JLPT N2 grammar

却ってmeaning and usage

Meaning

  1. A, on the contrary, B
  2. A is rather B / Conversely, A is B

How to form it

  • かえってclause

How it is used

Doing A brings the opposite of the expected result: 'instead', 'if anything', as in 「急いだら、かえって時間がかかった」. Usually written in hiragana. 「むしろ」 is a comparison; 「かえって」 stresses that the result went against expectations.

Examples

  1. ダイエットをしすぎると、却って老けてしまう人もいる。

    Some people who diet too much end up looking older instead.

  2. タクシーで行ったら、道が混んでいて、かえって遅くなった。

    I took a taxi, but the roads were jammed, so I was even later.

  3. 親切のつもりで言ったことが、かえって彼女を傷つけてしまった。

    What I said to be kind ended up hurting her instead.