At a glance
～かわりに means "instead of" or "in place of". It also means "in exchange for", or it links a good point and a bad point of the same thing.
Noun + の + かわりに
Verb (plain form) + かわりに
い-adj + かわりに
な-adj + な + かわりに
コーヒーのかわりに、お茶を飲みます。 I drink tea instead of coffee.
How to form it
| Attaches to | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + の | 母のかわりに | in place of my mother |
| Verb, dictionary form | 行くかわりに | instead of going |
| Verb, た-form | 残業したかわりに | in exchange for having worked overtime |
| い-adjective | 広いかわりに | it's spacious, but in exchange... |
| な-adjective + な | 便利なかわりに | it's convenient, but in exchange... |
The dictionary form is typical for "instead of doing". The た-form is used for "in exchange for having done". かわりに works in both polite and casual speech. Only the end of the sentence changes.