I recently came across this expression, for which you can find the meaning rather quickly just by looking it up on google (for example: http://www.imabi.net/considering.htm)
An example (from the link above):
りんごは、安いわりには美味しい。
Apples are delicious, considering how cheap they are.
What I don't understand is why?
The dictionary entry for わり brings up the following definitions (thanks jisho.org):
- rate; ratio; proportion; percentage
- profit
- assignment
- 10%; unit of ten percent
- match; schedule of matches
- diluted with (of drinks); mixed with
- Wari (place)
In the example above, わり modifies 安い, and I just can't understand how to translate it literally?
One interesting thing is that I found this definition in a J-J dictionary:
5 (「…わりに」の形で)ある事から予想・推測される程度。…に応じた程度よりは。「値段の割りに品物がよい」「若い割りには礼儀正しい」
Which loosely translates to:
(In the form of わりに): More than expected/guessed.
So I'm wondering whether this is just an additional definition to わり (kinda like an exception the applies in this specific form), or there is some historical reason, or perhaps a literal translation that makes sense.