～にしても: How to Say "Even Considering" or "Regardless Of" in Japanese (高いにしても買う)

～にしても (ni shite mo) means "even granting that X" or "regardless of X." It concedes that X may be true, then asserts that the main clause still holds.¹ It is the concessive cousin of ～にしては. The single kana that separates them, も versus は, changes the whole meaning.

Overview

The clearest dictionary gloss of ～にしても is "considering that X is the case, even if X is the case, be that as it may." A second sense marks neither alternative as an exception: "in either case / whichever it is."¹ In plain terms, the speaker accepts X for the sake of argument, then states a judgment that stands in spite of X.

Structurally, it is a compound (連語): the phrase にして plus the binding particle も.¹ That final も is the concessive "even" particle. This is why the whole pattern reads as a concession, not as a neutral aside. The etymology section below traces this back to the も of ～ても.

Where it sits on the JLPT ladder

The JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test) describes each level by can-do competence, not by a published grammar list.² Any "N2" or "N3" label on ～にしても is therefore a third-party publisher's judgment, not an official ruling.

The references disagree, and the disagreement is real. The bare single-clause ～にしても is commonly listed at N3,³⁴ while the doubled ～にしても～にしても form and the formal にせよ / にしろ siblings are commonly listed at N2.⁵⁶⁷

This article treats N2 as the canonical placement. Its center of gravity, the にしては contrast and the にせよ / にしろ formality ladder, sits at N2.

Form / how to attach にしても

～にしても attaches to the plain (普通形) form of verbs, い-adjectives, and な-adjectives. It also attaches to nouns, with である available as an optional formal marker on nouns and な-adjectives.⁸⁶

Attaches to	Pattern	Example
Verb (plain, present or past)	Verb + にしても	行くにしても / 合格したにしても
い-adjective (plain)	い-adj + にしても	高いにしても
な-adjective	な-adj + (である) + にしても	便利であるにしても
Noun	Noun + (である) + にしても	冗談にしても / 学生であるにしても

A past verb before にしても leans toward "even granting that X already happened."⁴

Noun + にしても

A bare noun attaches directly, with no required copula before にしても.¹⁸ You may insert である for a more formal or written register.⁸ With a noun, the meaning is "even granting that it is X."¹

冗談じょうだんにしても、それは失礼しつれいだよ。⁸
"Even if it was a joke, that was rude."

子こどもにしても、約束やくそくは守まもるべきだ。⁸
"Even though they are children, they should keep their promises."

学生がくせいであるにしても、その態度たいどは許ゆるされない。⁸
"Even granting that you are a student, that attitude is unacceptable."

Plain-form clause + にしても

Verbs, い-adjectives, and な-adjectives all attach in their plain form.⁸⁶ The verb may be present (行くにしても) or past (合格したにしても).

高たかいにしても、この辞書じしょは買かう価値かちがある。⁸
"Even if it is expensive, this dictionary is worth buying."

試験しけんに合格ごうかくしたにしても、油断ゆだんしてはいけない。⁸
"Even if you passed the exam, you must not get complacent."

便利べんりであるにしても、使つかいすぎると依存いぞんしてしまう。⁸
"Even though it is convenient, you become dependent if you overuse it."

The casual variant にしたって

にしたって is the colloquial, more emotional spoken form of にしても. The two are interchangeable in meaning, but にしたって belongs to speech rather than writing.⁹

にしたって belongs to speech, not writing

にしたって is conversational only. In formal or written contexts, use にしても, or step up the ladder to にしろ / にせよ.⁹

どこに行いくにしたって、お金かねは要いるよ。⁹
"No matter where you go, you need money."

冗談じょうだんにしたって、ちょっと言いい過すぎだよ。⁹
"Even as a joke, that is going a bit too far."

Nuance and usage contexts

"Even granting X": the concessive core

At its core, the speaker acknowledges X as true or possible and then asserts the main clause anyway.⁸ The pattern reads as "X may be so, but still..."

One restriction shapes every use: the main clause of ～にしても must express the speaker's opinion, judgment, criticism, or dissatisfaction. It cannot state a neutral, objective fact.⁸

The main clause must carry a judgment

～にしても needs a main clause that voices the speaker's opinion, criticism, or dissatisfaction. A neutral consequence ("there is still a game tomorrow") takes としても instead, a contrast covered in Good to know.⁸

冗談じょうだんにしても、失礼しつれいだ。⁸
"Even if it was a joke, it is rude."

彼かれが謝あやまったにしても、簡単かんたんに許ゆるすことはできない。⁸
"Even if he apologized, I cannot forgive him so easily."

安やすいにしても、この味あじでは買かう気きがしない。⁸
"Even if it is cheap, I do not feel like buying it at this quality."

Question word + にしても: the universal reading

With a question word (誰 who, どこ where, 何 what, いつ when, どちら which), ～にしても gives a universal "no matter ~" reading.⁴ This parallels the question-word + ても / でも universal ("whoever, wherever").⁴

誰だれがやったにしても、私わたしたち全員ぜんいんで責任せきにんを取とらなければならない。⁴
"No matter who did it, we all have to take responsibility."

何なにをするにしても、よく考かんがえてから行動こうどうしなさい。⁴
"No matter what you do, think it over before you act."

どこに行いくにしても、連絡れんらくだけはしてね。⁴
"No matter where you go, at least keep in touch."

Doubled にしても～にしても: "whether A or B"

A にしても B にしても lists exhaustive alternatives and asserts that the consequence holds in either case: "whether A or B, ..."⁵¹⁰ A and B are typically a pair of opposites or two members of one category.⁵¹⁰ This doubled form is commonly tagged N2.⁵⁷

パーティーに来くるにしても来こないにしても、LINEしてね。⁵
"Whether you are coming to the party or not, message me on LINE."

高たかいにしても安やすいにしても、教科書きょうかしょは買かわざるを得えない。⁵
"Whether it is expensive or cheap, I have no choice but to buy the textbook."

犬いぬにしても猫ねこにしても、ペットを飼かうのは大変たいへんだ。⁵
"Whether a dog or a cat, keeping a pet is hard work."

Hypothetical flavor and the 仮に / たとえ pairing

～にしても often introduces an assumed or supposed condition, "even supposing X." This is why it pairs naturally with 仮に or たとえ at the head of the clause.¹¹ The second dictionary sense, "even if one does X / even in such a case," carries this たとえ flavor explicitly.¹² This hypothetical leaning is a tendency, not a hard split from bare ～ても.

たとえその映画えいががおもしろくなかったにしても、監督かんとくをしつこく批判ひはんするのはよくない。⁹
"Even supposing the movie was not interesting, it is not right to keep harshly criticizing the director."

仮かりに本当ほんとうだったにしても、今いまさら言いっても遅おそい。¹²
"Even supposing it were true, it is too late to bring it up now."

たとえ高たかいにしても、必要ひつようなら買かうしかない。¹²
"Even if it is expensive, if I need it I have no choice but to buy it."

にしても vs にしては: the は / も minimal pair

Contrastive は flags a surprising result; concessive も grants a concession

The two patterns share the stem にして and differ only in the final particle. にしては ends in the contrastive は, while にしても ends in the concessive binding particle も (係助詞 も).¹

にしては means "for / considering X." It refers back to a standard set by X, then reports a result that runs contrary to what that standard would predict, with a nuance of mild surprise.¹³¹⁴ Do not use it when the result is exactly as expected.¹⁴

にしても means "even granting X." It concedes X and asserts the main clause anyway, with that clause carrying the speaker's judgment, criticism, or dissatisfaction.⁸¹

A teacher's rule of thumb captures the split cleanly: にしては turns on whether the result differs from what the speaker expected of X. にしても turns on the speaker granting X provisionally and still pressing a judgment.¹¹

Side-by-side: same noun, two endings

The same noun, 子供, takes both endings, and the particle flips the meaning. These two mirrored sentences isolate the は / も contrast.

子供こどもにしては、ピアノが上手じょうずだ。¹³
"For a child, he is good at the piano." (surprising: better than a child usually is)

子供こどもにしても、それは言いい過すぎだ。⁸
"Even granting they are a child, that is going too far." (concession plus the speaker's judgment)

は singles out and contrasts, producing the surprising result. も adds and concedes, producing the "even" reading.¹¹⁴ The two cannot be swapped: にしては needs a contrary-to-expectation result, and にしても needs a concession plus a speaker judgment.¹¹⁸

にせよ / にしろ: the more formal equivalents

The formality ladder

にしろ and にせよ are the formal members of the same family. They are built from に plus the imperative of する (しろ / せよ).⁶ せよ is more common in written material, and しろ is more common in speech.⁶ All of them, including the doubled versions, are largely interchangeable in meaning and differ mainly in formality and nuance.¹⁵⁹¹

にしても and にしろ are common in conversation; にせよ is the most formal and literary of the four.⁹

When to reach for にせよ / にしろ

Use にせよ / にしろ for instruction, insistence, and written register, where にしても would sound too casual.⁹⁶ にせよ in particular suits formal writing and set phrases such as いずれにせよ ("in any case / either way").⁶

どんな理由りゆうがあったにせよ、連絡れんらくもなく遅刻ちこくするのはよくない。⁹
"No matter what your reason was, showing up late without notice is not acceptable."

疲つかれているにしろ、友達ともだちとの約束やくそくをキャンセルするのは申もうし訳わけない。⁹
"Even if you are tired, it is inexcusable to cancel plans with a friend."

いずれにせよ、この決定けっていは変かわりません。⁶
"In any case, this decision will not change."

違ちがいがあるにせよ、わずかな差さだ。⁶
"Even if there is a difference, it is a slight one."

Good to know

Don't confuse it with それにしても and としても

それにしても is a fixed sentence-initial connective meaning "even so / be that as it may." It refers back to a preceding statement, then voices the speaker's surprise or dissatisfaction. It is not the clause-final にしても attached to a word.

としても means "even if we suppose / even assuming." Because にしても restricts its main clause to the speaker's judgment or dissatisfaction,⁸ it does not fit a neutral, objective consequence. In that case, としても reads more naturally. You can often rephrase にしても as としても, but not always the reverse.

The mnemonic: は points back, も piles on

The final kana is the entire difference, and it maps onto two English frames: "for an X" (は) versus "even if X" (も).¹¹ In にしては, the contrastive は refers back to a standard X and reports a result that contrasts with it: "surprisingly, for an X..."¹⁴ In にしても, the concessive も is the same "even / also" も. It piles the main clause on top of the conceded X: "even granting X, still..."¹

Using にしても where the result is merely surprising, not conceded

When the result is a surprising, contrary-to-expectation observation, use the contrastive-は form にしては, not にしても. To say "he is good at piano for a child," 子供にしても is wrong. The correct form refers back to the standard a child sets.¹⁴⁸

子供こどもにしては、ピアノが上手じょうずだ。¹³
"For a child, he is good at the piano."

Stating a neutral objective fact in the にしても main clause

The main clause of にしても is limited to the speaker's opinion, judgment, or dissatisfaction. A neutral, objective consequence such as a schedule fact takes としても instead. Saying 雨が降るにしても、明日は試合がある as a plain scheduling statement is wrong. Use としても.⁸

雨あめが降ふるとしても、明日あしたは試合しあいがある。⁸
"Even if it rains, there is a game tomorrow."

にしたって in formal writing

にしたって is the casual, emotional spoken form of にしても. In formal or written contexts, use にしても, or step up the formality ladder to にしろ / にせよ.⁹

Etymology aside: にして + concessive も

～にしても is a compound (連語): the phrase にして plus the binding particle も (係助詞 も).¹ Read literally, it is "even (も) being in the state of (にして) X." That final も is the same も that forms the concessive ～ても ("even if / even though").¹³ This is why にしても inherits the "even" concession and contrasts cleanly with the contrastive は of にしては.¹

See also

• ～にしては: How to Say "Considering" or "For (Being) X" in Japanese (子供にしては上手だ)
• ～ても: How to Say "Even If" and "Even Though" in Japanese
• Question Word + ても / でも in Japanese: Whatever, Whoever, Wherever
• The も Particle: Also, Too
• The は Particle: Topic Marker
• ～ものの: "Although / Even Though" in Japanese

References

Footnotes

1. デジタル大辞泉. 「にしても」entry, via Kotobank. https://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%82%82-591677 (Shogakukan digital dictionary; entry aggregated on Kotobank.) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

2. 日本語能力試験 (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test), official site. Level summaries (N1–N5) and test framework. https://www.jlpt.jp/e/about/levelsummary.html (The administering bodies, the Japan Foundation and JEES, describe levels by can-do competence and do not publish an official grammar or vocabulary list.) ↩

3. Bunpro. にしても (JLPT N3). https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%82%82 (limitation) ↩

4. JLPT Sensei (jlptsensei.com). にしても (ni shite mo) Meaning, JLPT N3. https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%82%82-ni-shite-mo-meaning/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

5. 絵でわかる日本語 (edewakaru.com). 「にしても～にしても」JLPT N2. https://www.edewakaru.com/archives/15215142.html (Japanese-teacher reference; doubled "whether A or B" form.) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

6. Bunpro. にせよ・にしろ (JLPT N2). https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/%E3%81%AB%E3%81%9B%E3%82%88-%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%82%8D (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

7. Bunpro. にしても～にしても (Regardless of whether). https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%82%82-%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%82%82 (limitation) ↩ ↩²

8. japanese-language-education.com. 譲歩を表す「にしても」JLPT N2 grammar. https://japanese-language-education.com/for-overseas-learners/nishitemo-jouho/ (Concessive にしても, attachment table, restriction on the main clause.) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³

9. 日本語教師のN1et (jn1et.com). 「にしても」「にしろ」「にせよ」grammar lesson. https://jn1et.com/nishitemo-nishiro-niseyo/ (Japanese-teacher reference site; groups the three concessive forms and gives the formality ordering.) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

10. 日本語教師のN1et (jn1et.com). Doubled-form lesson にしても～にしても / にしろ～にしろ / にせよ～にせよ. https://jn1et.com/nisiro-nisiro/ ↩ ↩²

11. 日本語教師トレーナーKENT (ameblo.jp/comic1993). 「～にしても」と「～にしては」の違い. https://ameblo.jp/comic1993/entry-12366141231.html (Japanese-teacher blog contrasting the two forms; used only for the surprising-result vs dissatisfaction split, cross-checked against ¹³ and ¹.) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. 精選版 日本国語大辞典. 「にしても」entry, via Kotobank. https://kotobank.jp/word/%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%82%82-591677 (Shogakukan; Japan's largest historical dictionary, selected edition.) ↩ ↩² ↩³

13. Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar. The Japan Times, 2008. Entries for にしては (ni shite wa) and the concessive ～ても family. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

14. Maggie Sensei (maggiesensei.com). How to use にしては & わりに(は). https://maggiesensei.com/2016/04/24/how-to-use-%E3%81%AB%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%81%AF-%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AB%E3%81%AF%EF%BC%88-ni-shite-wa-warini-wa/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

15. グループ・ジャマシイ 編著. 『日本語文型辞典』. くろしお出版 (Kurosio Publishers). Standard reference handbook of Japanese grammar patterns used in Japanese-language teaching; entries for にしても, にしては, and にしろ/にせよ. ↩