〜をよそに: 'Disregarding/Despite' (Meaning + Examples)
Acting as if a concern belongs to someone else
〜をよそに follows a noun describing someone's worry, expectation, or a surrounding commotion, and means the subject continues on paying it no mind. The contrast between the noun (concern) and the main clause (unaffected action) is the whole point of the sentence.
親の心配をよそに、彼は遊び続けた。
おやの しんぱいを よそに、かれは あそびつづけた。
Ignoring his parents' worry, he kept on playing.
親の心配 (their concern) vs. 遊び続けた (his unaffected behavior).
周囲の期待をよそに、チームは初戦で敗退した。
しゅういの きたいを よそに、ちーむは しょせんで はいたいした。
Despite everyone's expectations, the team lost in the first round.
やったんは試験前だという周りの心配をよそに、もちとのんびり昼寝をしていた。
やったんは しけんまえだという まわりの しんぱいを よそに、もちと のんびり ひるねを していた。
Ignoring everyone's concern that exams were near, Yattan napped lazily with Mochi.
Original example: friends' worry vs. Yattan's carefree nap.
Form: Noun + をよそに
The noun before をよそに is typically an emotion, expectation, or ongoing situation — 心配 (worry), 期待 (expectations), 反対 (opposition), 騒ぎ (commotion).
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (concern/situation) | N + をよそに | 周囲の反対をよそに = disregarding opposition from those around |
| Noun | N + をよそに | 世間の騒ぎをよそに = ignoring the public uproar |
外の騒ぎをよそに、彼女はぐっすり眠っていた。
そとの さわぎを よそに、かのじょは ぐっすり ねむっていた。
Ignoring the commotion outside, she was sleeping soundly.
Not the same as 〜にもかかわらず
Both can translate as "despite," but they differ in stance. 〜にもかかわらず states a contrast neutrally or with surprise ("despite the rain, we went out"). 〜をよそに specifically frames the subject as ignoring something they should logically be affected by — a person's worry, hopes, or a nearby event — which is why it reads as more pointed, and often mildly critical.
The short version
- 〜をよそに = "disregarding / despite (someone's concern or a situation)."
- Attaches to: Noun (concern, expectation, commotion) + をよそに.
- Nuance/register: formal, written; often carries mild criticism or highlights a striking contrast.
- Don't confuse with: 〜にもかかわらず, a more neutral "despite" without the implication of ignoring something.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of 〜をよそに to show someone acting without regard for a concern.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
親の心配＿＿＿、彼は遊び続けた。
Where 〜をよそに fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Conditional 〜たら · N4 — 〜たら is Japanese's most flexible conditional: just add ら to the plain past. Learn the formation, the 'if/when' meaning, the discovery use, and how it beats ば/と for requests.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
More N1 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜や否や — 〜や否や means 'the moment that / no sooner than' — a second event follows the first with zero gap. Formal written Japanese used for dramatic, immediate sequences of action.
- 〜ゆえに — 〜ゆえに is a formal, literary expression meaning 'therefore' or 'because of' — it attaches to nouns and adjectives (often with が or の) to state a reason in written, academic, or classical-sounding Japanese.
- 〜ざる — 〜ざる is the classical attributive negative form (from ず), fossilized today in formal set phrases like ざるを得ない ('cannot help but'), ざる事情 ('unavoidable circumstances'), and ざるべからず ('must not fail to').
- 〜ずくめ — 〜ずくめ attaches to a noun to mean 'nothing but / entirely' — describing a situation, outfit, or run of events made up of one single thing, color, or quality with no exceptions, often positive (いいことずくめ) or visually total (黒ずくめ).
- 〜を控えて — 〜を控えて means 'with (an event) coming up soon,' marking an upcoming occasion — an exam, wedding, or election — that explains why someone is busy or acting a certain way now.
- 〜をもって — 〜をもって is a formal written expression meaning 'by means of X' or, with a time noun, 'as of / effective X' — standard in official announcements, contracts, ceremonies, and business closing notices.