Change & Purpose

Introduction

Describing how things change and explaining purpose are everyday needs. Japanese has distinct patterns for becoming something, doing something for a purpose, and working towards a goal.

These patterns bridge descriptive and purposeful language.

Themes

All Japanese Grammar Basic in This Chapter (10)

1. ～ようになる (come to ~) ようになる Expresses a gradual change in state, ability, or habitual action. It indicates that something which was not previously the case has come ...
2. ～ようにする (make sure to ~) ようにする Expresses a deliberate effort to bring about a behavioural or circumstantial change. The speaker consciously tries to establish a new hab...
3. ～ように言う (tell someone to ~) ようにいう Used to report an instruction, request, or directive given to someone. It conveys that the speaker told or asked another person to do som...
4. ～ように (1) (so that ~) ように Expresses the purpose or goal behind an action, often with the nuance that the speaker acts in a way to bring about a desired result or t...
5. ～ように (2) (like ~, as if ~) ように An adverbial form of ようだ, used to describe the manner in which an action is performed by comparing it to something else. It means 'like,'...
6. ～のに (2) (for the purpose of ~) のに Expresses the purpose, process, or requirement for doing something. The の nominalises the preceding verb, and に marks it as the purpose o...
7. ～と (3) (quotation / sound / manner) と A particle that marks quotations, thoughts, sounds, or the manner in which something is done. It connects what someone said, thought, or ...
8. ～やはり / やっぱり (as expected) やはり An adverb indicating that a situation or outcome conforms to the speaker's prior expectation, assumption, or general knowledge. It transl...
9. ～など (such as ~, things like ~) など A particle that presents one or more items as examples from a larger set, implying that the list is not exhaustive. It translates as 'suc...
10. ～とか (~ and ~, things like ~) とか A conjunction used to list two or more items, actions, or states as inexhaustive examples. It is more casual than や and implies the speak...