のに Despite, Although, Even though

Although のに is often thought of as a simple combination of the particles の and に, it is actually its own particle, with the meaning of 'despite', or 'in order to'. In this lesson, we will focus primarily on the 'despite' nuance.

Due to のに being a conjunction particle, it can be linked to almost any word type, to show that 'despite (A), (B)'. As with many conjunction particles, な will be required after a noun/な-Adjective, but before のに.

It is also possible to see だのに, instead of なのに, but this is something that is only seen in certain dialects, and would be considered incorrect by the vast majority of native speakers.

Fun Fact

Regardless of having two quite different translations ('despite', and 'in order to'), のに always functions in the same way.

In the situation of '(A) のに, (B)', (B) is/will be the result.

The only difference between how the nuance will be read, is whether the (B) statement is a logical conclusion, or an illogical one. When logical, the meaning is usually 'in order to', when 'illogical', the meaning is usually 'despite'.