English has one word — "compared to," or the sneaky little "for" in "good for a beginner" — where Japanese draws three separate lines. に比べて measures one thing against another neutrally: 去年に比べて暑い, "hot compared to last year." に反して flags a reversal: 予想に反して, "contrary to expectations." にしては sets a benchmark and then reports that reality deviated from it: 初めてにしては上手, "good, for a first try."
The trap is that all three can land on the English word "compared to" or "for," so learners blur them. This page keeps them apart by their jobs: に比べて measures, に反して contradicts, にしては evaluates against a standard and flags a surprise. Sort them by that and you will never again say 予想に比べて when you mean 予想に反して.
に比べて — neutral comparison ("compared to")
に比べて (or the stiffer に比べ) simply sets up a yardstick: relative to A, B is such-and-such. There is no surprise, no judgement — just measurement. A is the reference point; B is what you are describing.
去年に比べて、今年の夏は暑い。
kyonen ni kurabete, kotoshi no natsu wa atsui
Compared to last year, this summer is hot.
ここは都会に比べて静かだ。
koko wa tokai ni kurabete shizuka da
Compared to the city, it's quiet here.
兄に比べて、弟のほうがおとなしい。
ani ni kurabete, otōto no hō ga otonashii
Compared to the older brother, the younger one is quieter.
This is close in meaning to plain より ("than"), the basic comparative — see comparatives with より. The difference is framing: より lives inside the comparison (Aより暑い, "hotter than A"), while に比べて steps back and sets the whole reference before making the claim. に比べて also tends to be more measured and written.
に反して — contrary to, against ("反" = oppose)
に反して (modifier form: に反する) says that reality ran counter to something — an expectation, a forecast, a rule, a wish. The kanji 反 means "oppose, reverse," and that is exactly the relationship: not "measured against" but "went against."
予想に反して、試験はとても簡単だった。
yosō ni hanshite, shiken wa totemo kantan datta
Contrary to expectations, the exam was very easy.
親の期待に反して、彼は大学をやめてしまった。
oya no kitai ni hanshite, kare wa daigaku o yamete shimatta
Contrary to his parents' hopes, he ended up quitting university.
ルールに反して、選手が試合中に手を使った。
rūru ni hanshite, senshu ga shiaichū ni te o tsukatta
Against the rules, a player used his hands during the match.
に反して pairs with a specific set of nouns: 予想 (expectation), 期待 (hopes), 予測 (forecast), 意志 (will), 命令 (order), 規則／ルール (rules). The modifier form に反する turns it into an adjective on a noun:
予想に反する結果に、誰もが驚いた。
yosō ni hansuru kekka ni, dare mo ga odoroita
Everyone was surprised at the result, which went against expectations.
にしては — "for / considering that it's X" (a surprise against a benchmark)
にしては is the subtle one. It takes X as a known standard and then reports that the result deviates from what that standard would lead you to expect — usually pleasantly, sometimes not. 初めてにしては上手 doesn't just mean "good compared to a first try"; it means "given that this is a first attempt, this is surprisingly good." The evaluation and the surprise are baked in.
初めてにしては、上手にできたね。
hajimete ni shite wa, jōzu ni dekita ne
For a first try, you did it well. (informal)
この子は、子供にしては難しい言葉を使う。
kono ko wa, kodomo ni shite wa muzukashii kotoba o tsukau
This kid uses difficult words for a child.
新人にしては、よくやったと思うよ。
shinjin ni shite wa, yoku yatta to omou yo
For a newcomer, I think he did well. (informal)
今日は十二月にしては暖かい。
kyō wa jūnigatsu ni shite wa atatakai
It's warm today, for December.
Feel the structure: X (the benchmark — a first try, a child, a newcomer, December) sets an expectation, and the main clause reports that reality beat or missed it. Without that deviation, にしては makes no sense — you would just be stating the obvious.
にしては vs のわりに — two "considering"s
のわりに also means roughly "considering / for," and the two overlap heavily. The nuance:
- にしては wants a definite, fixed benchmark the subject is — a category or a known fact (初めて, 新人, 子供, 十二月).
- のわりに expresses disproportion relative to a degree or amount — "given how much X, surprisingly not Y."
この店は、値段のわりにおいしい。
kono mise wa, nedan no wari ni oishii
This place is tasty for the price.
彼はたくさん食べるわりに、全然太らない。
kare wa takusan taberu wari ni, zenzen futoranai
For how much he eats, he doesn't gain any weight at all.
That second sentence is the clearest split: たくさん食べる is a degree ("how much he eats"), so のわりに fits and にしては does not. Where the benchmark is a clean category (a newcomer, December), both can work, and にしては sounds slightly more pointed about the expectation.
にしては vs として — benchmark vs role
This is the confusion the brief warns about, and it is worth drilling. として means "in the capacity/role of X" — neutral, no surprise. にしては means "given that it's X, unexpectedly." Same noun, opposite jobs:
彼は教師として立派だ。
kare wa kyōshi to shite rippa da
As a teacher (in that role), he's admirable.
彼は教師にしては、字がとても下手だ。
kare wa kyōshi ni shite wa, ji ga totemo heta da
For a teacher, his handwriting is really bad.
として simply states his standing as a teacher; にしては sets "teacher" as a benchmark and flags that his handwriting falls short of it. If you want "in the role of," use として (see として and にとって); if you want "surprisingly, given that he's," use にしては.
にしても — "even considering / even if"
Closely related in shape, にしても grants a point and then pushes past it: "even granting X, still Y." It concedes X and asserts something despite it.
値段が高いにしても、これは買う価値がある。
nedan ga takai ni shite mo, kore wa kau kachi ga aru
Even considering the high price, this is worth buying.
冗談にしても、あの言い方は言い過ぎだ。
jōdan ni shite mo, ano iikata wa iisugi da
Even as a joke, saying it that way goes too far.
いくら忙しいにしても、連絡ぐらいはできるだろう。
ikura isogashii ni shite mo, renraku gurai wa dekiru darō
However busy you are, you could at least get in touch.
にしては says "reality deviated from the X-benchmark"; にしても says "even if we grant X, the conclusion holds." The single character difference — は vs も — flips the logic from surprise to concession.
Common Mistakes
1. Using として where you mean にしては. English "for a newcomer" pulls learners toward として, but として states a role without the "surprisingly" nuance you want.
❌ 新人として、よくやった。
shinjin to shite, yoku yatta
Off-target — this reads 'acting in the role of a newcomer, he did well,' losing the 'for a newcomer, surprisingly' sense.
✅ 新人にしては、よくやった。
shinjin ni shite wa, yoku yatta
For a newcomer, he did well.
2. Using に比べて for a reversal. You don't "compare against" a rule or an expectation you defied — you go against it.
❌ ルールに比べて、手を使った。
rūru ni kurabete, te o tsukatta
Wrong relationship — a rule that was broken takes に反して, not に比べて.
✅ ルールに反して、手を使った。
rūru ni hanshite, te o tsukatta
Against the rules, he used his hands.
3. Dropping the は from にしては. にして without は is a different, classical particle meaning "at / upon (a point in time)" — 一瞬にして ("in an instant"), 五十にして ("at fifty"). It will not give you "for / considering."
❌ 初めてにして上手だ。
hajimete ni shite jōzu da
Changed meaning — にして (no は) reads 'at the very first / all at once,' not 'for a first try.'
✅ 初めてにしては上手だ。
hajimete ni shite wa jōzu da
Good, for a first try.
4. Using にしては with a degree/amount instead of のわりに. When the benchmark is "how much," not "what category," reach for のわりに.
❌ たくさん食べるにしては太らない。
takusan taberu ni shite wa futoranai
Awkward — for a degree like 'how much he eats,' use のわりに.
✅ たくさん食べるわりに太らない。
takusan taberu wari ni futoranai
For how much he eats, he doesn't gain weight.
Key Takeaways
- に比べて = neutral measurement, "compared to" (都会に比べて静か). A cousin of より, but it steps back and sets the reference first.
- に反して (modifier に反する) = "contrary to / against" — reality went against an expectation, forecast, or rule (予想に反して, ルールに反して).
- にしては = "for / considering that it's X" — a benchmark plus a surprise that deviates from it (初めてにしては上手).
- Keep にしては (surprise vs a standard) apart from として (neutral role) and from のわりに (disproportion vs a degree).
- にしても (は → も) flips to concession: "even considering / even if X, still Y."
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Start learning Japanese→Related Topics
- Comparatives: より / のほうがN4 — How Japanese compares two things without ever inflecting the adjective — より marks the standard ('than'), のほうが marks the winner, and どちらが asks 'which is more?'
- にしたがって・につれて・に伴って: As, In Proportion ToN3 — The 'as A gradually changes, B changes with it' family — につれて, にしたがって, に伴って, and とともに — all requiring a process on both sides, not a one-time event.