GRAMMAR
別に〜ない
not really
not particularly
Explanation
NOTE
別に〜ない is used to casually dismiss or downplay something — meaning not really, not particularly, or nothing special. It pairs 別に with a negative verb or adjective.
別に怒っていないよ。
I'm not really angry.
Used here, 'betsu ni' softens a statement, often implying that the speaker is trying to downplay their emotional state.
NOTE
別に〜ない is common in casual spoken Japanese. It is often used when the speaker has no strong feelings about something, or when asked for a reason and wants to say it does not particularly matter.
別に理由はないよ。
There's no particular reason.
When used with a noun, 'betsu ni' acts like 'particular' to emphasize that there isn't anything special or specific.
STRUCTURE
別に ... ない
別に行きたくないわけじゃない。
Betsu ni ikitakunai wake ja nai.
It's not that I particularly don't want to go.
別に理由はないよ。ただそうしたかっただけ。
Betsu ni riyuu wa nai yo. Tada sou shitakatta dake.
There's no particular reason. I just wanted to do it that way.
別に気にしない。
Betsu ni ki ni shinai.
I don't particularly mind.
Practice exercises
1
別に怒っていないよ。
I'm not really angry.
Answer
いない
2
別に理由はない。ただそうしたかっただけ。
There's no particular reason. I just wanted to do it that way.
Answer
ない
3
別に行きたくないわけじゃない。ただ疲れているだけだ。
It's not that I particularly don't want to go. I'm just tired.
Answer
ない
4
別に彼の意見に反対しているわけではないが、もう少し慎重に考えるべきだと思う。
I'm not particularly opposed to his opinion, but I think he should consider it more carefully.
Answer
わけではない
5
別に問題はない。
There's not particularly any problem.
Answer
ない
6
別に好きじゃない。
I don't particularly like it.
Answer
ない
7
別に怖くないよ。
I'm not really scared.
Answer
ない
8
別に問題はないよ。
There's not particularly any problem.
Answer
ない