ないでもない

ないでもない is a double-negative construction that expresses a reluctant or hedged admission – "it's not that I don't…" or "I somewhat…" or "I kind of…". By negating the negative, the speaker avoids making a direct positive statement, creating a nuance of partial agreement, slight possibility, or reservation.

It attaches to the negative stem of verbs, adjectives, and nouns:

With verbs

Attach to the verb's ない stem (i.e., replace ない with ないでもない):

With い-adjectives

Remove the final い and add くないでもない:

With な-adjectives and nouns

Use でないでもない or じゃないでもない (casual):

Key nuances

• The speaker partially admits something but does not want to commit fully. This makes it useful for expressing ambivalence, hesitation, or diplomatic hedging.
• It often appears with softening expressions like が, けど, or けれども to introduce a contrasting follow-up.
• Compared to a simple positive statement, ないでもない sounds much more reserved and indirect. Saying わからないで分からないでもない ("I don't not understand") is considerably weaker than わかる分かる ("I understand").
• A closely related form is なくもない, which carries a very similar meaning but is slightly more concise. Both are used at the N1 level and are largely interchangeable, though ないでもない can feel a touch more deliberate in its hedging.