〜だけに

About

～だけに is a conjunction that connects two clauses.

～だけに can attach directly to a casual verb/い-adjective, directly to nouns, or using な・だった・である, and to な-adjectives using な・だった・である.

We can split the usage of ～だけに into three main categories: ① Natural conclusions; ② "Even more X"; ③ Undermining expectations.

For usage ①, ～だけに expresses "since X,... it makes sense/it's only natural that...".

E.g. 駅えきの近ちかくにあるだけに、遅おそい時間じかんまで開あいている店みせが多おおい。 "Since it's near the station, it's only natural that many shops are open late."

For usage ②, ～だけに expresses that a given conclusion is "even more X" due to the established premise.

E.g. 今回こんかいのチームはプロ選手せんしゅが多おおいだけに、余計よけいに格下かくしたのチームには負まけられない。 "Since our team this time has many pro players, there's even more pressure for us not to lose to a lower-level team."

For usage ③, ～だけに combines a premise with a conclusion that is surprising, or goes against expectations in some way.

E.g. 体からだが丈夫じょうぶなだけに、かえって病気びょうきに気きづくのが遅おそくなった。 "Since they have a healthy body, they were actually slower to realize their illness."

Usages ② and ③ often overlap.

～だけに is most commonly used in spoken Japanese. It can be used in both casual and polite contexts.

Summary

• 

  ～だけに is a conjunction

• 

  We can split the usage of ～だけに into three main categories: ① Natural conclusions; ② "Even more X"; ③ Undermining expectations

• 

  ～だけに is most commonly used in spoken Japanese