JLPT N3 grammar

〜割にmeaning and usage

Meaning

Considering A, B (unexpected)

This point is also listed at N2.

How to form it

  • verb (plain form)/い-adjective割に（は）
  • な-adjective (stem)な割に（は）
  • nounの割に（は）

How it is used

'Considering A, (unexpectedly) B': the result doesn't match what A would suggest, for better or worse. Close to 「にしては」, but 「割に」 can follow い-adjectives and often follows nouns of degree like 「値段」 or 「年齢」.

Examples

  1. お金がない割には意外と服装が派手だ。

    For someone with no money, your clothes are surprisingly flashy.

  2. この店は、値段の割においしい。

    For the price, the food here is pretty good.

  3. たくさん勉強した割には、点数がよくなかった。

    Considering how much I studied, my score wasn't great.