といわず | Grammar

Structure

Noun A + といわず + Noun B + といわず + (statement about the whole category)

A and B are contrasting/complementary members of the same category (e.g. 昼/夜, 手/足, 平日/休日)

Description

The grammar pattern といわず is used to express "whether it's A or B – everywhere / all of them / without distinction." It takes two representative items from the same category and implies that the statement applies not just to those two items but to everything in that category.

The structure is: A + といわず + B + といわず + (statement about the whole category)

A and B are typically contrasting or complementary members of the same group (e.g. weekdays and weekends, hands and feet, indoors and outdoors).

、。

The phone kept ringing day and night – around the clock.

、だっ。

His hands, feet – his whole body was covered in mud.

The nuance is stronger than simply listing two things with も…も. By using といわず, the speaker emphasizes that no distinction is made – the action or state applies universally across the entire category.

Key points

A and B should be related items that together represent a larger whole (e.g. へいじつ平日 and きゅうじつ休日, うで腕 and あし足, いえ家のなか中 and そと外)
The final clause typically describes something that applies everywhere or to everything without exception
This pattern often appears with descriptions of extreme or remarkable situations
つくえ机のうえ上といわずゆか床といわず、ほん本がちらかっている散らかっている。
Books are scattered everywhere – on the desk, the floor, you name it.

Comparison with を問わず

While をとわ問わず means "regardless of" and is used with a single noun (e.g. 性別を問わず "regardless of gender"), といわず specifically pairs two representative items to convey "not just A or B but everything."

、。

His name is known everywhere – domestically and internationally alike.

Examples

、。

Whether day or night, the construction noise is loud – it never stops.

、。

That shop is always crowded, weekdays and weekends alike.

、だらけ。

My hands, my face – I ended up covered in paint all over.

、。

Trash has been dumped everywhere – in the mountains, by the rivers, all over.

、。

There's cat hair on the desk, on the chairs – on everything.

、。

This movie was a huge hit both domestically and internationally – everywhere.

、。

It's a garden where flowers bloom year-round – spring, autumn, you name it.

、。

My arms, my legs – I've been bitten by mosquitoes all over and it's itchy.

、。

The children's toys are scattered everywhere – in the kitchen, the living room, all over.

、。

He's on his phone constantly – morning, evening, all the time.

、。

There were ants everywhere – on the table, under it, all over the place.

References

Whether It Be or ～といい～といわずimabi.org
といわずBunpro