Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Together with; along with; at the same time as.
🎯 Primary Function
To express simultaneity or accompaniment in a formal or literary tone.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (Dictionary form) + と共に / Noun + と共に
い-adjective + と共に / い-adjective (である) + と共に
な-adjective (である) + と共に / Noun (である) + と共に
Noun / Verb (辞書形) + ではないことと共に (rarely used; usually replaces negative meanings with nouns)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used frequently in business meetings, ceremonies, and formal announcements.
Informal Situations
Rarely used in casual speech; ‘to issho ni’ is preferred.
Written Language
Common in newspapers, academic essays, and literature.
Spoken Language
Used in speeches, presentations, or reporting.
💡 Common Applications
Accompaniment
Expressing doing an action together with someone or something.
Example: 家族と共に (With family)
Simultaneous Actions/States
Describing two states or actions that occur or exist at the same time.
Example: 作家であると共に (As well as being a writer)
Proportional Change
Indicating that as one thing changes, another change occurs simultaneously.
Example: 進歩と共に (As it progresses)
Frequency
High (especially in formal writing and news)
Difficulty
N3 (Intermediate/Advanced)
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Example Sentences
Example #1
クリスマスは家族と共に過ごしたいです。
Furigana: クリスマスはかぞくとともにすごしたいです。
Romaji: Kurisumasu wa kazoku to tomo ni sugoshitai desu.
English: I want to spend Christmas with my family.
Example #2
技術の進歩と共に、私たちの生活は便利になっていく。
Furigana: ぎじゅつのしんぽとともに、わたしたちのせいかつはべんりになっていく。
Romaji: Gijutsu no shinpo to tomo ni, watashitachi no seikatsu wa benri ni natte iku.
English: As technology progresses, our lives become more convenient.
Example #3
経済の発展と共に、物価も上昇している。
Furigana: けいざいのはってんとともに、ぶっかもじょうしょうしている。
Romaji: Keizai no hatten to tomo ni, bukka mo joushou shite iru.
English: As the economy develops, prices are also rising.
Example #4
卒業と共に、彼は父親の会社で働き始めた。
Furigana: そつぎょうとともに、かれはちちおやのかいしゃではたらきはじめた。
Romaji: Sotsugyou to tomo ni, kare wa chichioya no kaisha de hataraki hajimeta.
English: Upon graduation, he started working at his father’s company.
Example #5
日の出の美しさと共に、希望を感じた。
Furigana: ひのでのうつくしさとともに、きぼうをかんじた。
Romaji: Hinode no utsukushisa to tomo ni, kibou o kanjita.
English: The sunrise was beautiful, and at the same time, I felt a sense of hope.
Example #6
この本はためになると共に、娯楽にもなる。
Furigana: このほんはためになるとともに、ごらくにもなる。
Romaji: Kono hon wa tame ni naru to tomo ni, goraku ni mo naru.
English: This book is educational and provides entertainment at the same time.
Example #7
春の訪れと共に、桜が咲き始めた。
Furigana: はるのおとずれとともに、さくらがさきはじめた。
Romaji: Haru no otozure to tomo ni, sakura ga sakihajimeta.
English: With the arrival of spring, the cherry blossoms began to bloom.
Example #8
彼女は才能ある作家であると共に、人気のある女優でもある。
Furigana: かのじょはさいのうあるさっかであるとともに、にんきのあるじょゆうでもある。
Romaji: Kanojo wa sainou aru sakka de aru to tomo ni, ninki no aru joyuu demo aru.
English: She is a talented writer as well as a popular actress.
Example #9
夢に向かって、仲間と共に前進しよう。
Furigana: ゆめにむかって、なかまともにぜんしんしよう。
Romaji: Yume ni mukatte, nakama to tomo ni zenshin shiyou.
English: Let’s move forward together with our friends toward our dreams.
Example #10
高齢化と共に、労働力不足が深刻になっている。
Furigana: こうれいかとともに、ろうどうりょくぶそくがしんこくになっている。
Romaji: Koureika to tomo ni, roudouryoku busoku ga shinkoku ni natte iru.
English: As the population ages, the labor shortage is becoming more serious.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Proportional Change
It expresses a natural progression where A and B happen in tandem.
Example: 年をとると共に、体力が衰える。
Dual Roles
It emphasizes that one person or thing holds two roles or characteristics simultaneously.
Example: 彼は教師であると共に、父親でもある。
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 友達と共に映画を見た。
✅ 友達と一緒に映画を見た。
‘To tomo ni’ is too formal for casual activities like watching a movie with a friend. Use ‘to issho ni’ instead.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: High / Formal.
Social Situations: Used in contexts where the speaker wants to sound professional or literary.
Regional Variations: No specific regional variation; it is standard Japanese.
🔍 Subtle Differences
と共に vs. につれて
‘Ni tsurete’ specifically focuses on the one-way proportional change (As A changes, B changes), whereas ‘To tomo ni’ can mean both proportional change and simple simultaneity.
When to use: Use ‘to tomo ni’ for dual roles or states, and ‘ni tsurete’ for progressive changes.
と共に vs. と一緒に
‘To issho ni’ is casual and physical accompaniment; ‘To tomo ni’ is formal and can be abstract.
When to use: Use ‘to tomo ni’ in writing or formal speeches.
📝 Conjugation Notes
When used with Nouns, it follows directly (N + と共に). When used with Verbs, it follows the dictionary form. For adjectives, ‘である’ is often inserted to maintain formality.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Ensure a clear ‘to’ particle sound before ‘tomo ni’ to distinguish it from other ‘tomo’ words.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘tomo’ (共) as ‘together’ (like in ‘tomodachi’). This grammar expands the simple ‘together’ to include ‘at the same time’ or ‘as things change.’
Other Grammar
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