ともEven if, No matter

少なくとも is a very common example of this construction which is also used in spoken Japanese.

Structure

Verb［おう］ + とも
Verb［なくて］ + とも
［な］Adjective + であろう + とも
［い］Adjective［く］⁽¹⁾ + とも

⁽¹⁾ ［い］Adjective［かろう］

Details

About とも

とも is a particle that can be used either as a sentence-ending particle, conjunction particle, or adverbial particle. Despite this, the meanings are often interchangeable, and it depends mostly on what type of word they are grouped with as to which type of particle it is. Common interpretations of とも in almost any situation are 'even if (A)', or 'no matter if (A)', and it will basically always simply highlight that 'in spite of (A), still (B)'.

As a conjunction particle, とも will be paired with any words that are followed by the auxiliary verbs う, or よう, or after い-Adjectives in their conjunctive form.

The adverbial particle usage only appears after い-Adjectives in their conjunctive form, and a select number of adverbs. It is recommended not to use this structure after adverbs unless you have already seen it used this way in native material.

Synonyms

Examples

--:--

どんなことになろうとも、国家(こっか)が破産(はさん)するのはまずありえない。

No matter what (becomes of it) , it is impossible for a country to go bankrupt.

頂点(ちょうてん)には届(とど)かなくとも、行(い)けるところまで行(い)ってみよう。

Even if we don't reach the summit, let's try to go as far as we can.

どんなに生意気(なまいき)になろうとも、わたしの息子(むすこ)であることに変(か)わりはない。

No matter how cheeky he becomes, he's still my son.

誰(だれ)に憎(にく)まれようとも、使命(しめい)を果(は)たさないわけにはいきません。

Even if everyone hates it, it is an obligation we must fulfill.

ため息(いき)が出(で)ようとも、仕事(しごと)はやり遂(と)げなければなりません。

Even if you sigh, you must get some work done.

Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
Try Bunpro

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

Try Bunpro

Online
There are no Online resources listed for 「とも」.
You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

Offline
There are no Offline resources listed for 「とも」.
You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
Try Bunpro

とも – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (2 in total)

dokidokiwakuwaku
Can someone explain the difference in usage between this form and つつも? Thank you!
casual
In this test sentence:

誰に憎まれようとも、使命を果たさないわけにはいきません。
Even if everyone hates it, it is an obligation we must fulfill.

Wouldn’t here 誰に imply someone (no matter who), and 誰にも be needed to mean everyone?

Thank you