〜もかまわず: 'Without Worrying About...' (Meaning + Examples)
Ignoring a circumstance
〜もかまわず says the subject acted without letting some circumstance stop them — often something that would make a typical person pause, like bad weather, danger, or how they look to others.
やったんは雨に濡れるのもかまわず、外で遊び続けた。
やったんは あめに ぬれるのも かまわず、そとで あそびつづけた。
Yattan kept playing outside, not caring that he was getting soaked in the rain.
のもかまわず attaches to a verb via の, treating the whole clause as the thing 'not minded.'
モチは周りの目もかまわず、大声で名前を呼んだ。
モチは まわりの めも かまわず、おおごえで なまえを よんだ。
Mochi called out the name loudly, not caring about the people watching.
彼は危険もかまわず、川に飛び込んで子供を助けた。
かれは きけんも かまわず、かわに とびこんで こどもを たすけた。
He jumped into the river and saved the child, heedless of the danger.
Attaching to a noun or clause
〜もかまわず attaches directly to a noun, or to a verb/clause via の, replacing what would normally be を or に with も before かまわず.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | 名詞＋もかまわず | 危険もかまわず (heedless of danger) |
| Verb clause | 動詞辞書形＋のもかまわず | 濡れるのもかまわず (not minding getting wet) |
先生は生徒たちの反対もかまわず、規則を変えた。
せんせいは せいとたちの はんたいも かまわず、きそくを かえた。
The teacher changed the rule regardless of the students' objections.
A formal, slightly literary register — common in news and narrative writing.
Don't confuse with 〜にもかかわらず
〜にもかかわらず means "despite X / even though X" and connects two clauses where the second is unexpected given the first: 雨にもかかわらず、試合は行われた ("despite the rain, the match went ahead"). 〜もかまわず instead describes someone's own attitude of not caring about a circumstance while doing something themselves — it's about disregard, not just an unexpected contrast. 雨にもかかわらず describes an outside fact; 雨もかまわず describes a person's choice to ignore the rain.
The short version
- 〜もかまわず = "without caring about [X] / regardless of [X]" — ignoring a circumstance.
- Attaches to: noun + もかまわず, or verb (dictionary form) + の + もかまわず.
- Nuance/register: somewhat literary/formal; describes disregard, often admirable or reckless.
- Don't confuse with: 〜にもかかわらず, which contrasts two facts ("despite X"), not a person's disregard.
Practice it
Choose もかまわず when the subject acts while disregarding some circumstance.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
服が濡れる＿＿＿、彼は雨の中を走り続けた。
Where 〜もかまわず fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜ずに · N3 — 〜ずに means doing one thing without doing another: 食べずに ('without eating'). Learn the formation, the irregular せずに, and how it differs from 〜ないで and 〜なくて.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ものか — 〜ものか turns a plain verb or adjective into a defiant rhetorical question meaning 'as if I would!' or 'no way!' — a strong, emotional refusal, not a real question.
- 〜ものの — 〜ものの is a formal conjunction meaning 'although / even though' — it admits one fact, then pivots to a contradicting reality, as in パーティーに行くことにしたものの、気が進まない.
- もっとも — もっとも placed before an adjective marks the superlative — 'the most': 日本でもっとも広い干潟 ('Japan's widest tidal flat'). The same word can also open a sentence as a conjunction meaning 'that said, however.'
- もう少しで〜ところだった — もう少しで pairs with 〜ところだった to mean 'almost / nearly' happened but didn't: もう少しで電車に乗り遅れるところだった ('I nearly missed the train'). Marks a close call that was narrowly avoided.
- むしろ — むしろ is an adverb meaning 'rather / instead / on the contrary' — it rejects one option and points to a better or more accurate one, often paired with よりも or くらいなら for contrast.
- 〜なお — なお is a formal sentence-initial adverb meaning 'furthermore' or 'additionally' — it tacks on a supplementary note or caveat to what was just said, common in notices and business writing.