particle N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜でも〜でも — whether ~ or ~
〜でも〜でも ・ でもでも
Builds on でも
Meaning
- whether ~ or ~ / be it ~ or ~ — lists alternatives that all lead to the same outcome, conceding either way
Repeating でも sets up two (or more) options and says the result holds no matter which: 雨でも晴れでも行く ('I'll go whether it rains or shines'). It's the concessive 'even if' でも doubled into a 'be it A or B' frame, often built from opposites or a question word's poles. The predicate is the same for every listed case.
Key sentence
雨でも雪でも、試合は行われる。
Whether it rains or snows, the match will be held.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Between parallel nouns (often opposites) | N でも N でも (＋ same predicate) | 大人でも子供でも / 好きでも嫌いでも |
Examples
肉でも魚でも、なんでも食べます。
Meat or fish — I eat anything.
暑くても寒くても文句を言う。
Hot or cold, he complains either way.
成功でも失敗でも、挑戦に意味がある。
Whether it's a success or a failure, the attempt has meaning.
Easily confused with
〜も〜も 〜も〜も states the predicate *applies to both* ('both A and B are…'); 〜でも〜でも concedes that *whichever* it is, the outcome is unchanged ('be it A or B, …'). でも Single でも concedes one case ('even ~'); repeating it lists alternatives ('whether ~ or ~'), generalising the concession across both options.
Notes
- With i-adjectives the form is 〜くても〜くても (暑くても寒くても); でも is the noun/na-adjective shape of the same 〜ても concession.
See 〜でも〜でも in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜でも〜でも the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.