GrammarJLPT N5
→ even if ...
Even if / Even supposing that
JLPT N5Compound particleNeutral
としても is a compound particle used to express a hypothetical or concessive condition, meaning "even if" or "even supposing that." It presents a situation that, even if assumed to be true, would not change the outcome or conclusion stated in the main clause. The nuance of としても is slightly more formal and deliberative than the simpler ても, because the として component (meaning "assuming as" or "taking it as") adds a layer of supposition — the speaker is deliberately entertaining a hypothetical scenario before dismissing its relevance to the conclusion. Compared to にしても, which is quite similar in meaning, としても tends to feel a bit more neutral and hypothetical, while にしても can carry a slightly stronger sense of concession or emotional acknowledgment. It is also distinct from たとえ〜ても, which explicitly emphasizes "even if" with the adverb たとえ for dramatic effect, whereas としても can stand on its own without such reinforcement. This grammar point attaches to the plain form of verbs, adjectives, and nouns (with だ), making it versatile across different sentence types.
Functions
#1 Hypothetical concession (even if something were the case)
Structure
Verb (plain form) + としても + result clause
お金が あったとしても、あの 車は 買わない。
Here としても is used to set up a hypothetical scenario — having money — and then state that the result would remain unchanged: the speaker still wouldn't buy the car. The past tense あった before としても creates an unreal or counterfactual condition, similar to English "even if I had." The grammar point signals that the speaker is entertaining the possibility only to dismiss its relevance to the final decision.Even if I had money, I wouldn't buy that car.
Structures
- Verb
- Verb (plain form) + としても
- い-Adjective
- い-Adjective (plain form) + としても
- な-Adjective
- な-Adjective + だとしても
- Noun
- Noun + だとしても
Common mistakes
A common error is confusing としても with the simpler ても and using them interchangeably without recognizing that としても carries a stronger sense of deliberate supposition. Another frequent mistake is forgetting to insert だ before としても when it follows nouns or な-adjectives, producing ungrammatical forms like 学生としても when the intended meaning is "even if someone is a student" (correct: 学生だとしても). Note that 学生としても without だ does exist but means "also as a student" (in the capacity of a student as well), which is a completely different meaning. Learners also sometimes confuse としても with としては, which means "for" or "considering" (e.g., 学生としては上手だ means "good for a student"), rather than expressing concession.
Related
てもたとえ〜てもにしてもとしてはところでにしろ