としても

The grammar structure としても is used to express a hypothetical concession, meaning "even if", "even assuming that", or "granted that". It indicates that even if a certain condition is true or comes to pass, the result in the second clause remains unchanged or is contrary to what might be expected.

Even if / Even assuming that

としても attaches to verbs, adjectives, and nouns to set up a hypothetical scenario that the speaker then dismisses or qualifies.

The pattern emphasizes that the speaker is temporarily accepting the hypothetical premise for the sake of argument, but the conclusion holds regardless. This makes it stronger and more deliberate than a simple ても ("even if"), which states a more straightforward concession.

Structure details

• Verb (plain form)
  • としても: いく行く → 行くとしても / いった行った → 行ったとしても
• い-adjective
  • としても: やすい安い → 安いとしても / やすかった安かった → 安かったとしても
• な-adjective + だ
  • としても: かんたん簡単だ → 簡単だとしても
• Noun + だ
  • としても: がくせい学生だ → 学生だとしても

Both non-past and past forms can precede としても. The past form (〜～たとしても) often emphasizes a counterfactual or more strongly hypothetical scenario.

としても vs. ても

While both express "even if," としても carries a more formal, deliberate tone and often implies the speaker is posing a hypothetical assumption before rejecting it. ても is more neutral and common in everyday speech.

Common collocations

としても frequently appears with たとえ ("even if / supposing") or かりに仮に ("hypothetically") to further strengthen the hypothetical nuance.