〜にしても〜にしても: Whether A or B, Either Way
Whichever one it turns out to be
The core idea is "no matter which of these two turns out to be true, the same thing follows." The two slots are usually opposites (go/not go, agree/disagree) or a fixed pair of alternatives.
行くにしても行かないにしても、早く決めてください。
いくにしても いかないにしても、はやく きめてください。
Whether you go or not, please decide quickly.
No need to wait — the advice is the same either way.
やったんが行くにしても行かないにしても、モチは全力を尽くした。
やったんが いくにしても いかないにしても、モチは ぜんりょくを つくした。
Whether Yattan went or not, Mochi did his best.
The second clause is already a settled fact, unaffected by which option was true.
What attaches to にしても
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain form) | Vにしても Vにしても | 行くにしても行かないにしても |
| Noun | Nにしても Nにしても | 賛成にしても反対にしても |
| い-adjective (plain) | Aにしても Aにしても | 高いにしても安いにしても |
賛成にしても反対にしても、意見を言うべきだ。
さんせいにしても はんたいにしても、いけんを いうべきだ。
Whether you agree or disagree, you should say your opinion.
Not the same as a single にしても
A lone 〜にしても (used once) just means "even granting that" — 忙しいにしても連絡ぐらいすべきだ ("even if you're busy, you should at least contact me"). Doubling it up to AにしてもBにしても is stronger: it explicitly names both branches of a choice rather than conceding just one point. The more formal written equivalent is 〜にしろ〜にしろ, which reads a bit stiffer and shows up more in essays than in speech.
The short version
- AにしてもBにしても = "whether it's A or B, [same result/advice] anyway"
- Attaches to: plain-form verbs, い-adjectives, or nouns, repeated on both sides
- Nuance/register: neutral-to-formal; often precedes a command or a fact that already held true
- Don't confuse with: a single にしても ("even granting that"), or the more formal にしろ〜にしろ
Practice it
Choose the phrase that says the outcome holds whether A or B is true.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿、早く決めてください。
Where 〜にしても〜にしても fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜に行く · N5 — 〜に行く/来る/帰る says you go, come, or return somewhere to do something. Learn the ます-stem + に pattern, suru-nouns like 買い物に行く, and how to mark the place.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜に沿って — 〜に沿って attaches to a noun naming a line, course, or standard — a river, a policy, a set of needs — and means 'along' or 'in line with.' Before a following noun it becomes に沿った, and the abstract sense always implies closely tracking something with an existing shape.
- 〜に伴って — 〜に伴って attaches to a noun or a change verb and links two things that happen together — 'as X progresses/increases, Y also happens.' It's the formal, often written way to describe accompanying change, close to につれて.
- 〜につけ — 〜につけ attaches to the dictionary form of a verb, often paired as AにつけBにつけ, and means 'whenever/every time X happens, the same feeling or thought follows.' It usually precedes a verb of remembering, noticing, or feeling.
- 〜につれて — につれて links two changes that happen together: as one thing progresses, the other progresses along with it (収入が増すにつれて物欲も大きくなる). It marks a gradual, parallel change, not a single cause-and-effect moment.
- 〜にて — にて is the formal, written equivalent of で, marking location, time, or means (パーティーの席上にて、コミックマーケットにて). It's used in announcements, formal writing, and set classical phrases like 〜にあらず.
- 〜にわたって — 〜にわたって attaches to a range of time, distance, or scope to mean 'throughout' or 'spanning' — 広い地域にわたって (throughout a wide area). It emphasizes that something continued or extended across the entire range, not just a point within it.