をおいてほかに～ない

no one but, nothing but, none other than, apart from, only

AI-generated

Structure

[noun] + をおいてほかに + いない [noun] + をおいてほかに + ない

Description

をおいてほかに～ない means "there is no one but X", "nothing but X will do": the noun before をおいて is the only one good enough. It goes straight after a noun, and the sentence ends in いない for people or ない for things.

、。

There is no one but him I could trust with this job.

、。

You are the only one who can solve this problem.

、。

Nothing but education can bring about world peace.

The sentence praises: the noun is the best, the one that can't be replaced. With someone to blame, use しかいない or いがい以外にいない instead.

× 犯人は彼をおいてほかにいない → 犯人は彼以外にいない

ほかに can be written ほかに他に, can take は (ほかには), and can drop out altogether. The pattern is formal and emphatic, at home in speeches, recommendations and writing; しかない is the everyday way to say "only".

。

There is no one better suited than her.

Examples

、。

There is no one other than Mr. Tanaka who can lead this project.

、。

Apart from Japan's capital, there is no city with such a concentration of cultural facilities.

、。

There is probably no actress other than her who could play this role.

、。

There is no one but you who can overcome this difficult situation.

、。

There is nothing other than education that can contribute to achieving world peace.

、。

I think there is no one but him who can carry out such a bold reform.

、。

There is no place other than this restaurant that can produce this flavor.

、。

There is probably nothing other than new technological innovation that can rebuild Japan's current economy.

、。

There is no one other than Mr. Yamada who is fit to be the next company president.

、。

There is no one but the local people who can preserve this tradition.

References

The Intensifier ～ないimabi.org

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