other N1 common casualpolitewritten
なりに — in one's own way
なりに
Meaning
- in one's own way / as befits ~ / in a manner suited to ~ — doing something to the best of, and in keeping with, one's own (often limited) level or nature
Key sentence
子供は子供なりに、いろいろ考えている。
Children, in their own way, think about all sorts of things.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + なりに (adverbial) | N + なりに + verb | 私なりに頑張った |
| Noun + なりの (adnominal, before a noun) | N + なりの + N | 彼なりの考え |
Examples
下手なりに、最後まで描き上げた。
Clumsy as it was, I finished the drawing right to the end.
新人には新人なりの良さがある。
A newcomer has their own kind of strengths.
When you can't use it
- Acknowledges a limit or modest level yet credits a genuine effort or merit appropriate to it; often mildly humble (私なりに 'in my own modest way'). The adverbial form is なりに, the adnominal (before a noun) is なりの.
Easily confused with
Notes
- それなりに / それなりの ('in its own way, reasonably ~') is a very common set form: それなりに満足している ('I'm reasonably satisfied').
See なりに in real sentences
Jengo shows なりに the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.