〜のみならず: 'Not Only...But Also' (Meaning + Examples)
Adding a bigger second point
〜のみならず states that something is true of X, and then adds that it's also true of something broader or more surprising — the second half usually escalates the scope. It pairs naturally with も in the second clause (〜のみならず、〜も).
やったんは絵が上手なのみならず、モチによれば歌も一流だそうだ。
やったんは えが じょうずなのみならず、モチによれば うたも いちりゅうだそうだ。
Yattan isn't only good at drawing — according to Mochi, his singing is first-class too.
のみならず escalates from one talent to a bigger claim.
この問題は自国のみならず、世界中で議論されている。
このもんだいは じこくのみならず、せかいじゅうで ぎろんされている。
This issue is being debated not only in this country but around the world.
彼はスポーツのみならず、ダンスも上手だ。
かれは スポーツのみならず、ダンスも じょうずだ。
He's good not only at sports but at dancing too.
Attaching to nouns and clauses
〜のみならず attaches after a noun, or after a plain-form clause (with な inserted for な-adjectives and nouns before it, similar to other formal patterns). The second clause commonly ends with も to reinforce "also."
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | 名詞 + のみならず | 自国のみならず (not only this country) |
| な-adjective | な形 + なのみならず | 上手なのみならず (not only skilled) |
| Plain verb/adjective | 普通形 + のみならず | 疲れているのみならず (not only tired) |
モチはやったんの失敗を笑うのみならず、みんなにも話してしまった。
モチは やったんの しっぱいを わらうのみならず、みんなにも はなしてしまった。
Mochi didn't just laugh at Yattan's mistake — he went and told everyone too.
Escalation can be playful, not just formal-sounding facts.
Don't confuse with 〜だけでなく
〜だけでなく means exactly the same thing and is far more common in everyday speech and writing. 〜のみならず is its formal, literary equivalent — reach for のみならず in essays, news writing, and speeches, and だけでなく in ordinary conversation. Swapping them isn't wrong grammatically, but のみならず in casual chat can sound stiff or overly bookish.
The short version
- 〜のみならず = "not only... but also" — formally adds a bigger or more surprising second point.
- Attaches to: a noun, な-adjective + な, or plain-form clause + のみならず; often paired with も in the second half.
- Nuance/register: formal, literary; typical of essays, reports, and speeches.
- Don't confuse with: 〜だけでなく, the everyday-register equivalent with the same meaning.
Practice it
Choose のみならず when the sentence formally adds a broader second point to the first.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
この問題は＿＿＿、世界中で議論されている。
Where 〜のみならず fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Conditional 〜たら · N4 — 〜たら is Japanese's most flexible conditional: just add ら to the plain past. Learn the formation, the 'if/when' meaning, the discovery use, and how it beats ば/と for requests.
- だけ · N5 — だけ means 'only' or 'just' — water だけ, one だけ, look だけ. Learn how to attach it to nouns, numbers, and verbs, what happens to を and が, and how it differs from しか〜ない.
More N1 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜であれ — 〜であれ attaches to a noun (often paired or with a question word) to mean 'whether... or' / 'no matter what' — 誰であれ ('no matter who'). It's a formal concessive used in written and rhetorical Japanese.
- 〜かたわら — 〜かたわら means 'while also (doing)' — a main job or role carried out alongside a second, ongoing activity. Formal and written, it implies both things run in parallel over time, not just once.
- 〜かつて — かつて is a formal adverb meaning 'once,' 'formerly,' or 'in the past' — it points to a past state or time and often implies things are different now, unlike ever or a simple past tense.
- 〜きらいがある — 〜きらいがある means 'tends to,' 'has a tendency to' — almost always describing an undesirable habit or pattern of behavior, in a formal, slightly critical register.
- 〜きっての — 〜きっての attaches after a place, group, or era to mean 'the foremost ... in/of [that group]' — always followed by a noun naming the superlative person or thing, like 業界きっての実力者.
- 〜極めて — 極めて (きわめて) is a formal adverb meaning 'extremely' or 'exceedingly' — placed before an adjective or verb to emphasize a very high degree, common in news, reports, and academic writing.