Not limited to just this with 〜だけじゃなくても

Grammar: Addition » 〜だけじゃなくても

〜だけじゃなくても says that something does not have to be limited to only Ⓐ. It often means “even if it is not just Ⓐ”, “it does not have to be only Ⓐ”, or “something besides Ⓐ is also okay”.

The pattern is built from だけ (“only”), casual negative じゃない, and concessive ても (“even if”). It is often followed by words such as いい, 大丈夫, かまわない, or 問題ない.

Usage

Use this when someone might think the acceptable choice is restricted to Ⓐ, but the speaker wants to loosen that restriction. The focus is not adding one specific second item, but saying the limit itself is unnecessary.

This is casual spoken Japanese. More polite speech used the form だけではなくても, but everyday speech usually prefers だけじゃなくても.

Formation

1. Noun + だけじゃなくても + いい/大丈夫/etc.
   • 今日(きょう)だけじゃなくてもいい
   • "it does not have to be only today"
2. Particle phrase + だけじゃなくても + いい/大丈夫/etc.
   • 東京(とうきょう)でだけじゃなくても大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)
   • "it is okay even if it is not only in Tokyo"
3. Verb plain form + だけじゃなくても + いい/大丈夫/etc.
   • 読(よ)むだけじゃなくてもいい
   • "it does not have to be only reading"
4. い-adjective + だけじゃなくても + いい/大丈夫/etc.
   • 安(やす)いだけじゃなくてもいい
   • "it does not have to be only cheap"
5. な-adjective + なだけじゃなくても + いい/大丈夫/etc.
   • 便利(べんり)なだけじゃなくてもいい
   • "it does not have to be only convenient"

What is being loosened

The word before だけ is the possible limit. In 「一人(ひとり)だけじゃなくてもいい」, the speaker is saying “it does not have to be just one person.” In 「日本語(にほんご)だけじゃなくても大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)」, the speaker is saying that Japanese does not have to be the only language used.

Because ても has an “even if” feeling, this pattern often reassures the listener that alternatives are acceptable.

Particle placement

When the limited phrase includes a particle, the particle usually stays before だけ.

• Ⓐでだけじゃなくてもいい: it does not have to be only at/in Ⓐ
• Ⓐにだけじゃなくてもいい: it does not have to be only to/at Ⓐ
• Ⓐからだけじゃなくてもいい: it does not have to be only from Ⓐ

In casual speech, some particles may be dropped when the meaning is obvious, but keeping the particle makes the limit easier to parse.

Examples

Want to submit a manga example for this grammar?

Not only physical wounds with 〜だけじゃなくても

During lunch, Mokurin sees someone new sitting with Tsubaki. She learns that it’s the transfer student, Rindou, who’s joined Tsubaki in the Dog Clan. Mokurin introduces herself as a member of the Monkey Clan, which Tsubaki explains handles medical treatment.

モクリン:

「怪我(けが)だけじゃなくても困(こま)ったことあったら言(い)ってね。」

“If you're having trouble with anything, not just injuries, let me know.”