connective N2 common casualpolitewritten
逆に — conversely / on the contrary / the other way around
逆に ・ ぎゃくに
Meaning
- conversely / on the contrary / the other way around — flips to the opposite of what was just said or expected
Key sentence
薬を飲んだのに、逆に具合が悪くなった。
I took the medicine, but instead I felt worse.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| adverb; sentence-initial or mid-sentence, before the reversed statement | (…)、逆に [opposite outcome / view] | 怒るどころか逆に褒められた |
Examples
急ごうとすると、逆に時間がかかることもある。
When you try to rush, sometimes it takes longer instead.
私はこう思うけど、逆にあなたはどう？
This is what I think — conversely, what about you?
When you can't use it
- 逆に reverses the direction of the prior statement; it needs a genuine opposite (better↔worse, more↔less, A's view↔B's view). It is not a generic 'and' or topic-shift.
Easily confused with
かえって Very close. かえって stresses that the result is the opposite of, and contrary to, what you intended (usually a worse outcome); 逆に is broader and more neutral — it can simply present the flip side or the other party's view. むしろ むしろ picks the better-fitting of two options ('rather, if anything'); 逆に asserts the actual reverse ('the opposite happened / the opposite is true').
Notes
- In casual speech 逆に has spread as a filler meaning 'actually / if anything', even when no strict opposite is involved.
See 逆に in real sentences
Jengo shows 逆に the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.