〜ても: How to Say 'Even If' / 'Even Though' in Japanese
Despite the condition, the outcome holds
The whole job of 〜ても is to say that some result stays true even if — or even though — a certain condition applies. The condition is granted, and then brushed aside: it simply doesn't move the outcome. A useful gloss is "no matter X, Y."
That "granted but ignored" feel is what separates ても from an ordinary "if." You set up a condition your listener might expect to change things, then flag that it changes nothing.
雨が降っても、ヤッタンは散歩に行きます。
あめが ふっても、ヤッタンは さんぽに いきます。
Even if it rains, Yattan will go for a walk.
高くても、この本を買います。
たかくても、この ほんを かいます。
Even if it's expensive, I'll buy this book.
高い (い-adj) → 高くても.
モチはたくさん食べても、太りません。
モチは たくさん たべても、ふとりません。
Even though Mochi eats a lot, he doesn't gain weight.
Building ても from any word type
The pattern grows straight out of the て-form you already know: the verb's て (or で) simply becomes ても (or でも). Verbs whose て-form already ends in で — like 読んで, 飲んで — carry that voicing over into でも. Adjectives and nouns follow their own short recipes:
| Word type | How to form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (て-ending) | て-form + も | 行く → 行っても (even if I go) |
| Verb (で-ending) | て-form + も → でも | 読む → 読んでも (even if I read) |
| い-adjective | drop い + くても | 高い → 高くても (even if expensive) |
| な-adjective | な-adj + でも | 静か → 静かでも (even if quiet) |
| Noun | noun + でも | 学生 → 学生でも (even if a student) |
To make it negative, just start from the negative て-form: 食べなくても = "even if I don't eat," 高くなくても = "even if it's not expensive." The い-adjective and noun cases show the drop-い-add-くても and add-でも recipes in action:
ヤッタンの弟は、眠くても勉強します。
ヤッタンの おとうとは、ねむくても べんきょうします。
Yattan's little brother studies even when he's sleepy.
眠い → 眠くても.
日曜日でも、先生は学校で働いています。
にちようびでも、せんせいは がっこうで はたらいて います。
Even on Sundays, the teacher is working at school.
Noun 日曜日 + でも.
When it reads "even if" versus "even though"
One form does both jobs. A hypothetical "even if" and a factual "even though" are the same ても — only the surrounding context tells you which is meant. A past-tense frame usually pushes it toward "even though" (the condition really happened); a future or general frame reads as "even if":
先生に聞いても、答えが分かりませんでした。
せんせいに きいても、こたえが わかりませんでした。
Even though I asked the teacher, I didn't understand the answer.
Past context = 'even though.'
この薬を飲んでも、頭が痛いです。
この くすりを のんでも、あたまが いたいです。
Even if I take this medicine, my head hurts.
飲む → 飲んで → 飲んでも (で-ending).
Question word + ても: "no matter what"
Pair ても with a question word — 何, どこ, だれ, いつ, どんなに — and the meaning widens to "no matter what / where / who / how…". You're sweeping through every option and saying the result survives all of them:
モチは何を食べても太りません。
モチは なにを たべても ふとりません。
No matter what Mochi eats, he doesn't gain weight.
何 + ても = no matter what.
どんなに難しくても、ヤッタンはあきらめません。
どんなに むずかしくても、ヤッタンは あきらめません。
No matter how difficult it is, Yattan won't give up.
どんなに…くても = no matter how….
Keeping ても apart from けど and たら
Two neighbours pull learners off course, and two form slips do the rest:
- ても vs けど. けど ("but") just contrasts two facts; ても means "even if / even though" and insists the result holds regardless. 高いけど買う = "it's expensive, but I'll buy it"; 高くても買う = "even if it's expensive, I'll buy it."
- ても vs たら/ば. For a plain "if," where the condition really drives the result, reach for 〜たら or 〜ば. ても adds the "even" — the unexpected or unchanged outcome.
- でも after voiced verbs. When the て-form ends in で, ても becomes でも: 読んでも (✓), not 読んても.
- Dropping the い. い-adjectives lose their final い: 高くても (✓), not 高いても.
The same ても in 〜てもいい
You first met this ても base back in N5, inside 〜てもいい ("may / it's OK to"). Read literally, that's "even if you do X, it's fine" — the identical building block, just capped with いい. Spotting the shared 〜ても lets both patterns lock into place at once.
In short
- 〜ても = "even if" / "even though"; the result holds regardless of the condition.
- Verbs: て-form + も (で-endings → でも): 行っても, 読んでも.
- い-adjectives → 〜くても (高くても); nouns / な-adjectives → 〜でも (学生でも, 静かでも).
- Question word + ても = "no matter…": 何を食べても, どんなに難しくても.
- Same ても base as the N5 permission pattern 〜てもいい.
Practice it
Choose the correct 〜ても / 〜でも / 〜くても form.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
＿＿＿、試合をします。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between ても and けど?
けど ('but') simply contrasts two facts. ても means 'even if/even though' and stresses that the outcome doesn't change. 高いけど買う = 'it's pricey, but I'll buy it'; 高くても買う = 'even if it's pricey, I'll buy it.'
When does ても become でも?
When the て-form already ends in で. Verbs like 読む → 読んで, 飲む → 飲んで, 死ぬ → 死んで become 読んでも, 飲んでも, 死んでも. Nouns and な-adjectives also take でも: 学生でも, 静かでも.
How do I attach ても to an い-adjective?
Drop the final い and add くても: 高い → 高くても, 寒い → 寒くても. The negative is 〜くなくても (高くなくても = 'even if it's not expensive').
How do I say 'no matter what / how'?
Use a question word with ても: 何を食べても ('no matter what I eat'), どこへ行っても ('no matter where I go'), どんなに難しくても ('no matter how difficult it is').
Where 〜ても fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Conditional 〜たら · N4 — 〜たら is Japanese's most flexible conditional: just add ら to the plain past. Learn the formation, the 'if/when' meaning, the discovery use, and how it beats ば/と for requests.
- も · N5 — The particle も means 'also/too' and replaces は, が, or を. Learn 〜も〜も ('both…and'/'neither…nor') and も with numbers for 'as many as' or 'not even.'
- 〜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.
- 〜てもいい · N5 — 〜てもいい means 'it's okay to' or 'may': verb て-form + もいい(です). Learn to ask permission with 〜てもいいですか, reply naturally, and use 〜てもかまいません.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜てもいい · N5 — 〜てもいい means 'it's okay to' or 'may': verb て-form + もいい(です). Learn to ask permission with 〜てもいいですか, reply naturally, and use 〜てもかまいません.
Hear it in a real conversation
See this pattern used naturally in a real-situation dialogue:
More N4 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- Conditional 〜と — The と conditional links A to an inevitable result B: 春になると、桜が咲く. Learn the plain-form formation, why B can't be a request, and how it differs from ば/たら/なら.
- 〜はず — はず expresses a logical expectation based on reason: 来るはずだ ('should come'). Learn how it attaches to plain forms, plus はずがない ('can't possibly') and はずだった ('was supposed to').
- 〜みたい — 〜みたい is the casual way to say something 'seems' or 'looks like.' Learn its two jobs — conjecture and likeness — plus the easy attachment rules and みたいに/みたいな.
- 〜らしい — らしい has two jobs: hearsay/inference from solid info ('apparently it'll rain') and a 'typical of / -like' suffix (男らしい = manly). Learn formation and how it differs from そうだ and ようだ.
- 〜そうだ — 〜そうだ after a plain-form clause means 'I hear that…' — reporting information you got from someone else. Learn the formation, the によると pairing, and how it differs from looks-like そう.
- 〜そう — 〜そう describes how things look or seem: おいしそう (looks tasty), 雨が降りそう (looks like rain). Learn the い/な-adjective and verb forms, よさそう・なさそう, and how it differs from hearsay そうだ.