Regardless of: 〜いかんによらず／〜いかんを問わず
Noun（の）+ いかんによらず／いかんにかかわらず／いかんを問わず
Noun + のいかんによらず／にかかわらず／を問わず: “whatever X may be”; what follows doesn't change. The language of regulations and official notices; the opposite of いかんで.
In short
〜いかんによらず, 〜いかんにかかわらず, 〜いかんを問わず: “whatever X may be, regardless of X”; the result doesn't depend on X. It's the language of regulations, terms and conditions and official notices (理由のいかんを問わず, “for whatever reason”).
- 理由のいかんを問わず、一度納入された料金は返金いたしません。りゆうのいかんをとわず、いちどのうにゅうされたりょうきんはへんきんいたしません。For whatever reason, fees once paid will not be refunded.
- 国籍のいかんにかかわらず、誰でも応募できる。こくせきのいかんにかかわらず、だれでもおうぼできる。Anyone can apply, regardless of nationality.
- 結果のいかんによらず、挑戦したことに意味がある。けっかのいかんによらず、ちょうせんしたことにいみがある。Whatever the result, the fact of having tried is meaningful.
The basics
It's the negative of 〜いかんで. You say X can vary (the reason, the result, nationality, attendance…), but what follows stays the same in every case. Three verbs can express this: よる (“to depend”), かかわる (“to be connected”) and 問う (“to take into account”), all in the negative form.
You find it mostly in internal regulations, terms of sale, job ads and press releases.
For whatever reason, violence will not be tolerated.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 理由のいかんを問わず、暴力は許されない。りゆうのいかんをとわず、ぼうりょくはゆるされない。For whatever reason, violence will not be tolerated.
- 購入の時期のいかんにかかわらず、保証期間は一年です。こうにゅうのじきのいかんにかかわらず、ほしょうきかんはいちねんです。Regardless of the date of purchase, the guarantee is for one year.
How to form it
Noun + の + いかん + one of the three negatives. The の is almost always present here. The three forms are interchangeable; を問わず is the most frequent in regulations.
| Form | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nounのいかんによらず | written | 結果のいかんによらず |
| Nounのいかんにかかわらず | written, administrative | 国籍のいかんにかかわらず |
| Nounのいかんを問わず | regulations, notices | 理由のいかんを問わず |
| Noun + を問わず (N2) | simpler, very common | 年齢を問わず |
- 経験の有無を問わず、やる気のある方を歓迎します。けいけんのうむをとわず、やるきのあるかたをかんげいします。Experienced or not, anyone who's motivated is welcome.
- 成績のいかんによらず、全員が次の段階に進める。せいせきのいかんによらず、ぜんいんがつぎのだんかいにすすめる。Whatever their results, everyone can move on to the next stage.
With を問わず, にかかわらず and いかんで
を問わず and にかかわらず (N2) are used directly after a noun, often a pair or a category: 男女を問わず, 天候にかかわらず. With いかん, you stress that X can take any form or value: 理由のいかんを問わず = “whatever the nature of the reason”.
Don't confuse it with いかんで (“depending on X”), which says exactly the opposite: the result depends on X.
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜のいかんを問わず | whatever the nature of X | 理由のいかんを問わず |
| 〜を問わず | regardless of | 男女を問わず |
| 〜にかかわらず | irrespective of | 天候にかかわらず |
| 〜いかんで | depending on X (reverse) | 結果いかんで |
- この講座は男女を問わず人気がある。このこうざはだんじょをとわずにんきがある。This course is popular with men and women alike.
- 大会は天候にかかわらず開催される。たいかいはてんこうにかかわらずかいさいされる。The competition will be held whatever the weather.
Common mistakes
- Confusing it with 〜いかんで: いかんで = “depending on X”, いかんを問わず = “whatever X may be”.
- Forgetting the の: you usually write 理由のいかんを問わず, not “理由いかんを問わず”, which sounds less natural.
- Taking 問わず literally (“without asking”): the meaning is “without taking into account”.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the San'yō Line (Law and institutions) of the Shinkansen.