Meaning
にしては marks an evaluation standard and presents contrasting or unexpected results. It indicates that given condition A, result B is surprising or shouldn't occur based on typical values or your own expectations. This pattern works for both positive and negative situations, highlighting the gap between what you'd normally expect and what actually happened.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| 动词普通形 | にしては |
| い形容词 | にしては |
| な形容词 | にしては |
| 名词 | にしては |
Examples
-
今日は土曜日の夜なのに、それにしては居酒屋のお客さんが少ない。
Even though it's Saturday night, the izakaya has surprisingly few customers for that. -
この気温は12月にしては、暖かいほうだ。
For December, this temperature is quite warm. -
初めて映画を制作したにしては、うまく出来上がったね。
For someone making a film for the first time, it turned out really well. -
マイクさんは50歳にしては、本当に若く見える。
For a 50-year-old, Mike looks genuinely young.
Summary
- Marks a standard of evaluation that creates a contrasting or unexpected result
- Used when an outcome differs from normal expectations or conventional values
- Works with verbs, i-adjectives, na-adjectives, and nouns; common phrase is それにしては (even so; and yet)