Grammar › Emphasis & Exclusivity
にしろ/にせよ — “whether… or, regardless of which”
Says that no matter which of two (or more) options is true, the same conclusion holds
Plain form or noun + にしろ (or にせよ, slightly more formal) says that regardless of which possibility turns out to be true, the following conclusion doesn't change — “whether it's X or Y, either way…”. It often pairs two contrasting options explicitly: 行くにしろ行かないにしろ (whether you go or not).
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Plain form/noun + にしろ | 冗談にしろ本気にしろ、失礼な発言だ — Whether a joke or serious, that was a rude thing to say |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 行くにしろ行かないにしろ、早く決めてください。 | いくにしろいかないにしろ、はやくきめてください。 ikunishiroikanainishiro、hayakukimetekudasai。 | Whether you go or not, please decide soon. |
| 理由が何にせよ、遅刻は遅刻だ。 | りゆうがなんにせよ、ちこくはちこくだ。 riyuugananniseyo、chikokuhachikokuda。 | Whatever the reason, being late is being late. |
| 高いにしろ安いにしろ、質が良ければ買う。 | たかいにしろやすいにしろ、しつがよければかう。 takainishiroyasuinishiro、shitsugayokerebakau。 | Whether it's expensive or cheap, I'll buy it if the quality is good. |
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Watch out
にしろ/にせよ needs the conclusion to hold true across all the named possibilities — it's not simply “or”; it specifically flags that the choice between options doesn't change the outcome.