even if; even though; supposing that
Hypothetical concessive adverb: 'even if it were the case that...'. Often used with ～ても or ～たとしても to emphasize that the outcome would be the same regardless of the condition.
Even if he were to come, I wouldn't see him.
Even supposing that's true, there's nothing we can do about it now.
Rare kanji form; learners will almost always encounter the kana spelling.
Rare kanji form; learners will almost always encounter the kana spelling.
The exact derivation is uncertain; it may be a contraction of an older concessive expression. The kanji 縦 is used for its meaning of 'even if' or 'supposing', but the word is now almost always written in kana.