〜は別として: 'Setting Aside / Apart From' (Meaning + Examples)
Bracketing off a topic to talk about something else
Use 〜は別として when you want to acknowledge a topic exists but explicitly move past it to address a different, usually more urgent, point. It often opens a sentence where the speaker is about to say something serious or blunt.
冗談は別として、やったんは本当に困っているんです。
じょうだんは べつとして、やったんは ほんとうに こまっているんです。
Joking aside, Yattan is really in trouble.
A classic set phrase: 冗談は別として = 'kidding aside.'
モチのことは別として、他のメンバーはみんな優秀だ。
モチのことは べつとして、ほかの メンバーは みんな ゆうしゅうだ。
Setting Mochi aside, all the other members are excellent.
Sets one person apart from a group evaluation — playfully, not as an insult.
値段は別として、仕事の話をしましょう。
ねだんは べつとして、しごとの はなしを しましょう。
Price aside, let's talk business.
What it attaches to
〜は別として follows a noun (or a noun phrase with こと/の), marking that noun as the thing being set aside.
| Precedes | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Noun + は別として | 好き嫌いは別として（likes and dislikes aside） |
| Noun phrase | 〜ことは別として | 彼が悪いことは別として（setting aside that he's at fault） |
| Set phrase | 冗談は別として | 冗談は別として（joking aside） |
結果は別として、努力したことは評価したい。
けっかは べつとして、どりょくした ことは ひょうかしたい。
Setting the result aside, I want to praise the effort.
Don't confuse with 〜はもとより or 〜にかかわらず
〜はもとより means "not to mention X, but also Y" — it adds emphasis by including something, the opposite direction of setting it aside. 〜にかかわらず means "regardless of" and usually follows a range or variable (天気にかかわらず), not a single topic being bracketed off for later. Only 〜は別として carries the "let's shelve this and move on" nuance.
The short version
- 〜は別として = "setting X aside" / "apart from X."
- Attaches to: a noun or noun phrase (often 冗談, 好き嫌い, 結果, etc.).
- Nuance/register: neutral-to-serious; commonly opens a sentence before a blunt or important point.
- Don't confuse with: 〜はもとより (adds emphasis, doesn't bracket off) or 〜にかかわらず (regardless of a range).
Practice it
Choose は別として where a topic is being set aside to focus on something else.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿、本当に困っているんです。
Where 〜は別として fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜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.
- は · N5 — は marks the topic of a sentence — 'as for X.' Learn how it flags known information, its contrast use, why it's read 'wa,' and how it differs from が.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜はもとより — 〜はもとより means 'not to mention X, Y too' — it names an obviously-true first case and then emphasizes that an even more surprising or extended second case also holds, similar to 'let alone' but adding rather than negating.
- 〜はともかく — 〜はともかく means 'leaving X aside' or 'whether or not X' — it sets one topic apart as not the main point right now, so attention can shift to something more relevant, without judging the set-aside topic.
- わずかに — わずかに is an adverb meaning 'slightly,' 'a little,' or 'barely' — it emphasizes that an amount, degree, or difference is very small, often surprisingly so, and can modify verbs, numbers, or nouns of quantity.
- 〜を兼ねて — 〜を兼ねて means 'combining X with' — one action that serves two purposes at once, like a trip that is both sightseeing and business. It attaches to a noun and signals efficient, dual-purpose action.
- 〜を契機に — 〜を契機に means 'triggered by' or 'taking X as the turning point' — a formal way to say an event caused a significant change. It attaches to a noun and is common in news about policy, society, and life changes.
- 〜をきっかけに — 〜をきっかけに means 'triggered by' or 'as a result of' — a friendly, everyday way to name the event that started a change. It attaches to a noun and works equally well in casual talk and writing.