connective N1 uncommon politewritten
〜はさておき — setting ~ aside
〜はさておき
Builds on 〜は別として
Meaning
- setting ~ aside / leaving ~ for later — deferring one topic to move on to the more important one
Key sentence
冗談はさておき、本題に入りましょう。
Joking aside, let's get to the main topic.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + はさておき | 詳細はさておき |
Examples
結果はさておき、よく頑張ったと思う。
Setting the result aside, I think you did well.
値段のことはさておき、まず品質を見よう。
Leaving the price aside for now, let's look at the quality first.
Easily confused with
はともかく はともかく also means 'setting aside' and is more conversational and dismissive; はさておき is a touch more formal and typically signals a deliberate move to the main agenda. は別として は別として = 'apart from ~ (treating it separately)', a neutral deferral; はさておき = 'setting aside to get to the point', with a stronger 'now, to business' feel.
Notes
- それはさておき ('that aside') is a common set opener for returning to the main subject.
See 〜はさておき in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜はさておき 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.