Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 6: 3/20

反面(はんめん)While, On the other hand, Although, However, On the flip side

Structure

Verb + 反面(はんめん)
［い］Adjective + 反面(はんめん)
［な］Adjective + な(1) + 反面(はんめん)
Noun + である + 反面(はんめん)
Phrase + が + （、）+ 反面(はんめん)

(1) である

Details

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About 反面

反面(はんめん), a noun meaning 'the opposing side', is a construction in Japanese that appears between two phrases, to show two contrasting or opposite features of a single person or thing. This usually translates as 'while (A), (B)', 'although (A), also (B)', 'on the other hand to (A), (B)'.

Being a noun, 反面(はんめん), can be used after any word that could create a modified noun, such as verbs, い-Adjectives, な-Adjectives, or even other nouns followed by である.

Caution

Because 反面(はんめん) is used to express contradictions, it will most often describe a positive and a negative, but cannot describe a positive and another positive, or a negative and another negative.

  • あのパティシエが作(つく)るお菓子(おかし)はとても美味(おい)しそうに見(み)える反面(はんめん)、食(た)べてみると味(あじ)はいまいちだそうだ。
    While the pastries made by that pastry chef look very tasty, the taste is not so good when you try them. (Natural Japanese)
  • あのパティシエが作(つく)るお菓子(かし)はとても美味(おい)しそうに見(み)える反面(はんめん)、とても美味(おい)しいそうだ。
    While the pastries made by that pastry chef look very tasty, apparently, they taste very good. (Unnatural Japanese)

Examples

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    商品(しょうひん)が豪華(ごうか)である反面(はんめん)、参加(さんか)費(ひ)が高額(こうがく)だ。

    While the products may be luxurious, the participation fee is high.

    彼(かれ)は慎重(しんちょう)な反面(はんめん)、消極(しょうきょく)的(てき)なところがあります。

    On the other hand to him being deliberate, he has a conservative side.

    一人暮(ひとりぐ)らしは楽(たの)しい反面(はんめん)、自分(じぶん)で料理(りょうり)したり掃除(そうじ)したりする必要(ひつよう)もある。

    While living alone is fun, it is also necessary for you to do all the cooking, cleaning, and the like.

    厳(きび)しいトレーニングを積(つ)むと筋力(きんりょく)はつく反面(はんめん)、風邪(かぜ)をひきやすくなるらしい。

    Relentlessly training builds physical strength, on the other hand, I seem to become more susceptible to catching a cold.

    消防署(しょうぼうしょ)が近(ちか)くにあると安心(あんしん)できる反面(はんめん)、夜中(やちゅう)にサイレンがなるから大変(たいへん)だ。

    Being close to the fire station gives a sense of safety, on the other hand, since sirens go off in the middle of the night, it can be troublesome.

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