N3 · Expressions (N3)
わりに and にしては: for, considering
a result that does not match what one would expect
わりに(は) and にしては say "considering": the result is better or worse than the starting point would lead you to expect.
At a glance
- Remember
- わりに weighs one degree against another; にしては measures against a category, with surprise.
- Form
- 値段のわりにいいgood for the price
- Signal words
- 〜わりに
- 〜わりには
- 〜のわりに
- 〜にしては
- Trap
- Wrong:初心者にとって上手だ。Right:初心者にしては上手だ。
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Japanese.
| good for the price | 値段のわりにいい |
| cheap, yet good | 安いわりにおいしい |
| young for his age | 年のわりに若い |
| studied hard, yet … | 勉強したわりに |
| good for a beginner | 初心者にしては上手 |
| for a weekday | 平日にしては |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
わりに: the result is out of proportion to the first half.
この部屋は広いわりに家賃が安い。This flat is cheap for its size.
A noun takes の, a na-adjective な before わりに.
祖父は年のわりに元気だ。My grandfather is very fit for his age.
にしては: for a …, considering it is … — with surprise.
初めてにしては、よくできました。For a first attempt, that was very good.
Neither is a neutral "for"; for a standpoint use にとって.
私にとって、この問題は難しい。For me, this question is hard.
Example sentences
彼はよく食べるわりに太らない。He eats a lot, but he does not put on weight.
この映画は評判のわりにつまらなかった。For all its reputation, this film was boring.
一生懸命勉強したわりには、点が悪かった。Considering how hard I studied, my marks were poor.
十二月にしては暖かい日だ。It is a warm day for December.
外国人にしては、漢字をよく知っている。He knows a lot of kanji for a foreigner.
子どもにしては、しっかりした意見だ。That is a well-founded opinion for a child.
7 more example sentences
値段が高いわりに、品質はよくない。For the price, the quality is not good.
彼女は細いわりに力がある。She is strong for someone so slim.
練習したわりには、うまくいかなかった。Considering how much I practised, it did not go well.
平日にしては、人が多い。There are a lot of people for a weekday.
三歳にしては、言葉をよく知っている。She knows a lot of words for a three-year-old.
日本に来たばかりにしては、日本語が上手だ。His Japanese is good for someone who has only just arrived.
この店は駅前のわりに静かだ。This café is quiet for somewhere right by the station.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English "good for a beginner" uses the same "for" as "hard for me", and learners reach for にとって. But にとって gives a point of view — "from a beginner's standpoint" — and that is not what is meant. Being better than one would expect of a beginner is にしては.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
割 is "proportion", and わりに(は) says that something is out of proportion to what one would expect from the first half: この店は安いわりにおいしい, "this place is good for the price — better than you would expect from how cheap it is". It attaches like a noun: after the plain form, after a na-adjective with な, after a noun with の (年のわりに).
にしては follows a noun or a plain verb and means "for a …", "considering it is …": 初心者にしては上手だ, "he is good for a beginner". It takes a fact that sets an expectation and reports that the result is surprising against it.
The difference between the two is subtle. わりに compares a degree — price, age, effort, size — with another degree, and the first half is often an adjective. にしては takes a category or a situation as its yardstick, and its first half is a noun or a statement of fact: 日本に来たばかりにしては、よく話せる.
English "for" covers this and much else, and learners use として or にとって. としては can judge something against its category too, but it is neutral; にしては carries surprise, which makes it the natural choice for "surprisingly good for a beginner".
A closer look
としては, にしては, わりに
としては judges something as a member of a category and is neutral: 初心者としては十分だ, "for a beginner it is enough". にしては uses the category as a yardstick and adds surprise: 初心者にしては上手すぎる, "too good for a beginner — is he really one?".
わりに compares two degrees: effort and result, price and quality, age and energy. Asked "how good is it, given X?", わりに answers when X is an amount, and にしては when X is what the thing or person is.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
-
わりに stands alone as an adverb
it means "fairly, relatively": わりにおいしい, "pretty good".
今日のテストはわりと簡単だった。Today's test was fairly easy.
The comparison is still there, but with an unspoken yardstick — better than one might have thought. The spoken form わりと means the same.
Worth knowing (1)
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Good or bad, either way
Both patterns work in either direction: the result may be better than expected (安いわりにおいしい) or worse (高いわりにまずい). What they always say is that it does not match.
有名な店にしては、サービスがよくなかった。For such a famous restaurant, the service was not good.
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