9649
According to ALC
[ともあれ](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%E3%81%A8%E3%82%82%E3%81%82%E3%82%8C%22%E3%81%A8%E3%82%82%E3%81%82%E3%82%8C%22)
[とかく](http://eow.alc.co.jp/search?q=%e3%81%a8%e3%81%8b%e3%81%8f) they look
pretty similar and express "anyway, anyhow". I came across the following
excercise where you need to choose between those two:

> 結果はどうかわからないが **ともあれ・ともすれば・とかく・なお** 試験は終わった。

Apparently the right answer is ともあれ
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-30T10:11:46.433
8273
2012-12-02T02:50:45.043
399
question
words word-choice
Difference between ともあれ and とかく
You are probably confusing とかく and とにかく. ともあれ and とにかくare in fact quite close
in their meaning. They are both used to carry the conversation forward, like
below:

```

    結果はどうかわからないが、ともあれ試験は終わった
    結果はどうかわからないが、とにかく試験は終わった
    
```

Both roughly mean "I don't know what the results will be, but the exam itself
has finished". Both imply that the speaker had underwent some hassle, but that
that hassle has now finished. Another examples:

```

    渋滞で大変だったが、ともあれ首都圏からは出た
    渋滞で大変だったが、とにかく首都圏からは出た
    
```

とかく is quite different though and means that something has a strong
(excessive) tendency to do something. For example,

```

    アメリカ人はとかく炭酸飲料を飲む
    あの子はとかく悲観的になりやすい
    
```
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-02T02:50:45.043
9649
2012-12-02T02:50:45.043
499
8273
answer