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Version française

For, considering: 〜わりに(は)

plain form (な-adj + な / noun + の) + わりに

plain form (な-adj + な / noun + の) + わりに: “for, considering”, a gap between a degree and the expected result (値段のわりにおいしい).

In short

〜わりに (割に) points out a mismatch between a level and what you might have expected from it: “for…, considering…, and yet”. 値段のわりにおいしい: “it's good for the price”. 勉強したわりに点が悪い: “despite revising, I got a bad mark”.

  • この店は、値段のわりにおいしい。このみせは、ねだんのわりにおいしい。This restaurant is good for the price.
  • 祖父は年のわりに元気だ。そふはとしのわりにげんきだ。My grandfather is in good shape for his age.
  • よく食べるわりに、彼は太らない。よくたべるわりに、かれはふとらない。He eats a lot, and yet he doesn't put on weight.

The basics

割 (わり) suggests a proportion, a ratio. So 〜わりに measures one thing against another: given the price, given the age, given the effort put in… the result is higher or lower than usual — just like English “for its price”, “for his age”.

It's the ideal tool for judging value for money, how someone looks for their age, or a result compared with the effort.

The sentence, piece by piece
この店はthis restaurant (topic)
値段のof the price
わりにfor, considering
おいしいis good

This restaurant is good for the price.

  • noun
  • grammatical form
  • adjective
  • このコートは、暖かいわりに軽い。このこーとは、あたたかいわりにかるい。This coat is light for one that's so warm.

How to form it

わりに behaves like a noun: verbs and い-adjectives in the plain form, な-adjectives with な, nouns with の. は is often added (わりには) to stress the contrast.

TypeFormExample
verbplain form + わりに勉強したわりに
い-adjective〜い + わりに高いわりに
な-adjective〜な + わりに有名なわりに
nounNoun + の + わりに年のわりに
  • 有名なわりには、客が少ない。ゆうめいなわりには、きゃくがすくない。For such a well-known place, there aren't many customers.
  • あまり練習しなかったわりに、試合に勝てた。あまりれんしゅうしなかったわりに、しあいにかてた。I hadn't trained much, and yet I won the match.

わりに, にしては, のに

にしては attaches to a specific fact or category (子どもにしては), わりに rather to a degree or a quantity (値段, 年, 大きさ). Both express a gap with expectations. 〜のに (N4) adds reproach, disappointment or frustration: 勉強したのに落ちた, “I revised and I still failed (it's not fair!)”.

Without a complement, わりと / わりに is a simple adverb: “fairly, rather” (わりと簡単だった).

  • あんなに勉強したのに、落ちてしまった。あんなにべんきょうしたのに、おちてしまった。I revised so hard, and I still failed!
  • 今日のテストは、わりと易しかった。きょうのてすとは、わりとやさしかった。Today's test was fairly easy.

Common mistakes

  • Forgetting の after a noun: 値段のわりに, not “値段わりに”.
  • Forgetting the な of な-adjectives: 有名なわりに.
  • Confusing わりに + complement (for, considering) with わりと / わりに on its own (rather, fairly).

7 exercises on this point

Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N3 point is on the Kintetsu Kyōto Line (Competition and danger) of the Kyoto lines.