manabu insists to Yuu that Ren really does like her. Yuu answers, “So what?”

裕(ゆう):
「本当(ほんとう)がいつも正(ただ)しい訳(わけ)じゃないだろ」
“What's true isn't always what's right.”
Literal: “It isn't the case that the truth is always right, right?”

Key Points

1本当(ほんとう)がいつも正(ただ)しい訳(わけ)じゃない = “what’s true isn’t always what’s right”
  • 訳(わけ)じゃない is the casual form of わけではない, often written with the kanji 訳(わけ). It rejects a conclusion someone might draw. Manabu assumes that since Ren’s feelings are real, he should act on them, and Yuu rejects that.
  • With いつも, “always”, the denial covers only the generalization: the truth isn’t right in every case. It may still be right in others.
  • 本当(ほんとう) usually means “really” or “true”. Here it works as a noun, “the truth”, meaning Ren’s true feelings.
2Sentence-final だろ = "right?" or "you know"
  • だろ is a casual, clipped だろう. Without a question mark, it isn’t really a question. Yuu presses Manabu to see something he treats as obvious.

Vocabulary

(Truth)

本当(ほんとう) is the truth, as opposed to a lie or a joke. ほんとう？ asks “really?”

(Always)

いつも describes what happens all the time, or what is normal for someone.

(Correct)

正(ただ)しい means correct or right, whether factually accurate or morally proper.

(Reason)

訳(わけ) is a reason, meaning, or circumstance. It’s the kanji spelling of わけ and appears in the same grammar patterns, such as 訳(わけ)じゃない, “it’s not that…”.

See Also

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