〜に反して — JLPT N2 Grammar

Pattern

Noun + に反して Noun + に反した + Noun (attributive form) Noun + に反し (more formal / written variant)

The noun before に反して typically refers to an expectation, wish, prediction, rule, order, or agreement — something that has been violated or gone against.

Formality

Formal / Written. This pattern appears frequently in newspapers, formal essays, and official statements. It can be used in formal speech, but sounds stiff in casual conversation.

Meaning

Contrary to ~; against ~; in violation of ~

〜に反して expresses that a result, action, or situation is the opposite of or goes against a particular expectation, wish, rule, or order. There is always a sense of contrast — what was expected or hoped for did not happen; instead, something contrary occurred.

Explanation

〜に反して attaches to nouns that represent established expectations, decisions, standards, or wishes. The pattern signals that what actually happened was the opposite of or contrary to that noun. This makes it particularly common with nouns such as 期待 (expectation), 予想 (prediction), 意志 (intention/will), 意向 (wishes), 命令 (order), 規則 (rule), and 約束 (promise).

The pattern is inherently contrastive. It does not just mean "different from" — it implies that there was some expectation or standard that has been violated or contradicted. This is why it cannot be used with neutral comparisons (you cannot say 昨日に反して今日は晴れた to mean "unlike yesterday, today is sunny" — that would use とは違って or に比べて instead).

The attributive form に反した precedes nouns directly: 期待に反した結果 (a result contrary to expectations). The abbreviated form に反し is found in formal writing and official documents, particularly in the middle of long compound sentences.

Example Sentences

1. 予想に反して、試合は大差で負けた。 Yosou ni hanshite, shiai wa oodai de maketa. Contrary to expectations, we lost the game by a large margin.

2. 親の期待に反して、彼は会社を辞めて芸術家になった。 Oya no kitai ni hanshite, kare wa kaisha wo yamete geijutsuka ni natta. Contrary to his parents' expectations, he quit the company and became an artist.

3. 医師の指示に反して、患者は薬を飲むのをやめてしまった。 Ishi no shiji ni hanshite, kanja wa kusuri wo nomu no wo yamete shimatta. Against the doctor's instructions, the patient stopped taking the medication.

4. 世論の意向に反した政策が次々と実施された。 Yoron no ikou ni hanshita seisaku ga tsugitsugi to jisshi sareta. Policies contrary to public opinion were implemented one after another.

5. 計画に反し、工事は予定より3か月遅れた。 Keikaku ni hanshi, kouji wa yotei yori sankagetsu okure ta. Contrary to the plan, construction was three months behind schedule.

6. 彼の意志に反して、会社は合併を進めた。 Kare no ishi ni hanshite, kaisha wa gappei wo susumeta. Against his will, the company proceeded with the merger.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using に反して with neutral contrasts. に反して implies a violated expectation or rule — not simply a difference. Do not use it to mean "unlike" or "compared to."

• Incorrect: 冬に反して、今日は暖かい。
• Correct: 冬にしては、今日は暖かい。(Warm for winter.)
• Correct: 冬とは違って、今日は暖かい。(Unlike winter, today is warm.)

Reserve に反して for situations where something specific (a rule, wish, prediction, or order) has been contradicted.

Mistake 2: Confusing the subject and the thing being contradicted. The noun before に反して is the thing being gone against — not the actor doing the opposing. Make sure the structure is clear: [what is contradicted] + に反して + [what actually happened].

Compare With

The clearest distinction is between に反して (violated an expectation or standard) and にもかかわらず (happened despite an obstacle). 雨にもかかわらず試合は行われた (the game was held despite the rain) — the rain is an obstacle, not an expectation. 予想に反して雨が降った (it rained, contrary to the forecast) — the forecast is the contradicted expectation.