What ni kakawarazu and ni mo kakawarazu mean
Kakawarazu is the classical negative of kakawaru, to be concerned with or to be affected by. So ni kakawarazu literally means without being affected by. In practice it means regardless of: whatever the value of this factor, the result is the same.
Adding mo, which means even, changes the logic. Ni mo kakawarazu means even though this is the case, and it introduces a single fact that you would expect to prevent or change the outcome. The second half then reports what happened anyway, often with a hint of surprise, admiration or criticism.
Both belong to formal Japanese. You will read them on posters, in terms and conditions, in news reports and in business emails, and you will hear them in announcements and speeches.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 天候にかかわらず、試合は行われます。 | Tenkō ni kakawarazu, shiai wa okonawaremasu. | The match will go ahead whatever the weather. |
| 年齢にかかわらず、どなたでも参加できます。 | Nenrei ni kakawarazu, donata demo sanka dekimasu. | Anyone can take part, regardless of age. |
| 大雨にもかかわらず、多くの人が集まった。 | Ōame ni mo kakawarazu, ōku no hito ga atsumatta. | Despite the heavy rain, many people gathered. |
| 忙しいにもかかわらず、手伝ってくれてありがとう。 | Isogashii ni mo kakawarazu, tetsudatte kurete arigatō. | Thank you for helping even though you were busy. |
Formation table
Ni kakawarazu needs something with more than one possible value. That can be a noun that implies variation, a pair of opposites, or a verb or adjective in its positive and negative forms side by side. Ni mo kakawarazu follows a single plain-form clause or a noun, and na adjectives and nouns often take de aru before it in writing.
| Pattern | Formation | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regardless of | Noun of range + にかかわらず | 天候にかかわらず | Whatever the weather |
| Regardless of | Pair of opposites + にかかわらず | 男女にかかわらず | Whether male or female |
| Regardless of | Verb + Verb-nai + にかかわらず | 行く行かないにかかわらず | Whether or not you go |
| Regardless of | Adj + opposite adj + にかかわらず | 値段の高い安いにかかわらず | Whether the price is high or low |
| Despite | Noun + にもかかわらず | 雨にもかかわらず | Despite the rain |
| Despite | Plain verb or i adj + にもかかわらず | 注意したにもかかわらず | Even though I warned them |
| Despite | Na adj or noun + である + にもかかわらず | 学生であるにもかかわらず | Even though they are a student |
| Nevertheless | Sentence start: にもかかわらず、 | にもかかわらず、彼は来た | Nevertheless, he came |
Ni kakawarazu: regardless of
Ni kakawarazu tells the reader that a factor makes no difference. It is the standard phrase on recruitment ads, event posters and shop policies, where the organiser wants to say anyone is welcome or the rule applies to everyone.
A very common structure puts a noun with no before umu, presence or absence: keiken no umu ni kakawarazu, whether or not you have experience. Another uses a verb in both forms: sanka suru shinai ni kakawarazu, whether or not you take part. In writing, you may also see the literary konomu to konomazaru to ni kakawarazu, whether we like it or not.
The main clause states something that holds in every case, often a rule, an invitation or a general truth.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 経験の有無にかかわらず、応募できます。 | Keiken no umu ni kakawarazu, ōbo dekimasu. | You can apply whether or not you have experience. |
| 国籍にかかわらず、どなたでも歓迎します。 | Kokuseki ni kakawarazu, donata demo kangei shimasu. | Everyone is welcome, whatever their nationality. |
| 参加する、しないにかかわらず、返事をください。 | Sanka suru, shinai ni kakawarazu, henji o kudasai. | Please reply whether or not you will attend. |
| 金額の多少にかかわらず、送料は無料です。 | Kingaku no tashō ni kakawarazu, sōryō wa muryō desu. | Shipping is free whatever the amount. |
| 好むと好まざるとにかかわらず、変化は起きる。 | Konomu to konomazaru to ni kakawarazu, henka wa okiru. | Whether we like it or not, change will come. |
| 曜日にかかわらず、朝九時から営業しています。 | Yōbi ni kakawarazu, asa kuji kara eigyō shite imasu. | We open at nine every day of the week. |
Ni mo kakawarazu: despite and even though
Ni mo kakawarazu takes one fact that you would expect to change the outcome and says it did not. The rain should have kept people away, but they came. You were busy, but you helped. The warning should have worked, but it did not.
It can express admiration, as in thanks for help given despite difficulty, or criticism, as in a complaint that someone ignored a rule. In business emails, phrases like o-isogashii tokoro, or o-isogashii ni mo kakawarazu, are common openers for thanking someone.
At the start of a sentence, ni mo kakawarazu works like nevertheless, pointing back to the previous sentence. This use is common in reports and essays.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何度も注意したにもかかわらず、彼はまた遅刻した。 | Nando mo chūi shita ni mo kakawarazu, kare wa mata chikoku shita. | Even though I warned him many times, he was late again. |
| 平日にもかかわらず、店は混んでいた。 | Heijitsu ni mo kakawarazu, mise wa konde ita. | Although it was a weekday, the shop was crowded. |
| お忙しいにもかかわらず、ご出席いただきありがとうございます。 | O-isogashii ni mo kakawarazu, go-shusseki itadaki arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you for attending despite your busy schedule. |
| 彼は未成年であるにもかかわらず、お酒を飲んでいた。 | Kare wa miseinen de aru ni mo kakawarazu, osake o nonde ita. | He was drinking alcohol even though he was under age. |
| 事前に予約したにもかかわらず、席がなかった。 | Jizen ni yoyaku shita ni mo kakawarazu, seki ga nakatta. | Even though I booked in advance, there was no table. |
| 準備は万全だった。にもかかわらず、失敗した。 | Junbi wa banzen datta. Ni mo kakawarazu, shippai shita. | Our preparations were perfect. Nevertheless, we failed. |
The one-noun trap: ame ni kakawarazu
The most common mistake is using ni kakawarazu after a single, fixed fact. Ame ni kakawarazu does not quite work, because rain is one condition, not a range. If you mean whatever the weather, say tenkō ni kakawarazu or ame demo hare demo. If you mean despite the rain, say ame ni mo kakawarazu.
A quick test: can you replace the phrase with whatever the X or whether or not? Then use ni kakawarazu. Can you replace it with despite the fact that? Then you need ni mo kakawarazu.
| Meaning | Natural | Unnatural |
|---|---|---|
| Whatever the weather | 天候にかかわらず | 雨にかかわらず |
| Despite the rain | 雨にもかかわらず | 天候にもかかわらず |
| Whether or not you go | 行く行かないにかかわらず | 行くにかかわらず |
| Despite being busy | 忙しいにもかかわらず | 忙しいにかかわらず |
Ni kakawarazu vs ni kankei naku and o towazu
Ni kankei naku, without relation to, means the same as ni kakawarazu but is plainer and easier to use in conversation. Nenrei ni kankei naku, whatever your age, sounds natural in speech, while nenrei ni kakawarazu sounds like a poster.
O towazu, without asking about, is another formal equivalent and very common in job ads: nenrei seibetsu o towazu, regardless of age or gender. It tends to go with nouns and pairs of opposites and sounds particularly written. Chūya o towazu, day and night alike, is a set phrase.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 年齢に関係なく、誰でも楽しめます。 | Nenrei ni kankei naku, dare demo tanoshimemasu. | Anyone can enjoy it, whatever their age. |
| 天気に関係なく、毎朝走っています。 | Tenki ni kankei naku, maiasa hashitte imasu. | I run every morning whatever the weather. |
| 経験を問わず、募集しています。 | Keiken o towazu, boshū shite imasu. | We are recruiting regardless of experience. |
| この道は昼夜を問わず、車が多い。 | Kono michi wa chūya o towazu, kuruma ga ōi. | This road is busy day and night. |
Ni mo kakawarazu vs noni and kedo
Noni also means even though, and it often translates the same way. The difference is tone. Noni is conversational and personal, and it carries the speaker's disappointment, frustration or surprise: ganbatta noni, even though I tried so hard. It can also end a sentence as a complaint: iitta noni, but I told you.
Ni mo kakawarazu is formal and more objective. It suits written reports and polite speech, and it cannot end a sentence. Kedo and ga are the plainest contrast words and carry little nuance at all. If you want to thank a customer or describe a situation in a report, choose ni mo kakawarazu; if you are complaining to a friend, choose noni.
| Pattern | Register | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| にもかかわらず | Formal | Objective despite | 雨にもかかわらず開催された |
| のに | Conversational | Emotional, often a complaint | 雨なのに出かけた |
| けど / が | Neutral | Simple contrast | 雨だけど出かけた |
| にかかわらず | Formal | Regardless of | 天候にかかわらず開催する |
| に関係なく | Neutral | Regardless of | 天気に関係なく出かける |
Common mistakes with ni kakawarazu
- Using ni kakawarazu after a single fact: ame ni kakawarazu should be ame ni mo kakawarazu or tenkō ni kakawarazu.
- Dropping mo when you mean despite: isogashii ni kakawarazu tetsudatte kureta should be isogashii ni mo kakawarazu.
- Adding na or da before ni mo kakawarazu: shizuka na ni mo kakawarazu is wrong; use shizuka de aru ni mo kakawarazu.
- Ending a sentence with ni mo kakawarazu as you might with noni: this pattern always needs a main clause, unless it starts the next sentence.
- Using ni mo kakawarazu in casual chat with friends: it sounds stiff; noni or kedo is more natural.
- Following ni kakawarazu with a past event that depends on one case: the main clause should hold for every possible value.