For / Despite Expectations: 〜にしては

Use 〜にしては to express that something is surprising when judged against a standard, category, or expectation.

Understand how 〜にしては compares reality with an expected standard.Use the pattern with nouns and other bases to express mild surprise.Read evaluative sentences where the writer comments on what is unusual for that category.

Guided study

Core meaning

〜にしては means “for …” or “considering …” and is used when the result feels unexpected relative to a standard. The speaker has some expectation about A, and B does not fully match that expectation.

初めてにしては、よくできました。

For a first try, you did very well.

The result is better than expected for a first attempt.

この店は駅前にしては静かだ。

For a place in front of a station, this shop is quiet.

The shop is quieter than one would expect for a station-front location.

Practice guides for this lesson

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For / Despite Expectations: 〜にしては

Core meaning

Practice guides for this lesson

N3 Japanese grammar lessons

Japanese grammar practice

Japanese grammar lessons