N1 Contrast and Concession

~とはいえ: meaning, usage and examples

~とはいえ means: although... / nonetheless... / be that as it may...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 4月しがつとはいえ、まだ肌寒はださむい日ひもある。

   Although it's April, there are still some chilly days.

2. 彼かれは医者いしゃだ。とはいえ、専門外せんもんがいのことは分わからない。

   He is a doctor. Nonetheless, he doesn't know things outside his specialty.

3. 回復かいふくに向むかっているとはいえ、まだ無理むりはできない。

   Although I am getting better, I still cannot push myself.

4. 便利べんりになったとはいえ、田舎いなかではまだ車くるまがないと生活せいかつしにくい。

   Even though life has become more convenient, it is still hard to live in the countryside without a car.

When to use it

Means "although X is true, still..." The speaker accepts a fact and then adds a reality that is different from what one might expect. For example, 回復かいふくに向むかっているとはいえ、まだ無理むりはできない (although I am getting better, I still cannot push myself). It can also start a sentence: とはいえ、... (that said, ...).

Nuance

Slightly formal but common in speech, writing and the news. The first half is a fact, not a hypothesis. The second half often uses まだ, やはり or 〜ない. Gentler and more everyday than といえども.

Compare

Compare ものの: 買かったものの使つかっていない admits a fact with a result that falls short. とはいえ more often corrects an expectation: 春はるとはいえ寒さむい. Compare といえども: 専門せんもん家かといえども間違まちがえる is stiffer and stresses status. Compare けれども, the plain "but."

Tip: A safe way to remember it: とはいえ = "that said." It works both in the middle of a sentence and at the start of a new one.