connective N1 uncommon writtenliterary
〜ながらに — while remaining ~
〜ながらに ・ ながらに
Meaning
- while remaining in (a state) / just as it is — the state persists unchanged; literary, mostly fixed expressions
Key sentence
彼女は涙ながらに事情を語った。
She told the story while in tears.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun or masu-stem, mostly in set phrases | N／V-ます-stem + ながらに(して) ／ 〜ながらの + 名詞 |
When: Literary; largely fixed expressions — 涙ながらに, 生まれながら(に), 昔ながら, 居ながらにして.
Examples
彼は生まれながらに音楽の才能に恵まれていた。
He was blessed with musical talent from birth.
この店は昔ながらの製法を守っている。
This shop preserves the time-honored method of making it.
Easily confused with
〜ながら ながら links two simultaneous actions ('while doing'). ながらに is a fixed, literary 'while in the state of', stressing an unchanging condition rather than a concurrent action. まま まま keeps a state unchanged in everyday speech. ながらに is the literary, idiomatic equivalent found in set phrases like 生まれながら.
See 〜ながらに in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ながらに the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.