は別として (ha toshite)

Meaning & usage

は別として marks something to be set aside so the main claim holds without it. It is used when one item would be an exception, a drawback, or irrelevant to an overall judgment, as in 天気は別として. It follows a noun or a nominalized phrase, including forms like よしあしは別として and 冗談は別として. It is neutral in register, but the excluded item must logically belong to the larger topic being judged.

Example sentences 3

1. 天気てんきは別べつとして、それは楽たのしいピクニックだった。

   Apart from the weather, it was a good picnic.

2. 少しのつづりの間違いは別として、それはよい作文である。

   Apart from a few spelling mistakes, it is a good composition.

3. 筋書きは別として、その本は私をひきつけた。

   Apart from the plot, the book interested me.