どちらにしても
The English phrase "either way" is expressed in Japanese as どちらにしても.
どちらにしても is used to mean "either way" or "in either case."
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of どちら (which way/which one), に (particle indicating direction or target) and しても (even if/regardless of).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal situations, you can use どちらにせよ, どちらにしろ or いずれにしても. The expression いずれにしても is a more formal version of どちらにしても and is commonly used in written Japanese or professional speech. In contrast, if you are having a casual conversation with friends or family, use the colloquial version どっちにしても.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase functions as an adverbial phrase that can be placed at the beginning of a sentence or clause to indicate that the following statement applies regardless of which of two options is chosen.
Did you know?
- Depending on the context, どちら can refer to a person's identity. If you ask どちらさまですか, you are asking 'who are you' in a very polite way, rather than 'which way'.
- The phrase いずれにしても uses the word いずれ, which can also mean 'eventually' or 'some day'. This reflects a linguistic connection between choosing an option and the passage of time.
- If you are choosing between more than two options, you should swap どちら for いずれ. Using どちらにしても when there are three or more possibilities can sound slightly unnatural to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- どちらにしても大丈夫だよ。Either way is fine.This sentence is useful for showing how to say "Either way is fine" using どちらにしても.Tatoeba #8619639 by small_snow, translation #4495064 by CK
- どちらにせよ、結果は同じです。In either case, the result is the same.
- いずれにしても、お手間をおかけします。In any case, sorry for the inconvenience.
- どちらにしても、少し時間がかかるだろう。dochira ni shitemo, sukoshi jikan ga kakaru darou.Either way, it will probably take some time.
- どちらにしても、結果は同じです。dochira ni shitemo, kekka wa onaji desu.Either way, the result is the same.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing whether to go by train or bus.
- 陽葵 Himariバスと電車、どっちで行こうか？basu to densha, docchi de ikou ka?Should we go by bus or train?
- 蓮 Renどちらにしても、今は混んでいると思うよ。dochira ni shitemo, ima wa konde iru to omou yo.Either way, I think it's crowded right now.
- 陽葵 Himariそうだね、じゃあ歩こうか。sou da ne, jaa arukou ka.You're right, shall we walk then?
- 蓮 Renそれが一番早いね。sore ga ichiban hayai ne.That would be the fastest way.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
