〜はともかく: 'Whether or Not / Leaving Aside' (Meaning + Examples)
Waving a topic aside to get to the real point
〜はともかく marks a topic as secondary — not false or unimportant, just not what the speaker wants to focus on right now — before pivoting to the real point.
結果はともかく、ベストを尽くすことが大切だ。
けっかは ともかく、ベストを つくすことが たいせつだ。
Whatever the result, giving your best effort is what matters.
結果 is waved aside so 努力 can take center stage.
味はともかく、この料理は見た目が素晴らしい。
あじは ともかく、この りょうりは みためが すばらしい。
Taste aside, this dish looks amazing.
やったんの性格はともかく、彼の態度には問題がある。
やったんの せいかくは ともかく、かれの たいどには もんだいが ある。
Setting his personality aside, Yattan's attitude is a problem.
性格 (personality) gets shelved so 態度 (attitude) can be criticized directly.
What it attaches to
〜はともかく follows a noun, and the sentence that follows introduces the real point of focus.
| Precedes | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Noun はともかく、〜 | 冗談はともかく、真剣に話そう |
| Noun (topic) | 〜かどうかはともかく | 好きかどうかはともかく、やるしかない |
モチはともかく、他のみんなは賛成している。
モチは ともかく、ほかの みんなは さんせいしている。
Mochi aside, everyone else is in favor.
Don't confuse with 〜は別として
〜はともかく and 〜は別として both mean "setting X aside," but register differs: 〜はともかく is casual and conversational, at home in everyday speech, while 〜は別として feels a notch more formal and deliberate, often opening serious statements. In practice they're near-interchangeable, but はともかく is the one you'll hear far more often in spoken Japanese.
The short version
- 〜はともかく = "leaving X aside" / "whatever the case with X."
- Attaches to: a noun (or 〜かどうかはともかく for a yes/no question).
- Nuance/register: casual, conversational; very frequent in spoken Japanese.
- Don't confuse with: 〜は別として (same meaning, slightly more formal).
Practice it
Choose はともかく where a topic is being set aside so the sentence can pivot to the real point.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿、ベストを尽くすことが大切だ。
Where 〜はともかく fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 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:
- 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.
- 〜をこめて — 〜をこめて means 'putting X into it' — doing something while filling it with an emotion like love, gratitude, or hope. It attaches to a noun naming the feeling and is common with gifts, letters, and prayers.
- 〜をめぐって — 〜をめぐって marks the topic a dispute, debate, or negotiation revolves around — 'concerning/over X' — typically followed by verbs like 争う, 対立する, or 議論する; the noun-modifying form is 〜をめぐる + Noun.