Grammar › Manner & Implication
ずくめ — “entirely, all (of one thing)”
Says a situation is thoroughly, exclusively filled with one particular quality or thing
Noun + ずくめ says a period, situation, or outfit is made up entirely of a single thing, wall to wall — “nothing but X” or “all-X.” It's especially common with いいこと (good news) — いいことずくめ, “one good thing after another” — and 黒 (black) for all-black outfits.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + ずくめ | 今年はいいことずくめだった — This year was one good thing after another |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 彼はいつも黒ずくめの服を着ている。 | かれはいつもくろずくめのふくをきている。 karehaitsumokurozukumenofukuwokiteiru。 | He always wears an all-black outfit. |
| 今週は忙しさずくめで、休む暇がなかった。 | こんしゅうはいそがしさずくめで、やすむひまがなかった。 konshuuhaisogashisazukumede、yasumuhimaganakatta。 | This week has been nothing but busy, with no time to rest. |
| 新製品はいいことずくめのようだが、実はデメリットもある。 | しんせいひんはいいことずくめのようだが、じつはでめりっともある。 shinseihinhaiikotozukumenoyoudaga、jitsuhademerittomoaru。 | The new product seems like nothing but good news, but it actually has downsides too. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
ずくめ needs a noun that can plausibly “fill up” a whole situation (colors, “good things,” busyness) — it doesn't attach freely to just any noun the way plain だらけ can.