Nに対して (N ni taishite) Meaning & Usage: “Toward / to / against” in Japanese

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to say “be kind to children,” “feel angry toward someone,” or “In contrast to X, Y…” in Japanese?

When you want to show that an action, attitude, feeling, or response is directed toward a person, group, or thing, JLPT N3 grammar Nに対して is very useful.

1. Meaning: What does Nに対して mean?

Nに対して means:

• toward N
• to N
• against N

You use it when you do something toward someone/something, or when you have some feeling, attitude, or judgment toward them.

Core idea

With Nに対して, N is the target of your action, attitude, or feeling.

Common types of expressions used with it:

• actions toward someone
  (説明せつめいする, 質問しつもんする)
• attitudes toward someone
  (親切しんせつだ, 失礼しつれいだ)
• feelings toward someone
  (感謝かんしゃする, 怒おこる)

For example:

• お客様きゃくさまに対たいして、ていねいな言葉ことばを使つかってください。
  Please use polite language toward customers.
• ジョンは部下ぶかに対たいしてとても厳きびしい。
  John is very strict toward his subordinates.

A slightly formal variant: Nに対し

A slightly more formal version is Nに対し (omit “て”).

• この件けんに対たいし、政府せいふはコメントを出ださなかった。
  The government did not issue an official comment on this matter.

This form is common in writing, news, and formal explanations.

2. Formation

Noun + に対して + clause

Nに対する + Noun

When a noun follows, use:

Nに対する + Noun

Examples:

• 先生せんせいに対たいする感謝かんしゃ
  gratitude toward a teacher
• 政府せいふに対たいする批判ひはん
  criticism toward the government
• 外国人がいこくじんに対たいする支援しえん
  support for foreign residents

Grammar breakdown

• に (particle)
  Marks the target or direction of the action or feeling.
• 対して
  Comes from 対する（たいする）, which means “to face,” “to be directed toward,” or “to deal with.” Here it appears in the て-form: 対する → 対して

Practical tip: memorize Nに対して as one chunk meaning “toward / to / against N.”

3. Useful Examples

先生せんせいに対たいして、そんな言いい方かたは失礼しつれいです。
That way of speaking is rude toward the teacher.

さとしさんは自分じぶんに対たいして厳きびしすぎます。
Satoshi is too strict with himself.

仕事しごとに対たいする不満ふまんを友ともだちに話はなしました。
I talked to my friend about my dissatisfaction with my job.

4. Another use: contrast (“in contrast to X, Y”)

Nに対して also has another important use: contrast.

In this pattern, it means:

• in contrast to N
• whereas N…
• compared with N…

Example:

二万五千人にまんごせんにんの敵てきに対たいして、味方みかたは三千人さんぜんにんしかいなかった。= In contrast to the enemy’s 25,000 soldiers, our side had only 3,000.

So Nに対して can mean either:

1. toward / to / against N
2. in contrast to N

You need to understand the meaning from the context.

Grammar Rule for Contrast

When using “～に対して” to express contrast, it can connect not only nouns but also verbs and adjectives.

Examples:

• [な-adjective] 兄あには社交的しゃこうてきなのに対たいして、弟おとうとはとても静しずかだ。= In contrast to my outgoing older brother, my younger brother is very quiet.
  • You cannot say 社交的のに対して because “社交的（な）” is a な-adjective.
• [Noun] 8月がつの季節きせつについて、日本にほんは夏なつなのに対たいして、オーストラリアは冬ふゆです。= When it comes to the season in August, while it is summer in Japan, it is winter in Australia.
  • “夏なのに” is correct, “夏のに” is wrong.

5. Related grammar (comparison)

Nについて / Nに関して

These are different from Nに対して because the role of N is different.

With Nについて / Nに関して, N is the content or topic.

With Nに対して, N is the target / recipient / direction of the action.

Compare:

• 田中たなかさんについて説明せつめいした。= I explained about Tanaka-san.
  → Tanaka-san is the content of the explanation.
• 田中たなかさんに対たいして説明せつめいした。= I explained something to Tanaka-san.
  → Tanaka-san is the person I explained to.

So:

• Nについて / Nに関して = about N (content)
• Nに対して = to / toward N (target)

Nに

In many cases, Nに対して can be replaced by the simpler particle に.

E.g., I explained something to Tanaka-san.

• 田中たなかさんに対して説明した。
• 田中たなかさんに説明した。

Both are possible. However, に対して often sounds a little more explicit or formal. So when simple に is enough, you do not need to force に対して.

Nにとって

This is a very common confusion.

Nに対して = toward N / to N / directed at N
Nにとって = for N / from N’s standpoint

Use にとって when the sentence expresses a value, evaluation, or significance from someone’s standpoint.

6. Common Mistake: do not overuse Nに対して

If the sentence naturally uses を, do not force に対して.

7. Practice

Translate the following English into Japanese using に対して.

FAQ

Conclusion

In this article, you learned how to use Nに対して (N ni taishite) to show that an action, feeling, or attitude is directed toward someone or something.

With this grammar, you can now:

• describe actions and feelings directed to / toward / against a target,
• use related forms like Nに対するN and the formal Nに対し,
• and understand the important difference between content (について / に関して) and target (に対して).