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JLPT N2Connectives

にかかわらず— Regardless Of / Irrespective Of

Means 'regardless of' or 'irrespective of' — the following statement holds true no matter the value of the preceding factor. It commonly attaches to nouns of degree or to a pair of opposites (e.g. 'whether or not'). にかかわりなく is a slightly stiffer variant with the same meaning.

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Pro lessonUNIT 45 · CONNECTIVES

Structure · 形

[Noun / Verb-dictionary + Verb-ない / Opposite pair] + にかかわらず

Examples · 例文

  • 年齢にかかわらず、誰でも応募できます。

    Nenrei ni kakawarazu, dare demo oubo dekimasu.

    Anyone can apply, regardless of age.

    年齢にかかわらず = the rule applies no matter the person's age.

  • 天候にかかわらず、試合は行われる。

    Tenkou ni kakawarazu, shiai wa okonawareru.

    The match will be held regardless of the weather.

    天候にかかわらず shows the outcome is independent of the weather.

  • 参加するしないにかかわらず、必ず連絡してください。

    Sanka suru shinai ni kakawarazu, kanarazu renraku shite kudasai.

    Whether you participate or not, please be sure to let us know.

    する／しない pair + にかかわらず expresses 'either way, regardless'.

Usage notes · 注意

  • Often used with nouns spanning a range (年齢, 性別, 天候) or with 〜する／しない opposites.
  • Register: formal, common in notices and announcements.
  • にかかわりなく is a stiffer synonym.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones にかかわらず is tested against.

vsにもかかわらず

にもかかわらず means 'even though / despite' and expresses an unexpected contrast; にかかわらず means 'regardless of', with no sense of contradiction.

vsを問わず

を問わず is very close ('regardless of'), but tends to attach to nouns of category/range; にかかわらず can also follow する／しない opposites.

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