connective N1 uncommon politewritten
〜にひきかえ — in contrast to ~
〜にひきかえ ・ にひきかえ
Builds on に
Meaning
- in contrast to / unlike ~ — sharply contrasts two different things, with the speaker's subjective, often evaluative, comparison
Key sentence
兄は社交的だ。それにひきかえ、弟は内気だ。
The older brother is sociable; in contrast, the younger one is shy.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (+ の); （それ）にひきかえ as a connector | N(の) + にひきかえ |
Examples
去年の不調にひきかえ、今年は絶好調だ。
Unlike last year's slump, this year things are going superbly.
兄の真面目さにひきかえ、弟は遊んでばかりだ。
In contrast to the older brother's diligence, the younger does nothing but play.
Easily confused with
に対して に対して contrasts two things neutrally and objectively. にひきかえ adds the speaker's subjective evaluation, comparing one favourably or unfavourably against the other. 反面 反面 gives two sides of the *same* thing. にひきかえ contrasts two *different* things. に比べて に比べて compares by degree on a shared scale. にひきかえ sets up an opposing pair with emotional colour.
Notes
- Subjective and evaluative — not for neutral data comparison.
See 〜にひきかえ in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜にひきかえ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo