A matter of (life and death): 〜にかかわる
Noun (命・名誉・将来…) + にかかわる
Noun for something at stake (命, 名誉, 将来, 信用) + にかかわる: “that puts at stake, on which… depends”. Not to be confused with にかかわらず (“regardless of”) or に関する (neutral).
In short
〜にかかわる: “that affects, that puts at stake” something important or vital, such as life, honour, the future or reputation (命にかかわる病気, “a potentially fatal illness”). It isn't a simple “regarding”: the expression signals that something serious is at stake. Written style, warnings, the press.
- 熱中症は命にかかわることもあるので、十分注意してください。ねっちゅうしょうはいのちにかかわることもあるので、じゅうぶんちゅういしてください。Heatstroke can be life-threatening, so please take great care.
- これは会社の信用にかかわる問題だ。これはかいしゃのしんようにかかわるもんだいだ。This is a problem that puts the company's credibility at stake.
- 進学は将来にかかわる大切な選択だ。しんがくはしょうらいにかかわるたいせつなせんたくだ。Going on to further education is an important choice on which your future depends.
The basics
かかわる (関わる) means “to be connected with, to affect”. In its N1 use, 〜にかかわる attaches to a noun representing a major stake: 命 (life), 名誉 (honour), 将来 (the future), 信用 (credibility), 存続 (an organisation's survival). The meaning becomes “that puts at stake, on which… depends”.
You find it in medical warnings, articles about scandals, speeches about weighty decisions.
Heatstroke can sometimes be life-threatening.
- noun
- grammatical form
- 熱中症は命にかかわることもある。ねっちゅうしょうはいのちにかかわることもある。Heatstroke can sometimes be life-threatening.
- そんなうわさが広まったら、店の評判にかかわる。そんなうわさがひろまったら、みせのひょうばんにかかわる。If a rumour like that spread, the shop's reputation would suffer.
How to form it
Noun for something at stake + にかかわる, before a noun (問題, 病気, 事態, 決定) or at the end of a sentence. You also meet 〜にかかわってくる (“end up affecting”) and the fixed expression こけんにかかわる (“a matter of pride”).
| Noun | Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 命 | 命にかかわる | life-threatening |
| 名誉・評判 | 名誉にかかわる | put one's honour at stake |
| 将来 | 将来にかかわる | affect the future |
| 存続 | 存続にかかわる | threaten survival (of a company) |
| こけん | こけんにかかわる | a matter of pride |
- この判断ミスは、会社の存続にかかわってくる。このはんだんみすは、かいしゃのそんぞくにかかわってくる。This error of judgement will end up threatening the company's survival.
- 負けるなんて、チャンピオンのこけんにかかわる。まけるなんて、ちゃんぴおんのこけんにかかわる。Lose? For a champion, that would be a matter of pride.
にかかわる, に関する or にかかわらず?
に関する is neutral: “relating to, about” (環境に関する本, “a book about the environment”). にかかわる in its N1 use adds the idea of something serious at stake. Careful: かかわる also has the neutral meaning of “to be involved in, to work in” (教育にかかわる仕事).
にかかわらず (N2) has an almost opposite meaning: “regardless of, whatever” (天候にかかわらず). にもかかわらず means “despite” and rests on a real fact. Don't be caught out by how alike the forms are.
| Expression | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜にかかわる | that puts at stake (serious) | 命にかかわる病気 |
| 〜に関する | about (neutral) | 環境に関する本 |
| 〜にかかわらず | regardless of | 天候にかかわらず実施する |
| 〜にもかかわらず | despite (real fact) | 雨にもかかわらず集まった |
- 年齢にかかわらず、どなたでも参加できます。ねんれいにかかわらず、どなたでもさんかできます。Anyone can take part, regardless of age.
- 彼は長年、地域の教育にかかわってきた。かれはながねん、ちいきのきょういくにかかわってきた。He's been involved in local education for many years.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up にかかわる (“that puts at stake”) with にかかわらず (“regardless of”) or にもかかわらず (“despite”): the forms look alike, the meanings clash.
- Using it as a simple “regarding” for a trivial topic: for a neutral topic, に関する is more accurate.
- Translating 命にかかわる as “concerning life”: the meaning is “life-threatening”.
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 Tōkaidō Line (The press and current affairs) of the Shinkansen.