Grammar › Concession & Contrast
とはいえ — “that said, even so”
Concedes a fact just stated, then immediately qualifies or softens it
Plain form + とはいえ (often used sentence-initially referring back to what was just said) concedes a fact and then immediately adds a qualification or contrasting nuance — “that said, …” or “even so, …”. It's a common, only moderately formal way to walk back part of a claim without fully retracting it.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Fact. とはいえ、clause. | 順調だ。とはいえ、油断はできない — It's going well. That said, we can't let our guard down. |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 景気は回復してきた。とはいえ、まだ油断できない。 | けいきはかいふくしてきた。とはいえ、まだゆだんできない。 keikihakaifukushitekita。tohaie、madayudandekinai。 | The economy has been recovering. That said, we still can't be complacent. |
| 完成した。とはいえ、細部の修正はまだ必要だ。 | かんせいした。とはいえ、さいぶのしゅうせいはまだひつようだ。 kanseishita。tohaie、saibunoshuuseihamadahitsuyouda。 | It's finished. Even so, some detail work still needs fixing. |
| 便利だ。とはいえ、値段は決して安くない。 | べんりだ。とはいえ、ねだんはけっしてやすくない。 benrida。tohaie、nedanhakesshiteyasukunai。 | It's convenient. That said, it's certainly not cheap. |
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Watch out
とはいえ concedes and softens, but doesn't reverse the initial claim entirely — it's more moderate than ものの or にもかかわらず, making it a good, natural fit for everyday writing and speech rather than heavy formal contexts.