Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 7: 16/21

(わり)Although, Despite, Rather...for, Unexpectedly, Comparatively, Considering

Structure

Verb + わりに
[い]Adjective + わりに
[な]Adjective + + わりに
Noun + + わりに

Details

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About 割に

As an adverb, (わり) is usually used in a similar way to 'although', 'despite', or 'comparatively' in English.

(わり) may be used at the beginning of a sentence, or after any word/phrase that it is highlighting as being 'comparative'. When following な-Adjectives or nouns, な or の will be required.

(わり) itself is a noun meaning 'proportionate', and is primarily used as a suffix. (わり) may be thought of as a direct extension of this use, as 'proportionately' is its closest literal meaning.

Fun Fact

While (わり) is often thought to make comparisons between things, it actually only ever compares something to itself (or things within the same category). The 'proportion' that is then highlighted is something that is not common within the category of (A).

Caution

Both (わり)と and (わり) are quite common expressions. However, (わり)と is used far more often in casual speech to show that something is 'unexpectedly (A)'. It will also frequently be used as a stand-alone expression, appearing directly before the word (usually an adjective) that is of a 'considerable' amount.



Misc.

Examples

--:--

    今日(きょう)(ふゆ)(わり)(あたた)かい。

    Today is rather warm for winter.

    (たか)()(もの)(わり)美味(おい)しくなさそう。

    The expensive food looks unexpectedly unappetizing.

    (わたし)はたくさん勉強(べんきょう)した(わり)、テストの点数(てんすう)(わる)かった。

    Although I studied a lot, I got a bad score on the test.

    あの(ひと)(あたま)()(わり)、コミュニケーションが苦手(にがて)です。

    Although that person is smart, he is bad at communication.

    (つか)れている(わり)は、かなり(うご)けた(ほう)だと(おも)います。

    I think he is quite active for how tired he is.

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割に – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (7 in total)

  • BreadmanNin

    BreadmanNin

    In both the explanation sentences and the example sentences, 割に is sometimes followed by は, and sometimes it is not. But I can’t figure out when は is necessary and what function it has. Does anybody know?

  • Asher

    Asher

    @779 Sorry about the very late reply! I hope this answer still helps. When comparing to のに, わりに is different in the fact that it is making a qualitative or quantitative judgement about what precedes it, and will then be followed by a statement that expresses how the actual situation doesn’t meet that expectation. Basically 'The degree of (A) doesn’t match up with (B). のに can also have that nuance but doesn’t quite push the emphasis on the expectation of (A) like わりに does.

    @BreadmanNin は is more of a nuance thing rather than something that is ‘necessary’. None of the examples strictly need it. When は is included, it even further emphasizes that the opening statement is a situation within which (B) is unexpected.

  • BreadmanNin

    BreadmanNin

    Thank you for the very helpful and concise answer!

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