ようと～まいと / ようが～まいが

The structure ようと～まいと (and its variant ようが～まいが) expresses "whether someone does something or not" or "regardless of whether something happens or not." It conveys a strong sense that the outcome or the speaker's attitude will not change either way.

This is a formal, emphatic expression typically found in written language, speeches, and strong declarations. It combines the volitional form (よう) with the negative volitional form (まい), connected by と or が.

Formation

The same verb appears twice – once in the volitional form and once with まい:

• V[volitional] + と + V[dictionary/ます-stem] + まいと
• V[volitional] + が + V[dictionary/ます-stem] + まいが

For る-verbs: たべよう食べよう + と + たべ食べ + まいと For う-verbs: いこう行こう + と + いく行く + まいと (or いき行きまいと) For する: しよう + と + するまいと (or しまいと) For 来る: こよう来よう + と + くる来るまいと (or き来まいと)

と vs. が

Both ～ようと～まいと and ～ようが～まいが carry the same meaning. The が version can sound slightly more emphatic or adversarial, but in practice they are largely interchangeable.

Nuance

This pattern strongly emphasizes that the speaker's decision, judgment, or the result is completely unaffected by the stated condition. It often carries a tone of determination or indifference.

Related patterns

• ～ても～なくても is a more neutral and conversational way to express "whether or not."

• ～にかかわらず also means "regardless of" but is used with nouns or noun phrases.