～一方(で)— On One Hand, On the Other

• 兄は活発な一方で、弟はとても静かだ。

  Ani wa kappatsu na ippou de, otouto wa totemo shizuka da.

  While my older brother is lively, my younger brother is very quiet.

  な-adj 活発 + な + 一方で sets up a contrast between the two siblings.

• この仕事は給料がいい一方で、残業が多い。

  Kono shigoto wa kyuuryou ga ii ippou de, zangyou ga ooi.

  This job pays well, but on the other hand there is a lot of overtime.

  い-adj いい + 一方で contrasts a good point with a bad point of the same job.

• 彼は会社を経営する一方で、大学でも教えている。

  Kare wa kaisha o keiei suru ippou de, daigaku de mo oshiete iru.

  He runs a company while also teaching at a university.

  Verb 経営する + 一方で shows two parallel roles held at the same time.

• ・Register: neutral to formal; very common in essays and news.
• ・Can express contrast (opposite facts) or coexistence (two parallel activities).
• ・The で is often kept, but 一方 alone is also fine.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～一方(で) is tested against.

• ～上(に) — On Top of That
• ～くせに — And Yet You Dare
• だけでなく — Not Only That
• ついでに — While You're At It
• ～つつ(も) — While Yet Doing Otherwise
• ～というと／～といえば — Speaking Of That
• ～といっても — Even Though I Say
• ～とともに — Along With, As