とはいえ

と

は

い

え

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Concessive conjunction used to acknowledge a preceding statement while introducing a contrasting or qualifying point. Often translated as 'that said' or 'having said that'.

彼かれは若わかい。とはいえ、経けい験けんは豊ほう富ふだ。
He is young. That said, he has a lot of experience.
この計けい画かくは完かん璧ぺきではない。とはいえ、今いまはこれが最さい善ぜんだ。
This plan isn't perfect. Nonetheless, it's the best we have right now.

Grammar

とはいえthat said; thoughN1

Kanji

言say, word

Related words· 6

といってもN2
とはいえ is more formal and typically written, while と言っても is common in everyday spoken Japanese with the same qualifying nuance.
かといって
とはいえ and かと言って both introduce a qualifying contrast after acknowledging a prior statement, but とはいえ leans more formal/written while かと言って is common in everyday speech.
とはいうものの
とはいえ and とは言うものの both mean 'having said that,' but とは言うものの is slightly more formal and emphatic in acknowledging the prior statement.
だからといって
とはいえ is a more literary 'that being said' connector, while だからと言って explicitly ties back to a stated reason before denying its expected conclusion.

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かかわらず
とはいえ is a conjunction meaning 'that said' or 'even though', used to link two clauses, while 関わらず (as にもかかわらず) attaches to a noun or clause to mean 'despite ~'.
ものの
とはいえ is used to concede a point before adding a qualifying remark and sounds slightly more formal than ものの.

Etymology

From the quotative particle と, the topic particle は, and the verb 言う (to say), literally 'even if one says that'. The kana form とはいえ is standard.