～はもとより

About

～はもとより is used to say "not only X, (but also) Y".

X should be something obvious or predictable that gets followed by the less-obvious Y.

～はもとより follows nouns, or occasionally, nominalized verbs.

E.g. 僕ぼくは勉強べんきょうが嫌きらいで、大学だいがくはもとより、高校こうこうも行いきませんでした。 "I hate studying, so not only did I (obviously) not go to university, I didn't go to high school either."

E.g. 学生がくせいの頃ころは貧乏びんぼう過すぎて、車くるまはもとより、自転車じてんしゃさえ買かうことができなかった。 "When I was a student, I was super poor and not only could I not buy a car, I couldn't even buy a bike."

E.g. 図書室としょしつの中なかはもとより、建物内たてものない全体ぜんたいが禁煙きんえんです。 "Not only the reading rooms, but the entire building is non-smoking."

～はもとより has a written feel to it, and is most commonly used in polite spoken or polite written scenarios.

Summary

• 

  ～はもとより is used to say "not only X, (but also) Y"

• 

  ～はもとより follows nouns, or occasionally, nominalized verbs

• 

  ～はもとより has a written feel to it