仮に

• Reading: かりに
• Romaji: kari ni
• Formation: かりに + Clause + としても / たとしても / としたら / であっても
• Kanji breakdown: 仮 (provisional, temporary, assumed)

Meaning

An adverb meaning 'supposing' or 'hypothetically,' used to introduce a tentative or counterfactual supposition. It signals that the following statement is a hypothetical scenario being considered for the sake of argument.

かりに introduces a hypothetical premise that may or may not be true, inviting the listener to consider its implications. It is often paired with conditional forms like ～としても, ～たとしても, ～であっても, and ～としたら. The key distinction from もし is that かりに emphasizes the provisional and argumentative nature of the supposition — the speaker is not predicting what will happen but rather exploring a scenario, often one they consider unlikely. It is commonly used in debate, academic writing, legal reasoning, and formal discussions where hypothetical analysis is required. While もし can appear in casual speech, かりに carries a more deliberate, analytical tone and is typically found in structured arguments or formal prose.

Examples

1. かりに全財産を失ったとしても、健康さえあればやり直せる。 Even supposing I lost all my assets, as long as I have my health, I can start over.
2. かりにその計画が承認されたとしても、実行までには多くの課題が残る。 Even if that plan were approved, many challenges would remain before implementation.
3. かりに彼の主張が正しいとしたら、従来の理論は根本から見直す必要がある。 Supposing his claim is correct, the conventional theory would need to be fundamentally reconsidered.

Usage Guide

Context: written, spoken, academic

Tone: analytical

Do Say

• かりに新薬が開発されたとしても、臨床試験には最低三年はかかるだろう。
• かりにこの法案が可決されたとしたら、多くの中小企業に影響が及ぶことになる。
• かりに全員が賛成であっても、手続き上の問題がある以上、即座に実行はできない。

Don't Say

• かりに明日雨だ。(Using かりに without a conditional clause — かりに must be followed by としても, たとしても, としたら, or similar conditional endings) → かりに明日雨だとしても、試合は決行する。
• かりにご飯を食べたら寝ます。(Using かりに for a routine conditional — かりに is for hypothetical or argumentative suppositions, not factual if-then statements) → ご飯を食べたら寝ます。

Origin & History

かりに derives from the noun 仮 (provisional, temporary) combined with the adverbial particle に. The character 仮 carries the meaning of 'tentative' or 'assumed,' and the expression has long been used in Japanese literary and argumentative prose to introduce hypothetical reasoning.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal