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N3

一方で

いっぽうで

On the other hand, At the same time, While

今日きょうは関西かんさいは晴はれる一方いっぽうで、関東かんとうでは雨あめが降ふるそうです。

While today will be sunny in Kansai, I hear that it will rain in Kanto.

Explanation

「〜一方で」 means 'on the one hand ..., on the other ...'. One thing or one person has two different, even opposite, sides: 「この薬は効果がある一方で、副作用もある」 (This medicine works, but on the other hand it has side effects). It can also mean one person doing two different things at the same time.

Mixed up with

「〜反面」: only for two sides of the same thing (a drug's benefit and its side effect). It cannot cover two parallel jobs: 「教える一方で、研究もしている」 cannot be changed to 「反面」.

「〜に対して」: compares two different people or things (兄は内向的なのに対して、弟は社交的だ); 「一方で」 is usually two sides of the same person or thing.

Examples

  1. 彼かれは歌手かしゅである一方いっぽうで、政治家せいじかでもある。

    He is a singer, while at the same time, a politician.

  2. 一方いっぽうで、長野県ながのけんでは夏なつ祭まつりが開催かいさいされる。

    On the other hand, a summer festival will be held in Nagano Prefecture.

  3. この靴くつは、温あたたかい一方いっぽうで、重おもいです。

    These shoes are warm but on the other hand they are heavy.

Tested 5 times in past papers

N2 · Jul 2026, Q49N3 · Jul 2022, Q39N1 · Jul 2019, Q45N1 · Dec 2018, Q42N3 · Jul 2017, Q39