〜とはいえ (~to wa ie) — even though ~ / that said

I accept a fact — but what you'd expect from it isn't quite right. The speaker's own view; a little stiff and written.

Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)

N / な-adj N／な-adj（＋だ） + とはいえ

Verb / い-adj V普通形／い-adj + とはいえ

Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)

When to use it

After five years in Japan, friends say: 'Japanese must be easy for you now.'
You answer: 「日本に来て五年になるとはいえ、敬語はまだ難しい」— yes, it's been five years, but keigo is still hard.
It is a somewhat stiff, written word.

Meaning

「〜とはいえ」first accepts a fact, then says 'that doesn't mean everything follows from it' and gives your own view or judgment in the opposite direction.
What follows is usually an opinion — 'this is how I see it'.

How to attach

Directly to nouns and な-adjectives: 小さな会社とはいえ (「だ」may also be added)
Plain form of verbs and い-adjectives
Alone at the start of a sentence: 「とはいえ、…」= 'that said, …'

Versus what you know

N2It is from the same family as 「〜ものの・〜とはいうものの」(「買ったものの、使っていない」= I did it but the expected result didn't come), but stiffer and more written.
N3「〜といっても」shrinks the fact down (旅行といっても近くだけ); 「とはいえ」accepts the fact fully and still says 'even so'.

Watch out

The first part must be a real fact — it does not work with something imagined, like 「もし〜」.

Examples (उदाहरणहरू)

日本に来て五年になるとはいえ、敬語はまだ難しい。

にほんにきてごねんになるとはいえ、けいごはまだむずかしい。

Even though it's been five years since I came to Japan, keigo is still hard.

How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 五年になる = it's five years (a true fact) → attach 「とはいえ」 directly to the plain form = that's true, but still → then the speaker's own opinion: 敬語はまだ難しい.

小さな会社とはいえ、福利厚生はしっかりしている。

ちいさなかいしゃとはいえ、ふくりこうせいはしっかりしている。

It may be a small company, but its employee benefits are solid.

How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 小さな会社 = a small company (a noun) → 「とはいえ」 directly = it's small, but still → 福利厚生 = employee benefits (insurance, leave, etc.) → しっかりしている = good, reliable — the speaker's assessment.

この仕事は給料がいい。とはいえ、毎晩残業があるのはつらい。

このしごとはきゅうりょうがいい。とはいえ、まいばんざんぎょうがあるのはつらい。

This job pays well. That said, having overtime every night is hard.

How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 給料がいい = the pay is good (a fact) → end the sentence, then start the new one with 「とはいえ、」 = that's true, but still → 残業がある = there is overtime → つらい = hard — the speaker's own feeling.

Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)

Question: 1/3

「仕事に慣れてきた＿＿＿、まだ一人で判断するのは不安だ。」— fill the blank.

💡 Hint: Does anything go between the plain verb and とはいえ?