auxiliary N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜通す — to do ~ all the way through
〜通す ・ とおす
Builds on 連用形（ます形）
Meaning
- do ~ all the way through / keep ~ing to the end — sustain a single action or stance from start to finish without changing
Key sentence
彼は自分の意見を最後まで押し通した。
He pushed his own opinion through to the very end.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (masu-stem) | V(stem) + 通す | やる → やり通す / 守る → 守り通す / 黙る → 黙り通す |
Examples
決めたことは最後までやり通すつもりだ。
I intend to see through to the end what I've decided to do.
彼女は秘密を守り通した。
She kept the secret all the way through.
厚い本だったが、一晩で読み通した。
It was a thick book, but I read it all the way through in one night.
When you can't use it
- 通す stresses keeping one action or attitude unchanged from beginning to end, so it fits verbs that can be sustained (守る, 黙る, やる). It doesn't suit a one-moment action — 'finish it instantly' is not 〜通す.
Easily confused with
〜抜く Both reach the end, but 通す stresses consistency — holding the same course or stance throughout (押し通す = 'push one's view through'). 抜く stresses overcoming hardship to get there (耐え抜く = 'endure to the bitter end'). 〜切る 切る marks reaching completion or using something up (食べ切る = 'eat it all'). 通す marks maintaining the action unbroken across the whole stretch (やり通す = 'see it through without giving up').
See 〜通す in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜通す 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.