～にしても
even if / even though
～にしても is a concessive pattern: it accepts something as true (or possibly true) and then states a conclusion that holds anyway. It attaches to nouns or to plain-form verbs and adjectives, and corresponds to English “even if” or “even granting that”. Doubled as XにしてもYにしても, it means “whether X or Y”.
1. Even if / even though
The speaker concedes the point before にしても, then insists the main statement still stands.
どんなに高いにしても買う。
“I'll buy it even if it's expensive.”
- どんなに = no matter how
- 高い（たかい）= expensive
- にしても = even if
- 買う（かう）= will buy
冗談にしても、ひどい言い方だ。
“Even if it was a joke, that's a harsh way to put it.”
- 冗談（じょうだん）= joke
- ひどい = harsh, awful
- 言い方（いいかた）= way of saying it
- だ = plain copula (is)
2. Whether ... or ...
Putting にしても after each of two alternatives means the conclusion applies in either case.
行くにしても行かないにしても、早く決めてください。
“Whether you go or not, please decide quickly.”
- 行く（いく）= to go
- 行かない（いかない）= not go
- 早く（はやく）= quickly, soon
- 決めてください（きめてください）= please decide
Do not confuse ～にしても with ～にしては: にしても concedes a point (“even if it's expensive, I'll buy it”), while にしては measures something against an expectation (“good, for a first-timer”).
How to form it
Noun + にしても / Verb or adjective (plain form) + にしても
- 高い（たかい）= expensive → 高いにしても（たかいにしても）= even if it is expensive
- 行く（いく）= to go → 行くにしても（いくにしても）= even if (you) go
- 冗談（じょうだん）= joke → 冗談にしても（じょうだんにしても）= even if it is a joke
Key idea
～にしても means “even if” or “even considering X, still Y”. The speaker accepts X as a premise and then states that Y remains true despite that concession.
Built on the same stem
Updated .