Grammar › Concession & Contrast
はいざしらず — “I don't know about X, but…”
Sets one case aside as uncertain or different, to focus confidently on another
Noun + はいざしらず sets a case aside as uncertain, different, or simply not the point — “I don't know about X, but (as for Y)…” — before making a confident statement about a second, contrasting case. It's a formal way of saying “that might be true over there, but here it's different.”
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + はいざしらず | 昔はいざしらず、今はそんな考え方は通用しない — Maybe in the old days, but that way of thinking doesn't hold up now |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 子供ならいざしらず、大人がそんなことをするべきではない。 | こどもならいざしらず、おとながそんなことをするべきではない。 kodomonaraizashirazu、otonagasonnakotowosurubekidehanai。 | Maybe for a child, but an adult shouldn't do something like that. |
| 都会ならいざしらず、この田舎ではコンビニも少ない。 | とかいならいざしらず、このいなかではこんびにもすくない。 tokainaraizashirazu、konoinakadehakonbinimosukunai。 | Maybe in the city, but out here in the countryside, there aren't many convenience stores either. |
| 昔はいざしらず、今の技術ならもっと早くできるはずだ。 | むかしはいざしらず、いまのぎじゅつならもっとはやくできるはずだ。 mukashihaizashirazu、imanogijutsunaramottohayakudekiruhazuda。 | Whatever was true in the past, with today's technology it should be possible much faster. |
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Watch out
はいざしらず sets aside a different case for contrast — it isn't used to express genuine uncertainty about the very case being discussed; the speaker is confident about the second half of the sentence.