A うと B うと
A uto B uto
JLPT N1 Very formal, literary
Formation
い-adjective (-かろう) + と, な-adjective / Noun + であろうと
Shows that the speaker is indifferent to both conditions; 'whether A or B'.
When to use
Formal, literary - one of several near-interchangeable "whether A or B" constructions; stylistic choice more than a formality ladder.
Explanation
The うと うと pattern indicates that A and B are both possibilities, yet the speaker's stance or the outcome doesn’t change. It's often translated as 'whether A or B'. For i-adjectives, the '-かろうと' form is used. For nouns or な-adjectives, you’ll see 'Noun/な-adjective + であろうと'.
Example sentences
-
Whether it's raining or sunny, I jog every day.
Ame ga furou to hareyou to, watashi wa mainichi jogingu o shimasu.
-
Whether the exam is difficult or easy, I will study hard.
Shiken ga muzukashikarou to yasashikarou to, isshoukenmei benkyou shimasu.
彼が学生であろうと社会人であろうと、私は彼を尊敬しています。
Whether he's a student or a working adult, I respect him.
Kare ga gakusei de arou to shakaijin de arou to, watashi wa kare o sonkei shiteimasu.
その映画が新しいであろうと古いであろうと、面白ければ観ます。
Whether the movie is new or old, if it's interesting, I'll watch it.
Sono eiga ga atarashii de arou to furui de arou to, omoshirokereba mimasu.
Regardless (Whether A Or B)
- A かれ B かれA kare B kareN1Expresses 'whether A or B'; both situations are included.
- A であれ B であれA deare B deareN1Indicates the same statement applies to both A and B…
- A とも B ともA tomo B tomoN1Expresses two possibilities; 'either A or B', 'whether A…
- A あるいは BA aruiwa BN2Indicates alternatives; 'A or B', 'either A or B'.
- Noun なり Noun なりA nari B nariN1Lists alternatives of the same kind; 'either A or B', 'A…
- A にしろ B にしろA nishiro B nishiroN1Means 'whether it is A or B'; 'regardless of A or B'.
- A にせよ B にせよA ni seyo B ni seyoN1Either A or B; Regardless of whether it's A or B.
- A につけ B につけA ni tsuke B ni tsukeN1Expresses 'whether... or...', 'both... and...', 'in either…
- Noun といい Noun といい〜to ii〜to iiN1Used to express 'both A and B'; 'whether it's A or B'…
- Noun といわず Noun といわずA to iwazu B to iwazuN1Expresses 'both A and B' or 'be it A or B'; applies to…
- ～にしろ～にしろ〜ni shiro 〜ni shiroN2Expresses 'either way', 'in any case', 'be it...', used…
- A うが B うがA uga B ugaN1Expresses the idea of 'no matter how... or', 'even if...…