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ように so that / in order to: Meaning & Examples

you ni · JLPT N3

JLPT N320 textsStudy card

ように means “so that / in order to”. It is a JLPT N3 pattern: below are its construction, the nuances that trip learners up, and the sentences where real Japanese writers use it.

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一枚いちまいStudy card

A free one-page study card for ように (so that / in order to), JLPT N3: what it means, how it attaches, 3 example sentences with furigana, and the nuances that trip learners up. Read it right here, or take the PDF or PNG with you. We never ask for an email for this card.

The ように study card: one A4 page holding the pattern, its JLPT N3 meaning, the construction rules, 3 example sentences with furigana, and the nuance notes.
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How ように works

ように also expresses similarity, "like" or "as": 鳥のように飛ぶ, "fly like a bird." Two related set forms are ようになる ("come to do" — a change over time) and ようにする ("make an effort to do").

構文こうぶんConstruction

  • Verb (potential／negative) + ように + action

    後ろまで聞こえるように大きい声で話した。 — I spoke loudly so that I could be heard at the back.

  • Noun + のように ／ Clause + ように (simile)

    彼は魚のように泳ぐ。 — He swims like a fish.

  • Verb (dictionary／potential) + ようになる (change)

    漢字が読めるようになった。 — I have become able to read kanji.

  • Verb + ようにする (effort／habit)

    毎日運動するようにしている。 — I make a point of exercising every day.

例文れいぶんIn a sentence

I bundled up warm for bed so that I would not catch a cold.
The cat had fur as white as snow.
I have started dreaming in Japanese.

注意点ちゅういてんNuances

  • In the simile use, ように modifies verbs and adjectives while ような modifies nouns: 夢のような話 ("a story like a dream").
  • ようになる reports a change that happened (ability gained, habit formed); ようにする is a conscious ongoing effort — learners frequently swap them.
  • ように also softens commands and wishes: 遅れないように！ ("Don’t be late!"), 合格しますように ("I hope I pass").
How ように differs from similar patterns
  • 〜ために — 〜ために is "in order to" with volitional verbs and one subject doing both actions; ように is "so that" with potential or negative verbs, and the subjects may differ.
  • 〜ようとする — 〜ようとする means "try to / be about to do" at a specific moment; ようにする is a sustained effort or habit. One is an attempt, the other a policy.

練習れんしゅうYour Turn

Tip

Write one sentence about a goal ("so that I can…") and one comparison ("like a…") using ように.

ように (so that / in order to) in real sentences

Each one is quoted from a published Japanese text in this library and links to the story it came from. Some use older spellings, or break off where the sentence carried on. They are transcribed exactly as their authors wrote them.

— from Excellent English and American Jokes (N3)

— from The Lotus Princess (N2)

— from Building (N2)

— from The Suspicious Gentleman on the Airplane (N1)

Appears in 20 of 367 texts in our library.

蔵書ぞうしょThe texts

20 texts in the library use ように

Free to read in full. Furigana over every kanji, a dictionary on any word you tap, and an English breakdown of each sentence.

雪霊続記 cover Read 雪霊続記 Snow Spirit Chronicles 泉 鏡花 46 min read · Short Story 雪女 cover Read 雪女 The Snow Woman 小泉 八雲 28 min read · Short Story 荷花公主 cover Read 荷花公主 The Lotus Princess 田中 貢太郎 57 min read · Short Story 英米笑話秀逸 cover Read 英米笑話秀逸 Excellent English and American Jokes 佐々木 邦 18 min read · Short Story ウサギ cover Read ウサギ The Rabbit 新美 南吉 5 min read · Short Story 経験派 cover Read 経験派 The Empiricist 織田 作之助 2 min read · Short Story 書けない探偵小説 cover Read 書けない探偵小説 The Unwritable Detective Story 夢野 久作 15 min read · Short Story 飛行機に乗る怪しい紳士 cover Read 飛行機に乗る怪しい紳士 The Suspicious Gentleman on the Airplane 田中 貢太郎 10 min read · Short Story ビルディング cover Read ビルディング Building 夢野 久作 7 min read · Short Story 赤い蝋燭 cover Read 赤い蝋燭 Red Candle 新美 南吉 11 min read · Short Story 夏の葬列 cover Read 夏の葬列 Summer Funeral Procession 山川 方夫 33 min read · Short Story 蘭丸の絵 cover Read 蘭丸の絵 Ranmaru's Picture 牧野 信一 21 min read · Short Story
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紅色ダイヤ cover Read 紅色ダイヤ Red Diamond 小酒井 不木 91 min read · Short Story 焦土に残る怪 cover Read 焦土に残る怪 Ghosts in the Scorched Earth 田中 貢太郎 9 min read · Short Story 髪床やの大根さん cover Read 髪床やの大根さん Mr. Daikon's Barber Shop 村山 籌子 8 min read · Short Story 阿芳の怨霊 cover Read 阿芳の怨霊 Aho's Vengeful Spirit 田中 貢太郎 19 min read · Short Story 茶話 cover Read 茶話 Tea Talk 薄田 泣菫 8 min read · Short Story 古傷 cover Read 古傷 Old Scar 蘭 郁二郎 4 min read · Short Story 暗い花 cover Read 暗い花 Dark Flower 林 芙美子 85 min read · Short Story 指 cover Read 指 The Finger 佐左木 俊郎 16 min read · Short Story

解説かいせつBackground

Where this ように explanation comes from

ように sits at JLPT N3 in the 302-point taxonomy every text in this library is tagged against. Each text is read for the patterns it contains, which is what lets this page list every text that uses ように and pull its example sentences out of them.

The example sentences were not written to demonstrate the rule. They are quoted from published Japanese texts in this library (Excellent English and American Jokes and The Lotus Princess among them), and each one links back to the story it came from, so you can read the sentence where it actually happened.

質問しつもんQuestions

ように: questions & answers

How do I choose between ように and ために for "in order to"?

Use ために when one subject deliberately does both actions: 日本へ行くために貯金している ("I’m saving up in order to go to Japan"). Use ように when the verb before it is potential, negative, or otherwise outside direct control (読めるように, 忘れないように), or when the two clauses have different subjects.

What is the difference between ようになる and ようにする?

ようになる describes a change that took place: 話せるようになった ("I became able to speak"). ようにする is a deliberate effort or habit: 毎日話すようにしている ("I make a point of speaking every day"). One reports a change; the other reports trying.

How can ように mean both "so that" and "like"?

What comes before it decides. After a potential or negative verb followed by an action, it marks purpose: 聞こえるように大声で話す ("speak loudly so as to be heard"). After Noun + の or a clause describing manner, it is a comparison: 氷のように冷たい ("cold as ice").

Is there a printable ように cheat sheet?

Yes. A free one-page ように (so that / in order to) study card sits at the top of this page, as both a PDF and a PNG. It carries the JLPT N3 meaning, how the pattern attaches, 3 example sentences with furigana, and the nuances learners get wrong. You do not need an account or an email address to download it.

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