〜に対して: Toward / In Contrast To / Per (Target, Contrast, Ratio)
Marking who or what an attitude is aimed at
Most often, に対して names the target that an attitude, action, or feeling is directed at — it's stronger and more pointed than the neutral "about" of について.
皆が不法外国人に対して敵対的な態度を取った。
みなが ふほう がいこくじんに たいして てきたいてきな たいどを とった。
Everyone took a hostile attitude toward illegal immigrants.
The target of the hostility.
健康を害さないように、体に対して様々な気配りをしています。
けんこうを がいさないように、からだに たいして さまざまな きくばりを しています。
So as not to harm my health, I take various kinds of care regarding my body.
Noun + に対して, or に対する before a noun
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (before a verb/clause) | Nに対して | 彼に対して失礼な態度を取った |
| Noun (before another noun) | Nに対する + N | 彼に対する態度 |
| Ratio | Number に対して Number | 三人に対して一人が反対した |
やったんは苦手な野菜に対して、なんとか好きになろうと努力している。
やったんは にがてな やさいに たいして、なんとか すきに なろうと どりょくしている。
Yattan is making an effort to somehow grow to like vegetables he's not good with.
The target of the effort/attitude.
Contrast, and the neutral について
に対して can also link two clauses in contrast: この問題に対して可否の論があった ("there was debate for and against this issue") frames both sides as facing off against the same point. That confrontational edge is exactly what separates it from について, which is neutral and topic-only — テストについて話す ("talk about the test") carries no sense of facing off or being targeted, while テストに対して意見を言う ("give an opinion directed at the test") does.
The short version
- 〜に対して = "toward/against" (target), "whereas" (contrast), or "per" (ratio)
- Attaches to: a noun; becomes に対する directly before another noun
- Nuance/register: implies the target is directly faced or opposed; can carry a confrontational or contrastive edge
- Don't confuse with: について (neutral "about a topic," no facing/opposing nuance)
Practice it
Choose に対して when a noun marks the target of an attitude, a contrast, or a ratio.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
皆が不法外国人＿＿＿敵対的な態度を取った。
Where 〜に対して fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
More N1 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜といえども — 〜といえども attaches to a noun or plain form to mean 'even though / even if X' — 専門家といえども、すべてを知っているわけではない. Formal and literary, it concedes a status before stating a limit or exception to it.
- 〜とはいえ — 〜とはいえ is a formal 'although / that said' — it concedes a point just stated, then adds a contrasting fact that still holds despite it. Common in writing and formal speech to soften a contradiction.
- 〜のみならず — 〜のみならず means 'not only...but also,' formally adding a second, often larger point to what was just said — 世界中にのみならず (not only in this country but the whole world). It's the formal register cousin of 〜だけでなく.
- 〜であれ — 〜であれ attaches to a noun (often paired or with a question word) to mean 'whether... or' / 'no matter what' — 誰であれ ('no matter who'). It's a formal concessive used in written and rhetorical Japanese.
- 〜かたわら — 〜かたわら means 'while also (doing)' — a main job or role carried out alongside a second, ongoing activity. Formal and written, it implies both things run in parallel over time, not just once.
- 〜かつて — かつて is a formal adverb meaning 'once,' 'formerly,' or 'in the past' — it points to a past state or time and often implies things are different now, unlike ever or a simple past tense.