nominalizer N4 essential casualpolitewritten
〜方 — way / manner of doing ~
〜方 ・ かた
Builds on 連用形（ます形）
Meaning
- the way of ~ing / how to ~ — turns a verb into a noun for its method or manner
Key sentence
この漢字の読み方が分からない。
I don't know how to read this kanji.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (ます-stem) | V-stem + 方 | 使う → 使い方 |
Examples
お箸の持ち方を教えてください。
Please teach me how to hold chopsticks.
考え方は人それぞれだ。
Ways of thinking differ from person to person.
この機械の使い方は簡単だ。
The way to use this machine is simple.
When you can't use it
- The object's を turns into の before 方: 本を読む → 本の読み方 (the way of reading the book), not ×本を読み方.
Notes
- 方 here is read かた. (As a polite word for 'person' it is also かた: あの方 = that person.)
See 〜方 in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜方 the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.