This means 'instead of' something. It shows you are swapping one thing for another. You give up one thing to get something else.
Noun + の + 代わりにPrimary
Verb [dictionary form] + 代わりに
い-Adjective + 代わりに
な-Adjective + な + 代わりに
This means 'instead of' something. It shows you are swapping one thing for another. You give up one thing to get something else.
バスに乗る代わりに、歩いて駅まで行った。
Instead of taking the bus, I walked to the station.
このアパートは狭い代わりに、家賃が安いです。
This apartment is small, but in return, the rent is cheap.
何もしない代わりに、少しでも手伝ってください。
Instead of doing nothing, please help at least a little.
無料で勉強を教えてあげる代わりに、時々昼ご飯を奢ってもらってるんだ。
In exchange for teaching him for free, he treats me to lunch sometimes.
あの仕事は大変な代わりに、給料が高いと聞いている。
I've heard that job is tough, but in return, the salary is high.
This phrase is like a seesaw. One side goes down (something bad). The other side goes up (something good). It shows a balance between two different things.
This is different from 〜に代わって (ni kawatte). That means 'for someone else'. It is also different from 〜と引き換えに (to hikikae ni). That means 'in exchange for something big' like freedom.
Don't use this when the two parts of your sentence are not connected. For example, you can't say "My room is small, but the weather is good today."
Often confused with(1)
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