Advanced Connectors

Advanced Connectors in Japanese

At C1, mastering formal and literary connectors elevates your writing and formal speech beyond intermediate patterns.

もっとも adds a concession: "however" or "that said." It softens a previous strong statement.

彼は優秀だ。もっとも、経験はまだ浅い。

He is excellent. However, his experience is still limited.

さりとて is a literary connector meaning "even so" or "nevertheless." It is used in essays and formal writing.

問題は深刻だ。さりとて、諦めるわけにはいかない。

The problem is serious. Even so, we cannot give up.

いわんや means "let alone" or "much less." It emphasizes that if something is true in one case, it is even more so in another.

大人でも理解が難しい。いわんや子供をや。

Even adults find it hard to understand, let alone children.

These literary connectors appear frequently in editorials, academic papers, and formal speeches. While したがって and にもかかわらず are common in everyday formal writing, さりとて and いわんや signal true C1 mastery.