日本語道場

Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2

Grammar

N2

~もさることながら

~ mo saru koto nagara

not to mention; as well as

When to use it

Use ~もさることながら in written or formal spoken Japanese when you want to concede that one point is already noteworthy, then direct the reader's attention to a second point you consider even more significant. It is a staple of reports, proposals, press releases and formal presentations — never casual conversation. Both items are normally positive or at least neutral evaluations; it sounds odd when listing faults.

Formation

  • Noun: 「N + もさることながら」 — 価格もさることながら、品質もさることながら
  • Verb: cannot attach directly; nominalize with の / こと — 売れているのもさることながら、コストを抑えたこともさることながら
  • い-adjective: 「〜いのもさることながら」 — 安いのもさることながら
  • な-adjective: 「〜なのもさることながら」 — 便利なのもさることながら
  • The weight of the statement falls on the second clause; the first is treated as already granted or well known.
  • Stiffer/older variant of ~はもちろん・~ももちろんだが; 「も」 is fixed and cannot be replaced with 「は」.

Examples

  • The price aside, it was the short delivery time that clinched it.

  • His technical skill goes without saying, but it was his persistence that saved us.

  • Quality aside, it was our maintenance setup that won high marks.

  • Sales growth aside, the improvement in margins is significant.

  • Not only is it easy to operate, the rollout cost is low.