usage of 念のために for non-unfortunate things

Question

念のために{ねんのために｝ means "just in case", but since the kanji is 念, from 残念｛ざんねん｝, I'm just wondering if it has the nuance of "to avoid unfortunate incidence..." or whether it is as versatile as "just in case"

例えば｛たとえば｝ Just in case you don't know, this is a pen 念のために、これはペンです

Now I'm pretty sure this doesn't work, cause it doesn't specify the "not knowing", so how about:

分からない念のために、これはぺんです。 OR 分からない場合に、これはぺんです。 OR 分からなかったら、これはぺんです。

Y'know, maybe in the end I answered my own question...but could someone give me an actual informed opinion? Is 念のために limited to unfortunate incidents only?

Answer 1

The kanji 念 on its own means thoughts, and it doesn't have a negative connotation. 残念 is made of remaining + thoughts, hence regret. Therefore, 念のため is neither negative nor positive. It's a set phrase that corresponds to English "just in case", "just to be sure", "to be clear", etc.

念のために、これはペンです doesn't sound natural, but 念のため、これはペンです without に works just fine (as long as you really think someone may not understand it's a pen).

分からない念のため is incorrect. "Thoughts you don't know" doesn't make sense. I don't think this 念 accepts another modifier.