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JLPT N3Cause & Effect

～からといって— Just Because

Concedes a reason but denies that it justifies the expected conclusion — 'just because X, it doesn't mean Y.' It warns against jumping to an obvious-seeming conclusion. The second clause is almost always negative, often ending in わけではない or とは限らない.

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Pro lessonUNIT 16 · CAUSE & EFFECT

Structure · 形

[Plain form] + からといって … (negative conclusion)

Examples · 例文

  • 安いからといって、質が悪いとは限らない。

    Yasui kara to itte, shitsu ga warui to wa kagiranai.

    Just because it's cheap doesn't necessarily mean the quality is bad.

    安い (reason) + からといって, denied by とは限らない

  • 日本に住んでいるからといって、敬語が上手とは限らない。

    Nihon ni sunde iru kara to itte, keigo ga jouzu to wa kagiranai.

    Just because someone lives in Japan doesn't mean they're good at honorifics.

    住んでいる (reason) is rejected as sufficient grounds

  • 疲れたからといって、宿題をしなくてもいいわけではない。

    Tsukareta kara to itte, shukudai o shinakute mo ii wake de wa nai.

    Just because you're tired doesn't mean you can skip your homework.

    疲れた (reason) denied by わけではない

Usage notes · 注意

  • Second clause is negative: わけではない, とは限らない, ものではない.
  • Nuance: rejects an over-hasty conclusion, not the reason itself.
  • Casual short form: からって.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～からといって is tested against.

vs～から

からといって concedes a reason only to reject the conclusion drawn from it, whereas plain から straightforwardly gives a reason that DOES lead to its result.

vs～とはいえ

からといって rebuts a specific reason ('just because X'), while とはいえ concedes a whole fact/statement ('even though that's so') before adding a contrasting point.

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