connective N1 uncommon casualpolitewritten
〜といい〜といい — both ~ and ~
〜といい〜といい ・ といいといい
Meaning
- what with ~ and ~ / both ~ and ~ alike — citing two representative aspects that together support one judgment
Key sentence
色といい形といい、この花瓶は実に美しい。
What with its color and its shape, this vase is truly beautiful.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + といい + N + といい | 味といい香りといい |
When: The two nouns are example facets of one thing; the main clause states the speaker's evaluation of the whole.
Examples
演技といい脚本といい、文句のつけようがない。
Between the acting and the script, there's nothing to fault.
父といい母といい、心配性で困る。
Both my father and my mother are worriers — it's exasperating.
Easily confused with
〜も〜も 〜も〜も simply adds two items ('both A and B', or with a negative 'neither'); 〜といい〜といい picks two facets as evidence and always leads to the speaker's overall judgment. にしろ〜にしろ にしろ〜にしろ = 'whether A or B, the same holds' (a concessive either-way); といい〜といい = 'both A and B alike point to this evaluation' — not a choice but supporting evidence.
Notes
- The judgment is usually emphatic — strong praise or strong complaint about the whole.
See 〜といい〜といい in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜といい〜といい 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.