〜に対して

toward, against (a target); whereas, in contrast to; per

Formation: N + に対して; N + に対する + N; N + に対し (formal); contrast: V / い-adj plain + のに対して, な-adj / N + な／である + のに対して

〜に対して has three main uses. First, it marks the person or thing that an action, feeling or attitude is directed at, as in 客に対して失礼だ or 政府に対する批判. Second, as 〜のに対して, it sets two facts side by side as opposites (whereas A, B), and the comparison is objective and neutral. Third, with numbers, it gives a ratio (per, for every). It is neutral to formal, and に対し is the more written form. Learners often confuse it with 〜に関して, which only marks the topic something is about. 〜に対して marks the target being acted on or reacted to. In its contrast use, compare 〜一方で, which can simply add another side, and 〜に引き換え, which makes a subjective and often critical comparison.

Variants: に対し、に対する、に対しては、に対しても、のに対して

Examples

お客様に対して、そんな言い方をしてはいけない。
You mustn't speak to customers like that.
姉が社交的なのに対し、妹は人見知りだ。
Whereas the older sister is outgoing, the younger one is shy.
求職者一人に対して、求人は一・五件ある。
There are 1.5 job openings for every job seeker.

In real texts 1 occurrence(s)

遅れる生物多様性保全　地球の危機直視し行動を · 2026年11月5日

欧州などが実施を強く促すよう求めたのに対して、経済成長への影響を嫌う国は反発し、「各国の事情に応じて実施を加速する」との文言にとどまった。

Whereas Europe and others demanded that the text strongly urge implementation, countries wary of the impact on economic growth pushed back, and the result went no further than the wording "accelerate implementation in accordance with each country's circumstances."

Here 〜のに対して is contrastive: "whereas". It attaches to the clause 欧州などが実施を強く促すよう求めた, which is turned into a noun with の. It sets two camps against each other: Europe pushing for strong wording, and growth-minded countries pushing back. This illustrates the 溝 (divide) mentioned in p7s2. Trap: the の here is a nominaliser plus に対して, not the concessive のに ("although"). Read it as 求めた | のに対して, not 求めたのに | 対して.