にしたって

JLPT N1approx.Casual
Meaning
  1. 1Even if X happens, the speaker's intention or judgment remains unchanged; often paired with たとえ or いくら.Ex. 1
  2. 2Granted that X is true, Y should still be the case; often carries criticism or reproach toward the listener.Ex. 2
  3. 3Attached to a noun, it means 'even X / X as well', indicating that X is no exception.
Formation
Verb (plain form)+にしたって行くにしたって
i-adj. (plain form)+にしたって高いにしたって
na-adj. stemNoun+にしたって静かにしたって, 彼にしたって
Variantna-adj. stemNoun+である+にしたって学生であるにしたって
Fixed useQuestion word+にしたって誰にしたって, いずれにしたって
Examples
たとえ親おやに反対はんたいされるにしたって、彼女かのじょとは結婚けっこんするつもりだ。
Even if my parents oppose it, I intend to marry her.
忙いそがしいにしたって、メール一いち本ぽん送おくる時間じかんはあるだろう。
Even if you're busy, you surely have time to send a single email.
Usage

A colloquial, spoken equivalent of にしても that is common in everyday conversation and often appears with たとえ or いくら. The following clause usually expresses the speaker's will, opinion, or dissatisfaction rather than a neutral fact. In formal writing, にしても or にせよ is the usual choice.

Watch out

Note that にしたって sounds too casual for formal writing or business documents, where にしても or にせよ is usually preferred.

Learners sometimes confuse it with たって, which attaches to conjugated forms (忙しくたって), whereas にしたって follows the plain form (忙しいにしたって).

Easily confused with
  • にしてもN2「にしても」has essentially the same concessive meaning as 「にしたって」, and the two are interchangeable. 「にしても」is neutral in register and common in both speech and writing, so switch to it in formal situations; it also has the parallel pattern 「AにしてもBにしても」.
  • としたって / としたところでN1With personal nouns, 「にしたって」can be swapped with 「としたって」, but 「としたところで」is generally not used. In concessive use, 「としたって/としたところで」express only a hypothesis: nouns and な-adjectives must take 「だ」, and the following clause is usually a negative judgment or a judgment of uselessness.
  • としてもN2「としても」is neutral in register and emphasizes the hypothetical; it can replace the hypothetical use of 「にしたって」, with 「だ」generally added after nouns and な-adjectives. When conceding an established fact, or when attached to a personal noun to mean 'even ... too', 「にしたって」is the better choice.
  • にしろ / にせよN2In concessive use, 「にせよ」and 「にしろ」are interchangeable with 「にしたって」, but 「にせよ」leans written while 「にしろ」is also common in speech; prefer these two in formal settings. The parallel pattern 「AにしろBにしろ」, meaning 'whether A or B', is a common usage.
  • といえどもN1「といえども」also means 'even if ...', but its register is dignified: it appears in writing, speeches, and regulations, and the following clause often pairs with prohibition, obligation, or negation. 「にしたって」is colloquial and often carries displeasure or reproach, so despite the similar meaning the registers differ and the two should not be swapped directly.
  • たってN3「たって」also marks colloquial concession, but it attaches to the verb た-form, 「くたって」, and 「だって」, with a more direct, more emotionally charged tone; it lacks the nuance of first conceding the preceding clause and then commenting on it.

にしたって is the casual form of にしても, while としても and its casual form としたって use と to frame X as an assumption ('even supposing'), and としたところで adds that doing X would not change or achieve much. にしろ/にせよ are more written and can also list alternatives, といえども is formal and literary, and たって attaches directly to conjugated forms (行ったって, 高くたって).

Grammar · JLPT grammar levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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