第321課: Opposite: 逆に, 反対に, 反面, & 一方（で）
This lesson will focus on grammar points that indicate that something is the “opposite” of something else.
逆に & 反対に
逆 in its simplest understand is a noun or adjectival noun (with the particle の) that can be translated as “reverse/opposite.” This is especially so when referring to direction, psychology in which it is translated as “converse,” and math in which it is translated as “inversion.”
1. だからこそ指示とは逆のことをした。
That is exactly why I did the opposite of the instructions.
2. 躓いたら、いつもの逆をやってみよう。
If you stumble, do the opposite of what you normally would.
3. 命題の逆とは、命題「ｐ⇒ｑ」において、仮定と結論を入れ替えた「ｑ⇒ｐ」のことです。
The converse of a proposition in which “p⇒q” is “q⇒p,” with the hypothesis and conclusion flipped.
4. 逆の関係では、ある数字が上がると、もう一方の数字が下がります。
In an inverse relationship, when one number goes up, another number goes down.
5. 逆に言うと、7～8割の患者さんは、手術ができる範囲を越えて進行しているため、抗がん剤+放射線治療が優先される。
Conversely speaking, 1 out of 7/8 patients have passed the extent to which surgery can be performed, and so anticancer drugs + radiation treatment are prioritized.
Grammar Note: Note that 逆に is the adverbial form of the word.
6. 寝るためにホワイトノイズを流したのに逆に眠れなくなった。
Even though it played white noise to fall asleep, it conversely made me unable to sleep.
As a noun and adjectival noun (with the particle の or な※) 反対, means “the opposite” as in the essence/reality of things. It can also translate to “dissent/opposition/antagonism.” It can even be used as a する verb to mean “to oppose.”
7. 白の反対は黒である。
The opposite of white is black.
8. 気持ちと反対のことを言う。
To say the opposite thing of what you’re feeling.
9. 賛成なのか、反対なのか、曖昧模糊とした意見だ。
It’s a vague opinion on whether it’s in favor of or against it.
10. 多くの国民は改憲に反対しています。
Many of the nation’s citizens are against reforming the constitution.
There is also a deeper difference between the two. 反対 is appropriate when the correct direction/course of action isn’t actually set in stone, but 逆 can indicate that the direction/course of action is opposite of what they should be.
This allows for 逆 to be incorporated in other compound words with the meaning of “opposite.”
11. 一方通行を逆走してしまった。
I drove down the wrong way down on a one-way street.
12. 逆方面のバスに乗ってください。
Please ride the bus that goes the opposite direction.
13. 逆境を乗り越えよう。
Let’s overcome adversity.
14. 逆効果があるので注意が必要だ。
The opposite effect can happen, so it’s important to take caution.
15. 敵軍を逆襲する。
To counterattack the enemy army.
16. 一部の人からは厳しい店長と真逆の評価もある。
He also has the exact opposite reputation of being a strict store manager from certain people.
When “side/affiliation” is intended by “opposite,” 反対 is used in compounds. Take for example 反対側 (the opposite side), 反対派 (opposition wing), 反対者 (opponent/adversary), etc.
17. もちろん、正反対の性格の人と付き合うのは簡単じゃない。
Of course, dating someone with the exact opposite personality as you is not easy.
18. 独立の投票で反対派が優勢だった。
The opposition was the majority in the vote for independence.
19. 反対勢力に圧力をかける。
To put pressure on the opposition force.
～とは逆に & ～とは反対に
～とは逆に and ～とは反対に are synonymous phrases which indicate that Situation Y is the opposite of one’s expectation (Situation X). The former is more common in the spoken language whereas the latter is more common in the written language. However, there is nothing stopping you from using either in any given situation. It’s just that ～とは反対に has a more serious tone.
20. 几帳面な妹とは反対に俺は大雑把な所があるよ。
Completely opposite of my little sister who is meticulous, I’m sloppy in ways.
21. 結婚とは、熱病とは逆に、発熱で始まり悪寒で終わるって。
They say that marriage is the opposite of fever in that it starts with feeling hot, then ends in chills.
22. 鍼が身体の浅い部分に作用するのとは逆に、灸は身体の深い部分、血液に作用すると言われる。
Opposite to how acupuncture needles affect the body not so deep, moxibustion is said to affect the deepest part of the body, that is one’s blood.
Another difference is that the reality stated by ～とは逆に is typically viewed in a negative light or at the least as an inconvenient, complicated matter, whereas ～とは反対に is a just a firm assertion of being opposite of something else.
23. あの店は食料品が安いのとは【反対に・逆に】、日用品が割と高い。
As for that store, opposite to how food goods are cheap, commodities are fairly expensive.
24. あの店は日用品が高いのとは【反対に 〇・逆に △】、食料品が割と安い。
As for that store, opposite to how commodities are expensive, food goods are fairly cheap.
25. それとは逆に一つの文型がいくつかの意味を表すことがある。
Opposite of that, one grammar pattern may express several meanings.
26. 日本語では「〇」は良いという意味を表し、「ｘ」は悪いという意味を表すが、言語によっては日本語とは逆に「ｘ」が良いという意味を表すことがある。
In Japanese, “〇” indicates that something is “good” and “X” indicates that something is bad, but depending on the language, “X” may express something good, contrary to how it is in Japanese.
27. 現実は、その期待とは反対になってしまった。
Reality ended up being the opposite of my expectations.
～反面 VS ～一方（で）
～反面 and ～一方（で）can both be translated into English as “on the other hand/while” and both are more commonly found in the written language (although not restricted to it). The grammatical differences between the two happen to be subtle but also telling about the contrast being made.
To see how they differ grammatically, we need to step back and view the overall sentence structures that one may find either of them. To do so, let’s use the letters A, B, C, and D. A and C stand for noun constituents and B and D stand for predicates.
These two phrases overlap the most in “AはB 反面・一方（で）+ D.” In this structure, A is the topic and B and D are coexisting yet contradictory situations. As for how D compliments B, in the case of 反面, D is either a not so desirable circumstance or completely unexpected at the least. In the case of 一方(で), two opposite-but-true statements about the topic are juxtaposed together.
Grammar Note: Both ～反面 and～一方（で） follows the 連体形 of predicates. With adjectival nouns, な or である may be used.
28. 水に強い反面、熱に弱い。
While it’s strong against water, it’s weak to heat.
29. セス先生は真剣に生徒を指導しており、短気[な・である]一方（で）包容力がある。
Seth Sensei instructs his students earnestly, and while he might be short-tempered, he is tolerant.
30. 祖父は耳が遠い反面、目と歯はいい。
My grandfather is hard of hearing, although his eyes and teeth are fine.
31. ケイトさんの言うことを信じている反面、疑ってしまう時もある。
Although I believe what Kate says, I also doubt her at times.
32. ケイトさんの言うことを信じている一方で、疑ってしまう時もある。
I do believe what Kate says, but at the same time, I also doubt her at times.
33. スマホは便利な反面、通信料が高く、電池の消耗が激しい。
Although smartphones are useful, data fees are high and battery consumption is intense.
Another difference is that B pertains to static circumstances with 反面, whereas it pertains to dynamic circumstances with 一方（で）. That’s not to say there isn’t any overlap between these two, but that there is a difference between viewing two sides of the same coin being completely different versus pointing out that different stuff is happening to each side. When the static/dynamic nature of B strongly tilts to either being a condition or a motion, 反面一方（で）lose interchangeability.
Particle Note: で is more likely to be used with 一方 when the more prominent the action(s) are in the sentence. Meaning, the more static the sentence, the less likely で is used with 一方, and when the sentence is too static and cannot be perceived dynamically, 一方 itself becomes unnatural.
34. 新発売の抗癌剤は、よくきく【反面 〇・一方 X】、副作用も強いらしい。
Newly released anti-cancer drugs work well, but on the other hand, their side effects are also apparently strong.
35. ケイトさんは、昼間に小さなレストランで働く【反面 X ・一方で 〇】、夜は大学院に通って歴史の研究をしている。
While Kate works at a small restaurant in the day time, at night, she goes to graduate school where she does history research.
36. 日本語を教える一方でカタルーニャ語を習っている。
I teach Japanese, while on the other hand, I study Catalan.
37. ケイトさんは、昼間、OLとして小さな不動産屋に勤める【反面・一方】、夜は、教授として韓国語教育の研究に携わっている。
Kate works as an office lady at a small realtor in the day, and on the other hand at night, she participates in research on Korean language education as a professor.
38. この地方は大陸性気候なので、冬は冬で、毎晩ほど気温が零度未満に下がる反面、夏は夏で、毎日４０度以上にもなる。
This region has continental climate, so winter is winter with the temperature dropped below 0° pretty much every evening, and on the flip side, summer is summer with the temperature rising above 40° every day.
39. あのスーパーは、食料品が安い反面、日用品は高い。
At that supermarket, whereas food items are cheap, commodities are expensive.
In the grammar pattern “AがB一方＋CはD,” A (entity/situation) and C (entity/situation) are being compared and the predicates B and D are not restricted to the non-past. This is due to the fluidity allowed for the dynamic event (or flow of events) that
40. 冬、カナダでは空気が乾燥し、骨身にこたえる冷たい風が吹く一方（で）、アメリカのフロリダ州では、湿った空気がちょっと肌を刺すくらいで、雪が降ることはほとんどない。
In Canada during the winter, the air dries out and the wind that blows is so cold that you feel it to your core, but on the other hand in the state of Florida in the U.S, the moist air cuts your skin a little bit, hardly ever snowing.
41. 今年の冬、カナダでは空気が乾燥し、骨身にこたえる冷たい風が吹いた一方（で）、アメリカのフロリダ州では、湿った空気がちょっと肌を刺すくらいで、雪すら滅多に降らなかった。
This winter in Canada, the air dried out and the wind that blew was so cold that you could feel it in your core, but on the other hand in the state of Florida in the U.S, the moist air cut your skin just a bit, rarely ever snowing.
The pattern “AはB反面CはD” is also possible, but it is more rigid in tone as opposed to the fluidity that can occur with the events being compared with 一方（で）.
42. 私は何でも食べる反面、妹は好き嫌いが多い。
Whereas I eat anything, my younger sister is really picky.
43. 私は何でも食べる一方で、妹は好き嫌いが多い。
I eat just about anything whereas my younger sister is picky.
The fundamental difference between the two is that ～反面 indicates that B is completely contrary to A whereas ～一方(で) indicates that A and B, although different, coincide with each other, and the directionality of the sentence need not be in a negative direction.
一方 as a Noun
Unlike 反面, 一方 can also be used as a noun meaning “one direction/way/side.”
44. ここは工事中で一方通行ですから、道の片側だけを通ってください。
Because it is a one-way here due to construction, please only pass on the other side of the road.
45. 上下の噛み合った歯のどちらかをなくすと、もう【片方 ・一方 】が伸びてきてしまう。
When you lose either tooth that bite together up and down, the other one will end up extending itself.
46. 靴は、【片方・一方】をなくすと、もう【片方・一方】は役に立たなくなる。
As for shoes, when you lose of them, the other one becomes useless.
47. 四面に壁があるが、一方には鉄格子の窓があり、反対側のもう一方には、扉があり、残りの一方には机が、もう一方にはベッドが備え付けてある。
All four sides have a wall; on one of them, there is a window with iron bars, on the other wall directly opposite of this one, there is a door, on the other remaining ones, one has a desk and the other has a bed furnished there.
Synonym Note: Synonyms of this literal version of 一方 include 片方 (one side of a pair), 片側 (own side in a directional pair) , 片面 (own side as in a certain surface). However, only 一方 and 片方 can be used with the adverb もう to get もう一方 (the other one) and もう片方 (the other part of a pair) respectively.
As Sentence/Clause-Initial Conjunctions
It is also important to note that 一方 and 反面 can both start a sentence as conjunctions in the iteration (その)一方(では) and その反面 respectively.
Grammar Note: The presence of その with 一方 is a matter of emphasis and tone. It is more likely to appear at the start of a sentence than in mid-sentence position, but even so, it is possible to start a sentence with just 一方.
48. 田舎暮らしというものは、落ち着きがあるが、その反面、ストレスがなさすぎる。
As for living in the country, while it may be calm, on the other hand, there is a lack of stress.
49. あのスーパーは値段は安いが、その反面、品質が良くない。
That supermarket may be cheap, but on the other hand, the quality is not good.
50. テイラー君は仕事ですが、一方で私は家にいます。
Taylor is at work, meanwhile I am at home.
51. 犠牲者の氏名や年齢などの公開を望まない遺族がいる。その一方では、「犠牲者を忘れないでほしい」という遺族も大勢いる。
There are family members of the deceased who do not wish for their lost loved ones names or age to be released. On the other hand, there are also many such family members who “wish for the victims to not be forgotten.”
52. 一方（で）、国際社会の足並みは揃っていません。
Meanwhile, the international community is not keeping step with one another.
It is also possible to see “A一方ではB他方ではD” when detailing different aspects of the same thing. In this case, 他方 is very similar to 一方, but it can only compare two aspects. When there are several sides/aspects being compared, 一方（では) is used.
Grammar Note: If there are only two aspects being compared, 他方 is interchangeable with 一方, but it is far less common in the spoken language.
Grammar Note: その appears to place emphasis a certain “hand” (aspect), which prevents it from being naturally used with this pattern. If either is used in isolation of the other, then その can be used naturally.
53. 田舎暮らしというものは、一方では落ち着きがあるが、他方ではストレスがなさすぎる。
As for living in the country, on one hand, it’s calm, and on the other hand, there is too little stress.
54. 切符の値段は高いが、【一方・他方】ガソリンの値段も高い。
Although ticket prices are expensive, conversely, gasoline prices are also high.
55. 一方ではやり直したい気持ちが（あり）、他方ではその問題から逃げたい気持ちがある。
On the one hand, I feel like I want to start over, but another part of me wants to run away from that problem.
56. 言語法の問題は難しい。一方では、ロシアはウクライナが公的な場で国民の母語(ロシア語)を話すのを禁じたことを非難している。他方では、ロシアはトルキスタンが同じようなことをしたのは無視している。
Problems over laws on language use are difficult. On the one hand, Russia is criticizing how Ukraine has banned its citizens from speaking in their native language (Russian) in public settings, but on the other hand, Russia is ignoring how Turkmenistan has done the same thing.
57. 本市における市立幼稚園においては、質の高い教育が実施されているという環境があると認識してございます。その他方では、〇〇幼稚園では、園児数が減少し、来年度は１名の在園という状況でございます。
We are of the understanding that we have the environment for high-level education to be executed in our city’s public preschools. On the other hand, at ### Preschool, the number of students has dropped, and next year, there will only be student attending.
It’s also possible for 一方の and 他方の to modify nouns. The fundamental difference
58. 一方の人は徐々に年を取り、他方の人は急に老けたようになる。
Some people gradually age and others suddenly look old.
Verb ＋～一方だ
Also sometimes after nouns in “N + ～一方だ,” seeing ～一方だ at the end of a sentence indicates a one-way trend.
59. 店舗の売上は減る一方だった。
The store’s revenue kept declining.
60. 生活費は上がる一方だ。
Living expenses keep rising.
61. 事態は悪くなる一方だ。
The situation keeps getting worse.
62. 今ではマスクの価格は下落の一方だ。
Nowadays, the price of masks is on the decline.