全て

Japanese

Kanji in this term
全
すべ Grade: 3
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
総て 凡て 惣て 渾て 都て (dated)

Etymology

Originally the -te conjunctive form of Old Japanese verb 統ぶ (subu); compare modern 統べる (suberu, “to gather many things together; to treat many things as a single group”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) すべて [súꜜbètè] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [sɨbe̞te̞]

Adverb

全(すべ)て • (subete) 

1. entirely, completely; all

   Synonym: 悉く (kotogotoku)

   見(み)たことを全(すべ)て話(はな)す

   mita koto o subete hanasu

   to tell everything one has seen

   (literally, “to tell entirely what one has seen”)

   • 1947, 海野十三, 断層顔:

     では、私(わたし)の方(ほう)で御(お)尋(たず)ねすることは全(すべ)て終(おわ)りましてございます。

     De wa, watashi no hō de o-tazune suru koto wa subete owarimashite gozaimasu.

     My inquiries are hereby entirely concluded.

2. in general, approximately

   Synonyms: おおよそ (ōyoso), 大体 (daitai), 総じて (sōjite)

3. (with negative verb) at all, completely

   Synonyms: 全然 (zenzen), 丸っ切り (marukkiri)

Synonyms

• 全(ぜん)部(ぶ) (zenbu, noun)
• 全(まった)く (mattaku, adverb)
• あらゆる (arayuru, adjective)

Noun

全(すべ)て • (subete) 

1. everything, all

   Synonym: 一切 (issai)

   全(すべ)てはいかがですか。

   Subete wa ikaga desu ka.

   How is everything?

   • 1948, 坂口安吾, ヤミ論語:

     もとより、作(さっ)家(か)は自(みずか)らの文(ぶん)章(しょう)に全(すべ)ての責(せき)任(にん)を負(お)うている。

     Motoyori, sakka wa mizukara no bunshō ni subete no sekinin o oute iru.

     Of course, the writer bears all of the responsibility for what he writes.

Usage notes

This term is more commonly spelled in hiragana.

Synonyms

• 全(ぜん)体(たい) (zentai)
• 全(ぜん)部(ぶ) (zenbu)

References

• Kitahara, Yasuo, editor (2002), 明鏡国語辞典 [Meikyō Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN