JLPT N3・N4 Gramamr- “〜ように” and “〜通りに”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “〜ように” and “〜通とおりに”
2. 〜ように
3. 〜通とおりに・〜通どおり
4. Summary
5. Quiz
6. Similar Articles
7. Comment

Q: Is there a difference in grammar between “〜ように” and “〜通とおりに”？

A: Both express that the content matches, but the degree of that match differs.

〜ように

“〜ように” is generally used when things are roughly (around 70-80%) the same.

[Rule]　
[V] Verb dictionary form/た form＋ように
[Na] な Adjective＋な/である/だった＋ように
[N] Noun＋の/である/だった＋ように

[Examples]　
[V] 私わたしが説明せつめいしたようにしてください。
Please do it as I explained.
⇒ I would like it to be roughly the same as my explanation.

[Na] 子供こどもには遊あそぶ時間じかんが必要ひつようなように、大人おとなにも好すきなことをする時間じかんが必要ひつようです。
Like children need time to play, adults need time to do what they enjoy.
⇒ Like children playing, adults also engage in activities they enjoy.

[N] 見本みほんのように書かいてください。
Please write it like the sample.
⇒ It’s fine as long as it’s roughly the same as what’s written in the sample.

[N] 山田やまださんのようにかっこいい先輩せんぱいになりたいです。　
I want to become a cool senior like Mr. Yamada.
⇒ “ように” can also be used when referring to people or things as examples.

〜通とおりに

It expresses a higher level of accuracy in matching, almost close to 100%, compared to “〜ように,” which means roughly the same.

[Rule]
[V] Verb dictionary form/た form＋とおりに
[N] Noun＋の＋とおりに、Noun＋どおり

[Examples]　
[V] 先生せんせいが言いった通とおりでした。
It was just as the teacher said.
⇒ This indicates that what the teacher said was almost exactly the same.

[N] この通とおりに書かいてください。
Please write it exactly like this.
⇒ Compared to “ように,” this implies a stronger need for writing almost exactly the same.

[N] 説明せつめいの通とおりにやればうまくできますよ。
If you do it as explained, you will succeed.
⇒ It’s necessary to make it almost exactly the same as what was explained.

[N] 説明せつめい通どおりにやればうまくできますよ。
If you do it as explained, you will succeed.
⇒When used directly with a noun, it’s pronounced as “どおり.”
　However, be careful as it cannot be used with nouns representing people or things.

〇 練習れんしゅう通どおりにやればきっと勝かてます。
　 If you do it as practice, you will surely win.
× コーチ通どおりにやればきっと勝かてます。
　 If you do it as the coach taught, you will surely win.
〇コーチの教おしえてくれた通とおりにやれば勝かてます。
If you do it as the coach taught, you will surely win.

Summary

When referring to roughly the same level of content match, use “ように,” and when aiming for almost exact similarity with high precision, use “通とおりに.”

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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