〜といっても: 'Although I Say...' / 'But Actually'
What it means
〜といっても literally combines 〜という ("to say that…") with 〜ても ("even if"). Put together, it means "even though I say X" — and the key is what comes next: the second clause undercuts X. You give an impression, then qualify it so the listener doesn't read too much into it.
The pattern is: I said X, but don't get the wrong idea — it's smaller / cheaper / shorter / weaker than X sounds.
料理ができるといっても、卵焼きぐらいです。
りょうりが できると いっても、たまごやき ぐらいです。
I can cook — though all I can really make is omelets.
The claim '料理ができる' is immediately scaled down.
日本に住んでいるといっても、まだ半年です。
にほんに すんでいると いっても、まだ はんとしです。
I do live in Japan, but only for half a year so far.
安いといっても、3万円はします。
やすいと いっても、さんまんえんは します。
It's cheap — but it still costs 30,000 yen.
'Cheap' is qualified: cheap relative to expectations, not actually cheap.
How to form it
Attach といっても to the plain form of the preceding clause. Verbs and い-adjectives connect directly; nouns and な-adjectives connect directly or with だ.
| Word type | Attach to | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain) | dictionary / 〜ている etc. | 住んでいるといっても |
| い-adjective | plain form | 安いといっても |
| な-adjective | stem (＋だ optional) | 便利(だ)といっても |
| Noun | noun (＋だ optional) | 社長(だ)といっても |
The だ before といっても is optional and slightly more emphatic; dropping it is common and natural.
More examples
ヤッタンは日本語が話せるといっても、あいさつぐらいだ。
ヤッタンは にほんごが はなせると いっても、あいさつ ぐらいだ。
Yattan can speak Japanese — well, greetings, more or less.
ヤッタン is a Shiba just starting out, so the claim gets trimmed fast.
社長といっても、社員は三人だけです。
しゃちょうと いっても、しゃいんは さんにんだけです。
He's a company president, but the company only has three employees.
Noun ＋ といっても, no だ needed.
モチは料理が得意といっても、レシピを見ながらだ。
モチは りょうりが とくいと いっても、レシピを みながらだ。
Mochi is good at cooking, but only while following a recipe.
な-adjective 得意 attaches directly here.
近いといっても、駅から歩いて20分はかかる。
ちかいと いっても、えきから あるいて にじゅっぷんは かかる。
It's close — though it's still a 20-minute walk from the station.
Common mistakes
- Using it as a plain "but." The second clause must undercut or qualify the first. 「安いといっても、買わなかった」("It was cheap, but I didn't buy it") is wrong — that's just contrast. Use 〜ても or けど for ordinary "but." といっても needs the second part to scale down the first.
- Forgetting to downscale. 「日本に住んでいるといっても、日本語がぺらぺらだ」is odd, because "fluent" raises the impression rather than lowering it. The follow-up should be smaller/weaker than the claim implies.
- Over-inserting だ. With nouns and な-adjectives, だ is optional. 「社長だといっても」and「社長といっても」are both fine; just don't force だ onto verbs or い-adjectives (×安いだといっても).
- Confusing it with とはいっても / とはいえ. These are close cousins (slightly more formal/written), but learners sometimes mix the kana. The core meaning — "having said that, actually…" — is the same; stick with といっても in speech.
Quick recap
- 〜といっても = "although I say X (it's actually less than that)."
- The second clause must undercut / qualify the first — never a plain "but."
- Attach to plain forms; nouns and な-adjectives take an optional だ.
- Register is neutral — fine in everyday conversation and writing alike.
Your turn
Choose the natural といっても sentence — where the second clause downscales the first.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N3 〜といっても drill →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between といっても and でも/けど?
でも and けど mark ordinary contrast ('it was cheap, but I didn't buy it'). といっても specifically walks back the impression of the first clause — the second part says 'actually it's less than that.' If the follow-up doesn't downscale, use でも/けど instead.
Do I need だ before といっても?
Only with nouns and な-adjectives, and even then it's optional: 社長といっても and 社長だといっても are both natural. Never add だ to verbs or い-adjectives (安いといっても, not 安いだといっても).
Is といっても formal or casual?
It's neutral — comfortable in everyday speech and in writing. The variants とはいっても and とはいえ feel a touch more formal or literary, but mean essentially the same thing.
What does 何といっても mean — is it the same grammar?
No. 何といっても is a set phrase meaning 'above all / more than anything' (何といっても健康が一番だ). It's unrelated to the 'downscaling' といっても covered here.