Meaning of ほうなんで?

Question

It is a "simple" sentence, but I can't find any information how I should parse and interpret this part.

これでも用心深いほうなんでね。

Answer 1

Do you already know how to make a comparison using ほう and より in Japanese? If not, please learn it first.

• Japanese Grammar – Making Comparisons
• Japanese Comparison: より, …の方が, and …で一番

The sentence in question is an extension of this. While there is no explicit comparison target marked with ～より, this ほう still means "comparatively" or "relatively".

これでも用心深いほうなんでね。
Despite my appearance, (if one has to categorize me either as a cautious or as a careless person,) I'm comparatively a cautious person, you know.
I'm a more cautious person than I may look, you know.

これでも (literally "even with this") is a set phrase, "although you may think otherwise" or "although I may not look like it".

Similar examples:

• このケーキは甘いほうだ。 This cake is relatively sweet.
• 私はよく寝るほうです。 I'm relatively a good sleeper.
• あまりテレビは見ないほうです。 I'm not a kind of person who watches TV often.

Related:

• What does the word「あるほうで」 mean?

Answer 2

方(ほう) is used to make comparisons.

用心深いほう means "the more cautious one".

Examples from プログレッシブ和英中辞典:

4 〔比べられる物の一方〕a side; a part

その小さい方をください
Give me the smaller one.

私の方の手落ちでした
The fault was mine.

彼の方に不服はなかった
There was no dissatisfaction on his part.

私たちは皆彼の方についた
All of us sided with him.

生活は今の方が前より楽だ
I am better off than I used to be.

and from デジタル大辞泉:

３ 二つ以上あるもののうちの一つをとりあげてさす語。
「黒い方が好きだ」
「もっと味を濃くした方がいい」
「こちらの方が悪かった」