It could also be said: 〜ともいえる
N / plain form + ともいえる ; 〜とはいえない／とまではいえない
Plain form / N + ともいえる: putting forward a nuanced interpretation (“you could see it as…”). Negative: とはいえない, とまではいえない. Written register, argument.
In short
〜ともいえる puts forward one possible interpretation among others: “you could also say it's…”, “it's in a sense…”. The も (“also”) shows you're offering another angle, without imposing it. In the negative, 〜とはいえない means “you can't say that…”. Written register: essays, reviews, presentations.
- この失敗は、成功への第一歩ともいえる。このしっぱいは、せいこうへのだいいっぽともいえる。You could see this failure as a first step towards success.
- 名古屋は、日本のものづくりの中心ともいえる町だ。なごやは、にほんのものづくりのちゅうしんともいえるまちだ。Nagoya is, in a sense, the heart of Japanese manufacturing.
- この方法が最善とはいえない。このほうほうがさいぜんとはいえない。You can't say this method is the best.
The basics
と + も + いえる: “you could also say that…”. The も signals that there are other ways of seeing it, and you're offering one, sometimes an unexpected one: a failure seen as a first step, an object seen as part of the body. It's a tool for nuanced argument.
The sentence remains an assertion, but a moderate one: the speaker doesn't claim to be stating an established fact.
You could see this failure as a first step towards success.
- noun
- grammatical form
- 手羽先は、名古屋の味の代表ともいえる。てばさきは、なごやのあじのだいひょうともいえる。Chicken wings are, in a sense, the emblem of Nagoya cuisine.
How to form it
Noun, adjective or plain form + ともいえる (or ともいえます, ともいえるだろう). Before a noun, it describes it directly: 中心ともいえる町. In the negative, the particle changes: とはいえない (“you can't say that”) or とまではいえない (“you can't go as far as saying that”).
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜ともいえる | you could also say that | 第一歩ともいえる |
| 〜ともいえる + N | an N that could be called… | 中心ともいえる町 |
| 〜とはいえない | you can't say that | 最善とはいえない |
| 〜とまではいえない | you can't go as far as saying | 失礼とまではいえない |
- この町は、日本の自動車産業のふるさとともいえる。このまちは、にほんのじどうしゃさんぎょうのふるさとともいえる。This city is, in a sense, the birthplace of the Japanese car industry.
- 彼の態度は、失礼とまではいえないが、少し冷たい。かれのたいどは、しつれいとまではいえないが、すこしつめたい。His attitude isn't rude as such, but it's a little cold.
A scale of assertion
From the most cautious to the strongest: 〜ともいえる (“you could also see it as…”), 〜といえる (“you can say that”), 〜といってもいい (“you could even say that”), 〜といっても過言ではない (“it's no exaggeration to say that”). とされている, for its part, reports a view accepted by all (“it is considered that”).
| Construction | Strength | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜ともいえる | one possible interpretation among others | 第一歩ともいえる |
| 〜といえる | a judgement you stand by | 成功といえる |
| 〜といってもいい | you could even say | 天才といってもいい |
| 〜といっても過言ではない | it's no exaggeration to say | 最高傑作といっても過言ではない |
| 〜とされている | accepted view | 原因とされている |
- この映画は、監督の最高傑作といっても過言ではない。このえいがは、かんとくのさいこうけっさくといってもかごんではない。It's no exaggeration to say this film is the director's masterpiece.
Don't confuse it with とはいえ
とはいえ (N1) looks like とはいえない, but it means “admittedly…, but”: 春とはいえ、まだ寒い (“it may be spring, but it's still cold”). It's neither an interpretation nor a negative: it's a concession. Look at what follows: ない, or a new clause?
- 春とはいえ、まだ寒い日が続いている。はるとはいえ、まださむいひがつづいている。It may be spring, but the days are still cold. (とはいえ: concession, N1)
Common mistakes
- Using it for an established fact (×名古屋は愛知県の県庁所在地ともいえる): ともいえる offers an interpretation, not something obvious.
- Mixing up とはいえない (“you can't say that”) and とはいえ (“admittedly…, but”).
- Translating the も as “also” when nothing else has been said: it marks one possible interpretation, “in a sense”.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the JR Chūō Line (Nature and the seasons) of the Nagoya lines.