～はともかく — Setting That Aside
Means 'setting X aside' or 'regardless of X', signaling that one issue is not the main point and shifting focus to something more important. It downplays the first element to prioritize the second. Often contrasts two things, saying X is debatable/secondary but Y matters.
Structure
[Noun] + はともかく(として)
Examples
味はともかく、量は十分だ。
Aji wa tomokaku, ryō wa jūbun da.
Taste aside, the quantity is plenty.
はともかく sets taste aside as secondary and focuses on the quantity.
結果はともかくとして、よく頑張った。
Kekka wa tomokaku to shite, yoku ganbatta.
Regardless of the result, you did your best.
はともかくとして downplays the result to praise the effort instead.
平日はともかく、週末は必ず休みたい。
Heijitsu wa tomokaku, shūmatsu wa kanarazu yasumitai.
Weekdays aside, I definitely want the weekend off.
はともかく treats weekdays as negotiable while emphasizing the weekend.
• Register: neutral, common in speech and writing. • Implies the first item is less important or debatable, not the focus. • Can add として with no change in meaning.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～はともかく is tested against.
vs ～はさておき
はさておき means postponing a topic to return to later; はともかく judges the first item as secondary/less important overall.
vs ～にかかわらず
にかかわらず means 'irrespective of X regardless of its value'; はともかく specifically sets X aside to prioritize a second point.
More connectives
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