connective N1 uncommon politewritten
〜だろうが／だろうと — whether ~ or not / no matter ~
〜だろうが／だろうと ・ だろうが／だろうと
Builds on だろう
Meaning
- whether it's ~ (or not) / no matter ~ — concedes that a noun or state could be anything, then states what holds regardless
Key sentence
相手が誰だろうと、態度は変えない。
No matter who the opponent is, I won't change how I act.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun / な-adjective stem | N + だろうが or だろうと; pair two with AだろうがBだろうが; 疑問詞 (誰・何・どこ) + だろうと | 大人だろうが子どもだろうが / 何だろうと |
When: Emphatic; だろうと is a touch more formal/written than だろうが, but the two are interchangeable.
Examples
大人だろうが子どもだろうが、ルールは同じだ。
Adult or child, the rules are the same.
理由が何だろうと、遅刻は遅刻だ。
Whatever the reason, late is late.
晴れだろうが雨だろうが、毎朝走る。
Rain or shine, I run every morning.
When you can't use it
- With a verb, use the volitional form (V-(よ)う + が/と), not だろうが: 何と言おうが ◯, 言うだろうが ✗. だろうが/だろうと attaches to nouns and na-adjectives.
Easily confused with
〜であれ であれ is the formal/written twin of だろうと (誰であれ ≈ 誰だろうと); だろうが/だろうと is colloquial-to-neutral. 〜ようが〜まいが だろうが concedes that a noun/state could be anything; ようがまいが pairs a verb's affirmative and negative ('do it or not'). Different attachment, same 'regardless' logic. 〜ても ても is the everyday 'even if'; だろうが/だろうと is the emphatic 'no matter what it is', usually sweeping a question word or a paired list.
See 〜だろうが／だろうと in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜だろうが／だろうと the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar. Editorial confidence: medium.