aspect N4 essential casualpolitewritten
〜ようになる — come to ~ / reach the point where ~
〜ようになる ・ ようになる
Builds on ように
Meaning
- come to ~ / reach the point where ~ / start to be able to ~ — a gradual change in ability or habit
Key sentence
毎日練習して、泳げるようになった。
After practicing every day, I became able to swim.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (dictionary or potential form) | V(る/potential) + ようになる | 話せるようになる |
| Negative (the change into not doing) | V-ない + ようになる ／ V-なくなる | 食べないようになる ／ 食べなくなる |
Examples
日本語が話せるようになりたい。
I want to become able to speak Japanese.
最近、野菜を食べるようになった。
Lately I've started eating vegetables (as a habit).
子どもが一人で寝られるようになった。
My child came to be able to sleep on their own.
When you can't use it
- ようになる highlights a change over time, so it pairs naturally with the potential form for new abilities (泳げるようになる). A state that was already true just takes plain なる, not ようになる.
Easily confused with
See 〜ようになる in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ようになる 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.