connective N2 uncommon politewritten
〜とはいうものの — although
〜とはいうものの ・ とはいうものの
Meaning
- that said / having said that / and yet — concedes a point just stated as true, then introduces a reality that runs against it
Key sentence
もう春だ。とはいうものの、まだ朝晩は寒い。
It's spring now. That said, mornings and evenings are still cold.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stands alone at the head of a sentence, or a plain clause + とはいうものの | [statement]。とはいうものの、… / [clause]とはいうものの、… | 賛成だとはいうものの / 給料が上がったとはいうものの |
When: Calm, reasoned concession, slightly formal/written; grants the truth of what was said and then tempers it.
Examples
給料が上がった。とはいうものの、生活は楽にならない。
My salary went up. Even so, life hasn't gotten any easier.
賛成だとはいうものの、不安も残る。
Although I'm in favor, some anxiety remains.
Easily confused with
〜とはいえ とはいえ is the compact, more literary twin — same 'even so' concession; とはいうものの spells out 'although one says ~' and feels a touch more conversational. 〜ものの plain 〜ものの links a clause inside one sentence ('although A, B'); とはいうものの stands alone as a sentence-opener, conceding the *previous* sentence. 〜のに のに carries emotional dissatisfaction or reproach; とはいうものの is dry and reasoned, simply qualifying a fact it has just granted.
See 〜とはいうものの in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜とはいうものの 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.