other N1 uncommon writtenliterary
〜如何（だ） — depends on how ~ is / the nature of ~
〜如何（だ） ・ いかん
Meaning
- the nature/state of ~ / how ~ turns out — a formal noun meaning 'how a thing is', on which an outcome hinges
如何 is a stiff, written noun meaning 'how it is / the state of affairs'. As a predicate it says an outcome rests on the nature of something: 成功は本人の努力如何だ ('success comes down to how hard the person tries'). It is the base for the formal patterns 如何で / 如何によって ('depending on ~') and 如何にかかわらず / 如何を問わず ('regardless of ~'). Bureaucratic and literary in flavour.
Key sentence
計画の成否は、準備の如何にかかっている。
Whether the plan succeeds hinges on the state of the preparation.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (often + の) + 如何 | N（の）+ 如何（だ） | 結果如何 / 事情の如何 |
When: Formal/written — documents, announcements, stiff prose. Names the decisive factor on which something depends.
Examples
返金できるかどうかは、商品の状態如何です。
Whether a refund is possible depends on the condition of the item.
合否の如何にかかわらず、結果は通知します。
Regardless of whether you pass or fail, the result will be communicated.
Easily confused with
〜次第（だ） 次第だ ('it's up to ~') is the everyday-formal 'depends on'; 如何だ is stiffer and more bureaucratic/literary, and uniquely heads the regardless-of patterns (如何にかかわらず). 〜いかんで 如何 is the bare noun ('the state of ~'); いかんで is its で-form connective ('depending on ~, the result varies') leading into a clause.
Notes
- The negative frame 如何にかかわらず / 如何を問わず means 'regardless of ~', overriding the factor rather than depending on it.
See 〜如何（だ） in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜如何（だ） 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.