regardless of; irrespective of; independently of
Used after a noun or noun phrase to mean 'without being influenced by' or 'not depending on'. Often interchangeable with にかかわらず, but によらず can sound slightly more formal or written.
See also: による
Anyone can participate regardless of age.
Effort should be appreciated irrespective of whether the results are good or bad.
Similar meaning 'regardless of', but にかかわらず is more common in everyday speech and can follow both nouns and clauses. によらず is slightly more formal and typically follows nouns.
Also means 'regardless of', but を問わず is often used in set phrases like 昼夜を問わず (around the clock). によらず is more neutral and less idiomatic.
Kanji form using 依; rarely used in modern writing.
Kanji form using 拠; rarely used.
Kanji form using 因; rarely used.
Kanji form using 由; rarely used.
Derived from the negative form of による (to depend on, to be based on). The kanji forms 依, 拠, 因, 由 all carry nuances of 'depending on' or 'based on', but the kana form is now standard.