〜を除いて: 'Except For / Excluding'
Carving one item out of a group
〜を除いて names the single exception before a broader statement, both for people and for schedules/rules.
日曜日を除いて、毎日営業しています。
にちようびを のぞいて、まいにち えいぎょう しています。
We're open every day except Sunday.
Sunday is pulled out; the rest of the week is the general rule.
やったんを除いて、クラス全員が宿題を提出した。
やったんを のぞいて、クラス ぜんいんが しゅくだいを ていしゅつした。
Except for Yattan, the whole class turned in their homework.
A playful use — Yattan is the lone exception to a class-wide rule.
Form
〜を除いて attaches directly to the noun being excluded. Adding は (〜を除いては) sharpens the contrast between the exception and everything else.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Noun + を除いて | 一部の地域を除いて |
| Noun (emphasized) | Noun + を除いては | 週末を除いては |
荷物の持ち込みは、係員の許可を除いて禁止です。
にもつの もちこみは、かかりいんの きょかを のぞいて きんしです。
Bringing in luggage is prohibited, except with staff permission.
States the one allowed exception to a blanket ban.
Nuance: を除いて vs しか〜ない
〜を除いて names the excluded item directly and states a positive rule for the rest ("except X, all Y do Z"). 〜しか〜ない instead emphasizes limitation from the affirmative side ("only X does Z, nothing else"). The two often describe the same reality from opposite angles.
The short version
- 〜を除いて = "except for / excluding [X]"
- Attaches to: Noun + を除いて (or を除いては for sharper contrast)
- Nuance/register: neutral, usable in speech and writing alike
- Don't confuse with: しか〜ない (frames the same fact from the "only" side instead)
Practice it
Choose を除いて to mark the one exception before a general statement.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿、全員が会議に出席した。
Where 〜を除いて fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
- を · N5 — を marks the direct object of a verb (パンを食べる), the path you move along (道を歩く), and the place you leave (家を出る). Learn all three uses with examples.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- やがて — やがて is an adverb meaning 'soon,' 'before long,' or 'eventually' — something will happen after a stretch of time passes. Common in narration and storytelling to bridge from one scene to a later, changed one.
- 〜やら〜やら — 〜やら〜やら lists two or more things (or feelings) side by side to convey a chaotic, overwhelming, or mixed situation — 'what with A and B.' Casual-to-neutral, and often used for jumbled emotions.
- 〜ようでは — 〜ようでは means 'if (this) is the state of things' — a current situation, if it continues, will lead to a bad result. Used to criticize or warn, often followed by a negative conclusion.
- 要するに — 要するに is a conjunction meaning 'in short' or 'the point is' — it introduces a summary or rephrasing of what was just said, boiling a longer explanation down to its essence.
- 〜に向かって — 〜に向かって attaches to a noun and means 'toward / facing,' marking physical motion toward a place, effort aimed at a goal, or words directed at a person: 駅に向かって走る ('run toward the station').
- 〜において — 〜において is the formal, written equivalent of で/に, marking a location, time, or field of activity: 現代において ('in modern times'). Learn the pattern plus its adnominal form における.