More Than Expected: 〜わりに

Study 〜わりに as a flexible way to say that the result does not match what would normally be expected.

Use 〜わりに to describe a surprising mismatch between expectation and reality.Recognize how it overlaps with 〜にしては while remaining more conversational in many contexts.Interpret whether the mismatch sounds positive, negative, or neutral from context.

Guided study

Core meaning

〜わりに means “for …” or “considering …” and shows that the result is different from what would normally be expected. The mismatch may be positive, negative, or neutral depending on the sentence.

このかばんは安いわりに丈夫だ。

This bag is durable for how cheap it is.

The result is better than expected for the low price.

彼は忙しいわりには元気そうだ。

He looks energetic for someone who is so busy.

The speaker contrasts heavy busyness with surprising energy.

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