比例 Being Proportional

Meaning

Primary

Being Proportional

Alternative

Proportion

Word Type

verbal noun, noun

Explanation

You compare examples, trying to figure out in which way they're being proportional. You know these examples you're comparing are in proportion to one another, you just need to figure out how.

Use 比例 when talking about how one thing changes in proportion to another. Like the price of a good in proportion to its supply and demand, for instance. Check out our common word combinations and context sentences for some examples!

Reading

ひれい

Explanation

This is a jukugo word, which usually means on'yomi readings from the kanji. If you know the readings of your kanji you'll know how to read this as well.

Context

Common Word Combinations

• 比例〜

  比例代表

  proportional representation (politics)

  比例関係

  proportional relation

  比例配分

  proportional distribution

• 〜比例

  人口比例

  proportional to the population

  時間比例

  proportional to time

  所得比例

  proportional to income

  正比例

  direct proportion

  反比例

  inverse proportion

• 〜に比例する

  y の大きさに比例する

  to be proportional to the size of y

  量に比例する

  to be proportional to the quantity

  二乗に比例する

  to be proportional to the square of something

  時間に比例する

  to be proportional to time

Context Sentences

それに比例して、コストも上がります。

Costs will also increase in proportion.

これがyの大きさに比例するのは分かりますか？

Do you see how this is proportional to the value of y?

ボクは、仕事の大変さと楽しさは比例すると思うんだ。

I think the enjoyment I get from work is proportional to how hard it is.

外国語能力は、学習時間に比例して高くなるというワケではない。

Foreign language proficiency doesn't necessarily improve in proportion to the amount of time spent studying.

Kanji Composition

1. 比

   ひ Compare
2. 例

   れい Example