ても知らない means if you continue… you’ll end up (in trouble); I don’t care about it. It is a JLPT N1 Japanese grammar pattern used to warn someone that if they keep doing something (typically something the speaker considers unwise), the speaker will take no responsibility for the consequences.
This pattern appears often in spoken Japanese—arguments, friend-to-friend scolding, and manga. If you want to deliver a sharp, colloquial “don’t come crying to me” or “you’ll be sorry,” ても知らない is a pattern that adds bite to your Japanese.
—“If you go on like that, you’ll end up regretting it. Don’t come crying to me.”
What does ても知らない mean?
Use ても知らない when you want to:
- warn someone that a bad outcome will follow if they continue a certain action
- disclaim responsibility (“I won’t be responsible”)
- express irritation, indifference, or a “serves you right” stance
Natural translations include:
- “If you keep that up, you’ll end up regretting it.”
- “Don’t come crying to me if…”
- “I don’t care what happens (if you do that).”
The best translation depends on the relationship between the speakers and how blunt the warning is. In casual, close-relationship contexts it can be almost teasing; in a sharp tone it’s a cold shoulder.
How to form ても知らない
The structure is simple: you attach も to the verb’s て-form, then follow it with 知らない. You can strengthen the warning with よ (casual) or ぞ (rough/masculine).
食べて + も + 知らないよ
行って + も + 知らないぞ
文句を言って + も + 知らない
Because the ても part already carries “even if,” you cannot use other conditional forms like たら or ば here.
When is ても知らない used?
Use ても知らない in situations like:
- a friend is about to do something you know will backfire
- a parent scolding a child (“I’m not going to save you next time”)
- a character in fiction who is done helping someone
- expressing irritation after repeated warnings
Tone and register:
- very casual, sometimes rough or dismissive
- common in conversation, text messages, drama dialogue, and manga
- adding よ or ぞ makes it sound more spoken and emphatic
Because it directly denies responsibility, it’s inappropriate in polite or business settings.
ても知らない example sentences
そんなに夜 更かししてると、後で後悔しても知らないよ。
If you keep staying up so late, don’t come complaining later.
食べすぎても知らないよ。
I don’t care if you overeat. (Don’t blame me later.)
宿題をやらなくても知らないぞ。
If you don’t do your homework, that’s your problem.
相談に乗らなくても知らないからね。
If you don’t ask for advice, I’m not going to bail you out later—fair warning.
彼に借りたまま返さなくても知らないよ。
If you don’t pay him back, I don’t want to hear about it when he gets angry.
勝ってに決めても知らないわよ。
Go ahead and decide on your own—don’t expect any sympathy from me.
The pattern is fixed; even if the verb changes, the function stays the same: if you do X, I’m out.
Nuance of ても知らない
The core nuance is a warning with a side of abandonment. It’s not just “I don’t know”—it’s “I’m choosing not to care.” The speaker is stepping away from the listener’s future problem.
Key feelings it carries:
- disclaimer: “This is on you, not me.”
- coldness: often used after giving advice that was ignored.
- tough love: among close friends it can be affectionate scolding, less harsh than it sounds.
ても知らない vs てもどうにもならない
Both patterns involve ても and point to a negative outcome, but they differ significantly.
The speaker of ても知らない could step in but chooses not to; the speaker of てもどうにもならない is stating an objective impossibility.
Common mistakes with ても知らない
Omitting ない? Actually the mistake is interpreting it literally. The error above might seem like “I don’t know even if he comes,” but that literal meaning doesn’t map to this grammar. For the warning pattern, you need a verb that the listener is doing. Use 勝手に来る + ても知らない to warn about an unwanted action.
Mixing up 知っている (to know) with 知らない (not knowing/not caring). The warning pattern is fixed: only 知らない works; 知っている changes the meaning entirely.
Using a different conditional (ば/たら) instead of ても. The pattern is inseparable: Verb-ても + 知らない.
Is ても知らない on the JLPT?
ても知らない is part of the JLPT N1 grammar list. It doesn’t appear in high-frequency drills but is tested as a fixed idiomatic expression.
- Reading: yes — often in dialogue or narrative
- Listening: yes — especially in casual conversation comprehension
- Grammar questions: yes — expect a sentence‑completion format that tests the ても form
On the test, if you see V-ても知らない in the middle of a passage, it’s almost certainly a warning, not a literal “don’t know.”
Practice questions for ても知らない
Learning path for ても知らない
Related grammar to review next
- てもどうにもならない — shares the ても condition, but emphasizes hopelessness rather than personal responsibility
- ても差し支えない — also uses ても, but expresses permission (“it’s okay if you do”), the opposite in attitude
- と相まって — a formal pattern linking two factors to a result, useful after mastering casual ても patterns
- とあれば — a conditional meaning “if it is the case that,” another advanced conditional that pairs nicely with ても patterns in comparative study
Learn ても知らない with Hane
If you want to review ても知らない together with the related patterns above, Hane helps you practice Japanese in short, focused sessions — including warnings, comparisons, and realistic dialogue.
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FAQ about ても知らない
What does ても知らない (temo shiranai) mean in Japanese?
ても知らない (temo shiranai) means “if you continue… you’ll end up; I don’t care about it”. It is JLPT N1 grammar. Use ても知らない when you want to: - warn someone that a bad outcome will follow if they continue a certain action - disclaim responsibility (“I won’t be responsible”) - express irritation, indifference, or a “serves you right” stance
How do you form ても知らない (temo shiranai)?
Verb (て-form) ＋ も ＋ 知らない The structure is simple: you attach も to the verb’s て-form, then follow it with 知らない. You can strengthen the warning with よ (casual) or ぞ (rough/masculine).
What is the difference between ても知らない and てもどうにもならない?
ても知らない: personal warning; disavowal of responsibility. てもどうにもならない: inevitability; nothing can be done.
What is an example sentence with ても知らない (temo shiranai)?
そんなに夜 更かししてると、後で後悔しても知らないよ。 — If you keep staying up so late, don’t come complaining later.