Grammar Info
N1 Lesson 9: 13/20

ならいざ知（し）らず
Don’t know about it, Maybe it would/might be possible for

Structure
Most common pattern:
Noun + なら(1) + いざ知らず

Less common patterns:
Verb + （の）+ なら(1) + いざ知らず
［い］Adjective + （の）+ なら(1) + いざ知らず
Noun + であれば(2) + いざ知らず
Noun + は + いざ知らず

(1) ならば (2) だったら
Structure Legend  
Details
Register Formal
使用域 硬い
Information
  • (A) いざ知らず (B) is a slightly old-fashioned expression, which nowadays is mostly used in writing. It literally means that “If it’s (A) then I don’t know, but for (B) ... ” where いざ (originally いさ) is an interjection similar to the modern さあ and indicates confusion about how to answer a question.
  • This expression is used to show the contrast between the extreme example (A) for which something might be the case, and then (B).
  • Often followed by expressions of surprise, impossibility, or criticism.
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１万（まん）円（えん）は社会人（しゃかいじん）ならいざ知（し）らず、小学生（しょうがくせい）にとっては想像（そうぞう）を絶（ぜっ）する金額（きんがく）だ。
I don’t know about working adults, but for children, 10 000 yen is an unimaginable amount of money.
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    • 百（ひゃく）年（ねん）前（まえ）ならいざ知（し）らず、現代（げんだい）のこの国（くに）においては情報（じょうほう）へのアクセスは容易（ようい）になっているからそのようなことを誰（だれ）でも知（し）っているはずだ。
    I don’t know about 100 years ago, but in modern times, since access to information is widespread in this country, everybody should know something like that.
    contrasting the past and present is extremely common with いざ知らず
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    • 「運動（うんどう）は不健康（ふけんこう）だからしない」と最近（さいきん）よく聞（き）く。プロのスポーツ選手（せんしゅ）ならいざ知（し）らず、一般（いっぱん）の人（ひと）ならば、運動（うんどう）は有益（ゆうえき）である。
    Recently, I often hear that “exercising is unhealthy, so I don’t do it”. I don’t know about professional athletes, but for ordinary people exercising is beneficial.
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