いかん

Depending On/regardless

Level 5Sounds Like ikan

Used in formal contexts to indicate that an outcome is determined by a specific condition (いかん) or remains the same regardless of it (いかんにかかわらず).

How It Works

This pattern is highly formal and primarily used in written documents, official speeches, or legal contexts. It is an advanced expression used to discuss conditions and outcomes. While it is predominantly written in hiragana in standard JLPT N1 materials, the kanji 如何 is standard and extremely common in legal and official documents (e.g., 理由の如何を問わず).

1. Usage with 'Depending on':
When used as いかんだ（如何だ）, いかんにかかっている（如何にかかっている）, いかんで / いかんでは（如何で / 如何では）, or いかんによって / いかんによっては（如何によって / 如何によっては）, it means 'depends on.'

  • [Noun] + (の) + いかんだ（如何だ） / いかんにかかっている（如何にかかっている）: Used at the end of a sentence to state the deciding factor (rests upon / depends on).
  • [Noun] + (の) + いかんによって（如何によって） / いかんによっては（如何によっては） / いかんで（如何で） / いかんでは（如何では）: Used in the middle of a sentence to show a conditional relationship. いかんで（如何で） and いかんによって（如何によって） are used for a general dependency (e.g., 'the outcome will change') and typically take verbs like 決まる（きまる）, 変わる（かわる）, or 異なる（ことなる）. However, いかんでは（如何では） and いかんによっては（如何によっては） introduce one specific, often major, possible outcome out of a range of possibilities (e.g., 'might be canceled') and typically take expressions of possibility like かもしれない, 可能性がある（かのうせいがある）, or こともある.

2. Usage with 'Regardless of':
When the pattern itself includes negative verb forms like 問わず（とわず） or よらず, it means the outcome does not change regardless of the condition (the main clause does not need to be negative).

  • [Noun] + (の) + いかんを問わず（如何を問わず） / いかんによらず（如何によらず） / いかんにかかわらず（如何にかかわらず）: 'Regardless of [Noun].' These are common in official notices and legal disclaimers.

Note on Structure: Because いかん functions as a noun, it can take (の) before it, though it is very frequently dropped in actual usage (e.g., 理由いかんにかかわらず is just as common as 理由のいかんにかかわらず). Note that いかん attaches primarily to nouns. If you want to express a condition involving a verb, the verb clause (using 〜かどうか or 〜か否か（〜かいなか）) acts as the topic or subject of the sentence, while いかん attaches to a noun in the second half (e.g., 成功するか否かは、努力のいかんにかかっている). For the 'regardless of' usage, attaching いかん to a verb clause is generally avoided in standard formal writing, but it can be seen in highly formal, legal, or bureaucratic Japanese by nominalizing the verb clause (e.g., 発生するかのいかんを問わず).

JLPT Warning: Be careful with the particles! It is always いかんを問わず (using を), but いかんにかかわらず and いかんによらず (using に). JLPT N1 tests frequently trick students by mixing these up.

3. Nuance & Restrictions:
The preceding noun must represent something with a range of possibilities or variations (e.g., 成績（せいせき）, 結果（けっか）, 天候（てんこう）, 合否（ごうひ）). It cannot be used with static nouns. Unlike the more common 次第（しだい）, which indicates a direct dependency, いかん（如何） focuses on the outcome being a variety of possibilities (results vary) and is much more stiff. Additionally, 〜いかんにかかわらず is the highly formal equivalent of 〜に関係なく（〜にかんけいなく）. Related vocabulary includes いかんせん (unfortunately) and いかんともしがたい (cannot be helped / nothing can be done), which share the same root.

Examples (5)

  1. 試験の結果いかんでは、奨学金が打ち切られることもある。

    Depending on the exam results, the scholarship may be discontinued.

    Word by Word: Exam's result depending on, scholarship (subject) discontinued be-thing also exists.

    Here、「結果」（けっか） is the deciding factor. The use of 「いかんでは」 suggests a potentially negative outcome (losing the scholarship).

  2. 理由のいかんを問わず、一度納入された入学金は返金いたしません。

    Regardless of the reason, entrance fees once paid will not be refunded.

    Word by Word: Reason (possessive) regardless of, once paid entrance-fee (topic) refund do-not (humble).

    This is a standard formal notice. いかんを問わず indicates that the reason does not matter; the rule remains the same.

  3. このプロジェクトが成功するかどうかは、君たちの努力いかんだ。

    Whether this project succeeds or not depends on your efforts.

    Word by Word: This project (subject) succeed whether-or-not (topic), you-all's effort depends-on.

    Using 「いかんだ」 at the end of the sentence places the responsibility/deciding factor solely on the 「努力」（どりょく）.

  4. 申し込み状況のいかんによっては、開催場所を変更する場合があります。

    Depending on the application status, the venue may be changed.

    Word by Word: Application status (possessive) depending on, holding-place (object) change case (subject) exists.

    A formal way to say the venue choice is contingent upon how many people apply. いかんによっては emphasizes that the outcome depends on the specific circumstances.

  5. 学歴のいかんによらず、実力のある人を採用する方針だ。

    Regardless of educational background, our policy is to hire people with actual ability.

    Word by Word: Educational-background (possessive) regardless of, ability-possessing person (object) hire policy is.

    The phrase いかんによらず shows that the preceding noun (educational background) is not a factor in the decision.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 「いかん」 in casual, everyday conversation.

    明日の天気いかんで、買い物に行こう。
    明日の天気次第で、買い物に行こう。

    Using 「いかん」 to talk about going shopping with a friend is far too formal. Use 次第 or だったら for casual situations.

  • Confusing the grammar 「いかん」（如何） with the adjective 「いかん」（遺憾 - regrettable）.

    結果は遺憾だ。
    結果はいかんだ。

    While they sound the same, 「遺憾」（いかん） means 'regrettable' or 'pity.' When you mean 'depends on,' use hiragana 「いかん」 or the kanji 「如何」.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

いかんLevel 5Depending On/regardless

Learn This First

The pattern 'いかん' is a formal expression used to indicate that a result depends on a certain condition or circumstance. To understand it, learners should be familiar with how nouns are linked using the particle 'の', the concept of 'depending on' found in 'によって', and the high-level formal register of Japanese.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

いかん