~ might be one thing, but; leaving ~ aside

Advanced

20-30 min

common

Expert Reviewed

Explanation

Sets up extreme contrast. "X might be understandable, but Y is not."

[Noun] + ならいざ知らず

子供ならいざ知らず、大人がそんなことをするのは恥ずかしい。

Kodomo nara iza shirazu, otona ga sonna koto wo suru no wa hazukashii.

A child might be one thing, but it's embarrassing for an adult to do such a thing.

Very formal/literary expression.

～てやまない

earnestly wish/hope, never stop ~ing

～をものともせずに

not being daunted by ~, in spite of ~

～んがため(に)

in order to ~, for the purpose of ~ (formal/literary)

～ずにはおかない

cannot help but do ~, cannot leave without doing ~

JLPTBooks Editorial Team

Japanese Language Education Specialists

Last updated: Jan 10

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