反面 details
write + on the other side of it — one thing, and its opposite-valued second side
kaku hanmen
on the other side of it — one thing, and its opposite-valued second side
この仕事は自由な反面、収入が不安定だ。
kono shigoto wa jiyuu na hanmen, shuunyuu ga fuantei da.
This job is free, but by the same token the income is unstable. neutral
あの子、人見知りする反面、慣れるとよくしゃべるんだよね。
ano ko, hitomishiri suru hanmen, nareru to yoku shaberu n da yo ne.
She's shy with strangers, but on the flip side she talks a lot once she warms up. casual
- dictionary form
- i-adjective
- na-adjective
- noun
- alternant
Examples
on the other side of it — the same thing carries a second property of the opposite value, usually a merit against a demerit
この仕事は自由な反面、収入が不安定だ。
kono shigoto wa jiyuu na hanmen, shuunyuu ga fuantei da.
This job is free, but by the same token the income is unstable. neutral
あの子、人見知りする反面、慣れるとよくしゃべるんだよね。
ano ko, hitomishiri suru hanmen, nareru to yoku shaberu n da yo ne.
She's shy with strangers, but on the flip side she talks a lot once she warms up. casual
新しい制度は事務の負担を減らす反面、現場の裁量を狭めるおそれがございます。
atarashii seido wa jimu no futan o herasu hanmen, genba no sairyou o sebameru osore ga gozaimasu.
The new system reduces the clerical burden, but on the other side of it there is a risk of narrowing the discretion of staff on the ground. formal
Formation
{V}はんめんattaches to dictionary formplain clause + 反面attaches to plain clause{I}はんめんattaches to i-adjective{NA-stem}なはんめんattaches to na-adjective{N}であるはんめんattaches to noun
Variant notes
- 半面 — the same connective in the other kanji; 反面 is the ordinary choice in print, 半面 skews toward "the other face of" in commentary.
Notes
be about the same thing — two unrelated facts read as a non-sequitur under
反面.
Related patterns
Similar
一方で is content to set two facts side by side and passes no verdict on either (北海道は雪が多い一方で、沖縄はほとんど降らない); 反面 additionally requires the two sides to pull in opposite EVALUATIVE directions — a merit against a demerit — so a 反面 sentence whose halves are both good, or merely different, reads wrong where 一方で would be unremarkable.
ものの concedes the first clause and then denies the conclusion you would draw from it (安いものの、質が悪い — the cheapness loses); 反面 denies nothing at all, listing a second property that stays as true as the first, which is why 反面 tolerates a purely descriptive second half where ものの demands a counter-expectation.