Grammar › Concession & Contrast
にひきかえ — “in contrast to, whereas”
Sets up a sharp, often surprising contrast between two closely related subjects
Noun + にひきかえ sets up a stark contrast between two subjects that would naturally be compared — siblings, two years, two versions of the same event — “in (sharp) contrast to X, …”. It reads as more literary and pointed than plain 一方で, often carrying a note of surprise at how different the two turned out.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Noun + にひきかえ | 兄の陽気さにひきかえ、弟はおとなしい — In contrast to his cheerful older brother, the younger one is quiet |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 去年の不作にひきかえ、今年は豊作だった。 | きょねんのふさくにひきかえ、ことしはほうさくだった。 kyonennofusakunihikikae、kotoshihahousakudatta。 | In contrast to last year's poor harvest, this year was bountiful. |
| 姉の慎重さにひきかえ、妹は大胆だ。 | あねのしんちょうさにひきかえ、いもうとはだいたんだ。 anenoshinchousanihikikae、imoutohadaitanda。 | In contrast to her cautious older sister, the younger one is bold. |
| 期待にひきかえ、結果はさんざんなものだった。 | きたいにひきかえ、けっかはさんざんなものだった。 kitainihikikae、kekkahasanzannamonodatta。 | In contrast to expectations, the results were disastrous. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
にひきかえ needs two genuinely comparable subjects (two siblings, two years, expectation vs. reality) — it reads oddly applied to two completely unrelated topics with nothing in common to contrast.