～ても～ても

• Reading: ても
• Romaji: temo
• Formation: Verb て-form + も + Verb て-form + も

Meaning

A concessive structure that repeats ても to emphasize that no matter how much or how many times one performs an action, the expected result does not follow. It conveys exhaustive effort or persistent futility.

～ても～ても intensifies the basic ても (even if) by repeating it with two verbs, or the same verb twice, to stress relentless effort. Unlike a single ても, the repetition highlights the overwhelming or frustrating nature of the actions. The two verbs may be identical (食べても食べても — no matter how much one eats) or different but related actions (探しても聞いても — no matter how much one searches and asks). This pattern frequently appears with negative or unexpected outcomes, emphasising the gap between effort and result. It is more emotive and colloquial than たところで or にもかかわらず, and suits spoken complaints, narratives, and emphatic statements.

Examples

1. 食べても食べてもお腹がいっぱいにならない。 No matter how much I eat, I never feel full.
2. 考えても考えても答えが見つからなかった。 No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't find an answer.
3. 拭いても拭いても窓の汚れが取れない。 No matter how much I wipe, the dirt on the window won't come off.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, narrative

Tone: emphatic

Do Say

• 練習しても練習しても上達しないと彼女は嘆いていた。
• 読んでも読んでも内容が頭に入ってこない。
• 待っても待ってもバスが来なかった。

Don't Say

• 食べてから食べてからお腹がいっぱいにならない。(Using てから instead of ても — てから indicates sequence, not concession) → 食べても食べてもお腹がいっぱいにならない。
• 考えても考えてでも答えが見つからなかった。(Mixing ても and てでも — the pattern requires consistent ても repetition) → 考えても考えても答えが見つからなかった。

Origin & History

A natural extension of the concessive particle ても (even if), where repetition follows the broader Japanese pattern of reduplication for emphasis. The doubling stresses exhaustiveness, paralleling structures like ～ば～ほど and ～たり～たり.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal