〜わりに: not what you would expect
Four connectors that all explain how two facts relate — only one says "considering".
60% of 116 answers were right — one of the hardest questions in the catalogue.
Choose the form that best fits the blank.
- おかげで
- ばかりに
- ように
- わりに✓ correct
Considering he has lived in Japan for ten years, he can't read many kanji.
What it is testing
Xわりに(は) Y says that Y does not match what X would lead you to expect. Ten years in Japan should mean good kanji, so "can't read many" is a surprise: 住んでいるわりに、漢字があまり読めない.
It can be surprisingly good or surprisingly bad: 安いわりにおいしい (tasty for the price) works just as well. With nouns it takes の: 年のわりに若く見える.
The near misses all link a cause to a result — and here, ten years in Japan is not the cause of poor kanji. That is the test: is the first part a cause, or a reason to expect something?
Connectors that look alike
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜わりに | considering ~ (unexpected) | 安いわりにおいしい |
| 〜のに | even though (often frustrated) | 練習したのに負けた |
| 〜おかげで | thanks to (good result) | 先生のおかげで合格した |
| 〜せいで | because of (bad result) | 雨のせいで中止になった |
| 〜ばかりに | just because (regret) | 一言言ったばかりに怒られた |
Why the wrong answers are tempting
- ✕ おかげで"Thanks to ten years in Japan, he can't read kanji" — it credits a cause, and a good one. Neither fits.
- ✕ ばかりにIt blames one cause for a bad result. Living in Japan did not cause the poor kanji.
- ✕ ようにPurpose or manner ("so that", "like"). Nothing here is a purpose.
More examples
- この店は安いわりに、量が多い。This place gives big portions for how cheap it is.
- 祖父は年のわりに元気だ。My grandfather is energetic for his age.
- たくさん勉強したわりに、点数が悪かった。My score was bad, considering how much I studied.
If the sentence means "considering…" or "for a…", it is わりに.