〜ずくめ

All/entirely

Level 5Sounds Like zukume

The suffix 〜ずくめ expresses a state of 100% totality. It means 'nothing but,' 'entirely,' or 'a streak of.' It is used with a limited set of specific nouns to describe a situation where one element covers everything else.

How It Works

1. Meaning and Nuance
〜ずくめ indicates that something is entirely covered by or characterized by a single element, leaving no room for anything else. It suggests a uniform state or a succession of similar events. For example, 黒ずくめ（くろずくめ） doesn't just mean wearing some black; it implies being dressed in black from head to toe.

2. Usage and Evaluation
This pattern can be used in two main ways:

  • Positive: いいことずくめ (nothing but good things/a streak of luck).
  • Negative: 規則ずくめ（きそくずくめ） (nothing but rules/stifled by regulations).

3. Grammatical Function
It attaches directly to nouns. The resulting phrase functions as a no-adjective (Noun + 〜ずくめ + の + Noun) or a state (Noun + 〜ずくめ + だ). While the kanji is 尽くめ, it is almost always written in hiragana.

4. Idiomatic Nature
Unlike 〜ばかり, you cannot attach 〜ずくめ to any noun you like. It is restricted to established collocations. Common ones include:

  • 黒ずくめ（くろずくめ） / 白ずくめ（しろずくめ） (All black / All white - note that these are the only colors commonly used with this pattern)
  • いいことずくめ (All good things)
  • ご馳走ずくめ（ごちそうずくめ） (Nothing but feasts)
  • 記録ずくめ（きろくずくめ） (Full of records/unprecedented achievements)
  • 異例ずくめ（いれいずくめ） (Full of exceptions/unprecedented events)

Examples (4)

  1. 黒ずくめの男が、怪しい動きで路地に入っていった。

    A man dressed entirely in black entered the alleyway with suspicious movements.

    Word by Word: Black-entirely 's man (subject) suspicious movement with alleyway into entered.

    黒ずくめ（くろずくめ） is a very common idiomatic expression describing someone wearing black clothes, shoes, and accessories.

  2. 今年は昇進したし、孫も生まれたし、いいことずくめの一年だった。

    This year I got promoted and my grandchild was born; it was a year full of nothing but good things.

    Word by Word: This year promoted and, grandchild also born and, good things-entirely 's one year was.

    いいことずくめ describes a streak of positive events where everything that happened was good.

  3. 私の通っていた高校は規則ずくめで、自由が全くなかった。

    The high school I attended was nothing but rules, and there was no freedom at all.

    Word by Word: My attended high school (topic) rules-entirely being, freedom (subject) at all was not.

    規則ずくめ（きそくずくめ） conveys a negative nuance of being overwhelmed or restricted by an endless amount of regulations.

  4. 今回の旅行は、美味しいものずくめで最高だった。

    This trip was the best, filled with nothing but delicious food.

    Word by Word: This time 's trip (topic), delicious things-entirely being best was.

    Here, the speaker emphasizes that every single meal or food item encountered during the trip was delicious.

Common Mistakes

  • Using it for continuous actions instead of states.

    彼は一日中働きずくめだ。
    彼は一日中働きづめだ。

    For continuous actions (working without a break), use 〜づめ with the verb stem. 〜ずくめ is used for nouns and states of being.

  • Confusing 'all of one thing' with 'a variety of things'.

    京野菜ずくめの料理を食べた。
    京野菜づくしの料理を食べた。

    〜ずくめ means 100% of the same thing (e.g., only tofu). 〜づくし means a wide variety of items within one category (e.g., many different types of Kyoto vegetables).

How It Connects

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〜ずくめLevel 5All/entirely

Learn This First

〜ずくめ is a suffix used with nouns to indicate that something is 'entirely' or 'filled with' a certain thing (e.g., 黒ずくめ - all in black). Learners should be comfortable with basic noun usage and the concept of suffixes that limit or define the state of a noun.

Words in This Pattern