Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
とは言え concedes a fact or label that is objectively true and then adds a contrary point, while と言っても responds to someone's claim or a misleading impression and scales it back. 暫定的処置とは言えずさんすぎる accepts the label but criticizes the execution; 強いと言ってもたかが小学生 challenges the other person's assertion. Swapping them sounds unnatural because とは言え does not push back against what someone said, and と言っても does not simply concede a fact.
- とは言え Use とは言え when you accept a fact or label as true and then add a contrasting judgment.
- と言っても Use と言っても when you push back against someone's claim or clarify that a statement is misleading.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| とは言え toha e | Although/Though/Having said that | N1 |
| と言っても to ttemo | Even though one says ~ | N2 |
とは言え toha e
Although/Though/Having said that
Although (it is said that/someone says that); even though (it is said that/someone says that); admitting that; that being said; however; nevertheless | A conjunctive phrase meaning “although it is said that”
-
いかに暫定的処置とは言え、これはずさんすぎる。
No matter how temporary these measures are supposed to be, this is just too slipshod.
-
ノートブック型とは言え、ディスプレイは１７インチ、プロセッサーは2.4GHz、内臓ドライブは２５０GBもあり、DVD/CD-RWコンボドライブ付きという優れものだ。
Although it is a laptop, it is an excellent machine, with a 17-inch display, a 2.4GHz processor, a voluminous 250GB internal drive and a DVD/CD-RW combo drive.
と言っても to ttemo
Even though one says ~
Although ~ say/said that ~; even though ~ say/said that ~ | A phrase which is used to clarify a statement in the preceding discourse which might be misleading.
-
A: あの子は強いですよ。B: いや、強いと言ってもたかが小学生ですよ。
A: That boy is strong, you know. B: Well, even though you say he is strong, he is only an elementary school kid.
-
A: 韓国語をご存知なんでしょう？B:いや、知っていると言っても二年勉強しただけですから大したことはありません。
A: You know Korean, right? B: No, even though people say that I know it, my knowledge is limited because I studied it only two years.
とは言え and と言っても are JLPT N2–N1 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.