Despite: 〜にもかかわらず
N / plain form (N・な-adj: directly or + である) + にもかかわらず ; at the start: にもかかわらず、／それにもかかわらず
N / plain form + にもかかわらず: “despite…, although…”. An objective, formal concession; with emotion, in speech, you say のに; without も, にかかわらず means “regardless of”.
In short
〜にもかかわらず expresses a strong concession: “despite…, although…”. The result goes against what the first fact led you to expect. The tone is objective, with no visible emotion: it's the construction of the press, speeches and formal letters (お忙しいにもかかわらず…). Not to be confused with にかかわらず, without も, which means “regardless of”.
- 悪天候にもかかわらず、試合は予定どおり行われた。あくてんこうにもかかわらず、しあいはよていどおりおこなわれた。Despite the bad weather, the match went ahead as planned.
- お忙しいにもかかわらず、お越しいただき、ありがとうございます。おいそがしいにもかかわらず、おこしいただき、ありがとうございます。Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.
- 彼は熱があるにもかかわらず、会議に出席した。かれはねつがあるにもかかわらず、かいぎにしゅっせきした。He attended the meeting despite having a fever.
The basics
かかわる means “to concern, to be connected with”. So 〜にもかかわらず means “even with X making no difference”: X should have prevented or changed the result, and yet the result is there. It's English “despite”, “in spite of”, “although”.
The speaker reports a real fact, in a neutral, objective tone. Even when the situation is surprising, they don't show emotion: that's what sets it apart from のに.
Despite the bad weather, the match went ahead as planned.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 十分な証拠があるにもかかわらず、彼は罪を認めなかった。じゅうぶんなしょうこがあるにもかかわらず、かれはつみをみとめなかった。Despite ample evidence, he didn't admit his guilt.
How to form it
A noun attaches directly (雨にもかかわらず) or goes through である when it's the predicate (休日であるにもかかわらず). The same goes for a な-adjective. Verbs and い-adjectives go in the plain form. At the start of a sentence, にもかかわらず、 or それにもかかわらず、 picks up the previous sentence: “and yet”.
| Before | Construction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N (である) + にもかかわらず | 雨にもかかわらず／休日であるにもかかわらず |
| い-adj | い-adj + にもかかわらず | 忙しいにもかかわらず |
| な-adj | な-adj (である) + にもかかわらず | 不便であるにもかかわらず |
| Verb | plain form + にもかかわらず | 注意したにもかかわらず |
| At the start | それにもかかわらず、〜 | and yet |
- 休日であるにもかかわらず、多くの社員が出社した。きゅうじつであるにもかかわらず、おおくのしゃいんがしゅっしゃした。Although it's a public holiday, many employees came into the office.
- 駅から遠く不便であるにもかかわらず、この店はいつも満席だ。えきからとおくふべんであるにもかかわらず、このみせはいつもまんせきだ。Although it's far from the station and inconvenient, this restaurant is always full.
Compare with のに
のに (N4) expresses the same contrast, but with the speaker's emotion: frustration, reproach, regret. It's mainly spoken. にもかかわらず stays neutral and suits writing, the news and speeches. Neither accepts a request or a wish in the second part.
| Sentence | Tone |
|---|---|
| せっかく作ったのに、だれも食べない | frustration, spoken |
| 大都市であるにもかかわらず、緑が多い | objective observation, written |
| 雨なのに、来てください | impossible (request) → 雨ですが、来てください |
- せっかく作ったのに、だれも食べてくれない。せっかくつくったのに、だれもたべてくれない。I went to the trouble of cooking, and nobody's eating it!
- 名古屋は大都市であるにもかかわらず、緑が多い。なごやはだいとしであるにもかかわらず、みどりがおおい。Although Nagoya is a big city, it has lots of greenery.
にもかかわらず or にかかわらず?
A single particle separates them, but the meaning changes completely. にかかわらず (without も) says X doesn't matter: “regardless of X”, often in a rule or an announcement, with a noun that varies (天候, 年齢) or 〜か〜ないか. にもかかわらず (with も) is about a real fact that should have mattered: “despite X”.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 天候にかかわらず、試合を行います | whatever the weather (rule) |
| 悪天候にもかかわらず、試合を行った | despite the bad weather (real fact) |
- 天候にかかわらず、試合は行います。てんこうにかかわらず、しあいはおこないます。The match will go ahead whatever the weather.
Common mistakes
- Confusing it with にかかわらず: without も, it's “regardless of”; with も, it's “despite”.
- Putting a request or a wish in the second part: “×雨にもかかわらず、来てください”.
- Using it for an emotional complaint among friends: for “I cooked and nobody's eating!”, it's のに.
8 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 N2 point is on the Meitetsu Nagoya Line (Industry) of the Nagoya lines.