connective N3 common casualpolitewritten
によると — according to
によると
Builds on による
Meaning
- according to ~ / from what ~ says — cites the source of reported information
Key sentence
天気予報によると、明日は雨だそうだ。
According to the forecast, it's going to rain tomorrow.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (a source of information) | N + によると … 〜そうだ / 〜らしい | ニュースによると / 友達の話によると |
Examples
新聞によると、来月から値上げされるらしい。
According to the newspaper, prices will apparently go up from next month.
彼の説明によると、原因は機械の故障だった。
According to his explanation, the cause was a machine breakdown.
Easily confused with
による による expresses cause ('due to') or dependence ('depends on'). Adding と (によると) shifts it entirely to 'according to [source],' for reporting information. 〜そうだ (hearsay) そうだ at the sentence end marks the information as hearsay; によると at the front names where it came from. They routinely combine: 〜によると…そうだ.
Notes
- Normally paired with a hearsay ending — そうだ, らしい, or という — at the end of the sentence, since you're relaying what the source said. によれば is an interchangeable, slightly more formal variant.
See によると in real sentences
Jengo shows によると 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 Advanced Japanese Grammar.