あくまでも

あ

く

ま

で

も

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

adverb

to the end; persistently; stubbornly; consistently

usually written using kana alone

Emphasizes doing something all the way, without giving up, or maintaining a stance firmly. Often used with verbs of assertion, refusal, or effort.

彼かれはあくまでも自じ分ぶんの意い見けんを主しゅ張ちょうした。
He stubbornly insisted on his own opinion.

あくまでも最さい後ごまで戦たたかうつもりだ。

I intend to fight to the bitter end.

2

adverb

after all; simply; purely; only

usually written using kana alone

Used to emphasize that something is fundamentally or essentially the case, often to clarify a point or set a limit. Common in phrases like あくまでも～にすぎない (it is merely ...).

これはあくまでも私わたしの個こ人じん的てきな意い見けんです。
This is, after all, just my personal opinion.
あくまでも可か能のう性せいの一ひとつにすぎない。
It is merely one possibility.

Written forms

Applies to each form listed below

rarely-used kanji form

飽あくまでも
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.
飽あく迄までも
Rare kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.

Kanji

飽sated, tired of, bored
迄until, up to, as far as

Similar words

とことん
とことん is more colloquial and emphasizes doing something thoroughly or to the extreme, while あくまでも focuses on persistence or fundamental nature.
どこまでも
どこまでも means 'anywhere' or 'endlessly' in a spatial or figurative sense, whereas あくまでも is about persistence or essential quality.

Etymology

Derived from the verb 飽く (aku, 'to tire of') in its classical negative continuative form 飽くまで (akumade, 'until one tires'), with the emphatic particle も added. The original meaning 'to the point of exhaustion' shifted to 'to the end, persistently'.