～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
冗談にしても、それは失礼だよ。8
"Even if it was a joke, that was rude."
子どもにしても、約束は守るべきだ。8
"Even though they are children, they should keep their promises."
学生であるにしても、その態度は許されない。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).
高いにしても、この辞書は買う価値がある。8
"Even if it is expensive, this dictionary is worth buying."
試験に合格したにしても、油断してはいけない。8
"Even if you passed the exam, you must not get complacent."
便利であるにしても、使いすぎると依存してしまう。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 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
どこに行くにしたって、お金は要るよ。9
"No matter where you go, you need money."
冗談にしたって、ちょっと言い過ぎだよ。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
～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
冗談にしても、失礼だ。8
"Even if it was a joke, it is rude."
彼が謝ったにしても、簡単に許すことはできない。8
"Even if he apologized, I cannot forgive him so easily."
安いにしても、この味では買う気がしない。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
誰がやったにしても、私たち全員で責任を取らなければならない。4
"No matter who did it, we all have to take responsibility."
何をするにしても、よく考えてから行動しなさい。4
"No matter what you do, think it over before you act."
どこに行くにしても、連絡だけはしてね。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
パーティーに来るにしても来ないにしても、LINEしてね。5
"Whether you are coming to the party or not, message me on LINE."
高いにしても安いにしても、教科書は買わざるを得ない。5
"Whether it is expensive or cheap, I have no choice but to buy the textbook."
犬にしても猫にしても、ペットを飼うのは大変だ。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.
たとえその映画がおもしろくなかったにしても、監督をしつこく批判するのはよくない。9
"Even supposing the movie was not interesting, it is not right to keep harshly criticizing the director."
仮に本当だったにしても、今さら言っても遅い。12
"Even supposing it were true, it is too late to bring it up now."
たとえ高いにしても、必要なら買うしかない。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.
子供にしては、ピアノが上手だ。13
"For a child, he is good at the piano." (surprising: better than a child usually is)
子供にしても、それは言い過ぎだ。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
どんな理由があったにせよ、連絡もなく遅刻するのはよくない。9
"No matter what your reason was, showing up late without notice is not acceptable."
疲れているにしろ、友達との約束をキャンセルするのは申し訳ない。9
"Even if you are tired, it is inexcusable to cancel plans with a friend."
いずれにせよ、この決定は変わりません。6
"In any case, this decision will not change."
違いがあるにせよ、わずかな差だ。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
子供にしては、ピアノが上手だ。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
雨が降るとしても、明日は試合がある。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