I often hear とは言え used as a conjunction between sentences. What does it mean?
ALC didn't offer much help.
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I don't know about that ALC thing, but you should give jisho.org a try when you cannot find the words you are looking for.– stack readerMar 29, 2017 at 1:06
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Typically written in kana (but kanji is not incorrect).– user1478Mar 29, 2017 at 1:17
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2 Answers
It's on ALC. It's listed in hiragana because it's a fossilized conjunction.
- とはいえ: nevertheless; that being said; be it as it may
Etymologically, this is 'quotative-と' + 'thematic-は' + '已然形 of 言う（言ふ）'. Hence literally "that being said."
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Ah, silly me, I was search with the kanji and it wasn't coming up. Thanks for that.– paullbMar 29, 2017 at 1:04
It is basically used as "but".
Literally it means something like "it can be said".
For example,
偶然の出会いだった。とは言え、必然という運命を感じる。
Although it can be said that I met her by coincidence, it felt like destiny to me.
