Japanese Grammar: ように (you ni) – Purpose, Wishes, and Requests

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Japanese Grammar: ように (you ni) – Purpose, Wishes, and Requests
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

‘In order to,’ ‘so that,’ ‘as if,’ or ‘I hope that.’

🎯 Primary Function

To indicate a desired state, an indirect request, a wish, or a comparison/manner.

📋 Grammar Structure

[Verb Dictionary Form] + ように / [Verb Potential Form] + ように / [Verb Nai-form] + ように
[i-adjective] + ように / [i-adjective] + くなる + ように
[na-adjective] + な + ように / [na-adjective] + になる + ように
[Verb Nai-form] + ように

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in business emails for requests (ように、お願いいたします) or announcements.

😊 Informal Situations

Used among friends to give advice (〜ないようにね) or express casual hopes.

✍️ Written Language

Common in manuals, instructions, and formal letters.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Very common for requests and expressing goals.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing Purpose
Used when the goal is a state or a non-controllable action (like potential form).
Example: 日本語が上手に話せるように、毎日練習します。
Indirect Requests
Used to report a request or command given to someone else indirectly.
Example: 遅れないように言ってください。
Wishes and Prayers
Used at the end of a sentence to express a hope or prayer, often seen at shrines or during Tanabata.
Example: 合格しますように。
Habit or Change
Used with ‘suru’ to show an effort to create a habit, or ‘naru’ to show a change in ability/state.
Example: 野菜を食べるようにしています。
📊
Frequency
Extremely high in daily conversation, business, and formal writing.
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N3
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N3 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N3 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
忘れないように、メモしました。
Furigana: わすれないように、めもしました。
Romaji: Wasurenai you ni, memo shimashita.
English: I wrote a memo so that I wouldn’t forget the appointment.
Example #2
日本語が上手に話せるように、毎日練習しています。
Furigana: にほんごがじょうずに话せるように、まいにちれんしゅうしています。
Romaji: Nihongo ga jouzu ni hanaseru you ni, mainichi renshuu shiteimasu.
English: I am practicing every day so that I can speak Japanese fluently.
Example #3
明日は遅れないようにしてください。
Furigana: あしたはおくれないようにしてください。
Romaji: Ashita wa okurenai you ni shite kudasai.
English: Please make sure not to be late tomorrow.
Example #4
先生は学生に、明日までに宿題を出すように言いました。
Furigana: せんせいはがくせいに、あしたまでにしゅくだいをだすようにいいました。
Romaji: Sensei wa gakusei ni, ashita made ni shukudai o dasu you ni iimashita.
English: The teacher told the students to hand in their homework by tomorrow.
Example #5
家族が健康でいられますように。
Furigana: かぞくがけんこうでいられますように。
Romaji: Kazoku ga kenkou de iraremasu you ni.
English: I hope that my family stays healthy.
Example #6
N3に合格できますように。
Furigana: N3のごうかくできますように。
Romaji: Enu-san ni goukaku dekimasu you ni.
English: I hope I can pass the JLPT N3 exam.
Example #7
ようやく100メートル泳げるようになりました。
Furigana: ようやく100めーとるおよげるようになりました。
Romaji: Youyaku hyaku meetoru oyogeru you ni narimashita.
English: I finally became able to swim 100 meters.
Example #8
毎日、野菜をたくさん食べるようにしています。
Furigana: まいにち、やさいをたくさんたべるようにしています。
Romaji: Mainichi, yasai o takusan taberu you ni shiteimasu.
English: I make an effort to eat a lot of vegetables every day.
Example #9
彼女は天使のように笑います。構
Furigana: かのじょはてんしのようにわらいます。
Romaji: Kanojo wa tenshi no you ni waraimasu.
English: She smiles like an angel.
Example #10
私が見せたようにやってみてください。構
Furigana: わたしがみせたようにやってみてください。
Romaji: Watashi ga miseta you ni yatte mite kudasai.
English: Please do it just as I showed you.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Negative Purpose
‘You ni’ is frequently used with negative verbs to mean ‘so that [negative state] doesn’t happen.’
Example: 忘れないようにメモしてください。
Change of State
Combined with ‘naru’, it indicates reaching a new state of ability.
Example: 走れるようになりました。

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 日本に行くように、お金を貯めています。
✅ 日本に行くために、お金を貯めています。
‘Tame ni’ is used for intentional, controllable actions (going to Japan), while ‘you ni’ is for states or potential outcomes.
❌ 合格するように、勉強します。 (less natural)
✅ 合格できるように、勉強します。 (using potential form)
When expressing purpose with ‘you ni’, use the potential form for verbs that have one.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Standard to polite depending on the sentence ending. ‘You ni shite kudasai’ is a polite but firm request.
Social Situations: Often used in religious contexts (shrines) for prayers or in workplace instructions to be less direct than ‘nasai’.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

ように (you ni) vs ために (tame ni)
‘Tame ni’ is for a specific, controllable goal. ‘You ni’ is for a state, potential ability, or a negative outcome to avoid.
When to use: Use ‘tame ni’ when you have direct control over the result. Use ‘you ni’ when the result is a state or involves potential.

📝 Conjugation Notes

When expressing purpose, the verb before ‘you ni’ is usually in the potential form, the negative form (nai-form), or is a non-volitional verb (like ‘naru’ or ‘wakaru’).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The ‘ni’ is often followed by a slight pause if it’s used to set the purpose at the beginning of a sentence.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘you’ (様) as ‘way’ or ‘manner’. So ‘you ni’ is ‘in the manner that…’ or ‘toward the way that…’. For wishes, imagine you are sending your thought ‘toward’ that goal.

Other Grammar

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