～につれて / ～にしたがって: As X Progresses

The patterns ～につれて and ～にしたがって both mean "as X progresses, Y changes too." They link two clauses so that the second shifts in step with the first.¹ They are the workhorse forms for describing proportional change. One rule matters most: both clauses must describe a directional change. That is what separates a natural sentence from a broken one.

Overview

What "as X progresses" means here

～につれて and ～にしたがって are 複合辞 (compound particles: multi-word forms that behave like a single conjunctive particle). They mark 連動 (linked movement): two clauses move in step, with the second clause changing as the first clause changes.¹

The relationship is causal as well as parallel. 森田・松木 describe the forms as attaching to a verb and showing that the first clause is the cause or reason from which the second clause arises.²

季節きせつが変化へんかするにつれて着きるものが変かわる。¹
"As the seasons change, what people wear changes too."

English "as" is ambiguous. It can be temporal, causal, or about manner. Here the intended reading is the proportional, parallel one: X gradually changes, and Y changes in step.¹³

The "as" you want is the proportional one

When you reach for these forms, you are claiming that two things move together along a scale. If your sentence does not have two moving values, ～につれて / ～にしたがって is the wrong tool, however well "as" fits the English.¹

JLPT placement and register

～につれて is N3-level grammar.⁴⁵⁶⁷ ～にしたがって is sorted at N3 by some teacher references⁸ and at N2 by others, including Bunpro⁹ and MLC.³

The JLPT publishes no official grammar list, so level assignments come from publishers' reconstructions and differ. The proportional-change use of both forms is reliably N3 material. にしたがって, especially the written にしたがい and the rule-following sense, clusters at N2 in references that split the pair.³⁹

The two forms also differ in register. につれて is the more conversational, change-only form, while にしたがって and にしたがい read as more literary and formal; につれて is somewhat preferred for personal matters.¹⁰

Form and attachment

Verb dictionary form and noun attachment

Both forms attach to a verb in its dictionary form (the plain non-past form) or to a noun.³⁴⁵⁶ The shared base is the particle に plus the te-form of a verb: 連れる for につれて, and 従う for にしたがって.¹¹¹¹²

Attaches to	Pattern	Example
Verb (dictionary form)	動詞辞書形 + につれて / にしたがって	登るにつれて
Noun	名詞 + につれて / にしたがって	発展にしたがって
する-noun	増加するにつれて or 増加につれて	either is available7

The following sentences show the verb-attachment pattern.

山やまは登のぼるにつれて酸素さんそが薄うすくなる。⁷
"As you climb the mountain, the oxygen gets thinner."

試験しけんが近ちかづくにしたがって、緊張きんちょうしてきた。³
"As the exam drew closer, I grew more and more nervous."

このゲームはステージをクリアするにしたがって、難むずかしくなります。⁸
"This game gets harder as you clear the stages."

Nouns and noun-like phrases attach directly. These forms fit best when the antecedent is a continuous process, such as time passing or aging.

時間じかんがたつにつれて、あの時ときのことを忘わすれてしまう。³
"As time passes, I end up forgetting about that time."

年としをとるにつれて、白髪しらがやシワが増ふえるのは当然とうぜんのことだ。³
"As you get older, it's only natural that gray hair and wrinkles increase."

経済けいざいの発展はってんにしたがって、一般いっぱん市民しみんの日常にちじょう生活せいかつは良よくなっていく。¹⁴
"As the economy develops, ordinary citizens' daily lives steadily improve."

につれて is the default for time passing

呉's frequency counts show 時間がたつ + につれて at 8,120 hits against 225 for にしたがって, and 年をとる + につれて at 10,300 against 552. For a continuously elapsing process, につれて is the natural choice.¹

The につれ / にしたがい short variants

Dropping the final て gives the shorter written variants ～につれ and ～にしたがい. ～につれ reads as slightly more formal than ～につれて.⁶

にしたがい is the more literary, written-style form. In conversation, につれて is the more natural pick.¹⁰

The core rule: both clauses need a directional change

Both the antecedent clause and the consequent clause must contain a word that expresses change.¹³⁵ The construction marks 連動 (coordinated change) along a continuous scale, so the verbs involved must be durative change verbs, meaning change verbs that unfold over time.

Change verbs that work

The verbs that fit have a built-in direction or scale: 増える (increase), 減る (decrease), 進む (progress), 上がる (rise), 下がる (fall), 成長する (grow), 近づく (draw near), 高まる (intensify), and the like.¹⁵ Each names a process that unfolds along a scale rather than a single instant.

This durative requirement matches the distinction in Japanese verb-aspect theory between continuous and punctual verbs. Both clauses must describe a process that moves along a scale, not a single instantaneous flip.¹¹⁴

The diagram below shows the shape the construction requires.

子供こどもは、成長せいちょうするにつれて、性格せいかくが変かわる。⁴
"As children grow, their personalities change."

通勤客つうきんきゃくが増ふえるにつれて、バスの本数ほんすうが増ふえていく。¹
"As commuters increase, the number of buses keeps increasing."

日本語にほんごが上手じょうずになるにつれて、日本にほんでの生活せいかつが楽たのしくなってきた。⁵
"As my Japanese got better, life in Japan became more enjoyable."

Why one-time events fail

These forms are unsuitable for a single-event phenomenon (単発的な出来事). They require a process that changes continuously, so a punctual one-shot predicate breaks the pattern.¹⁵

呉 frames this as a 同調性 (synchrony) requirement. The antecedent and the consequent are linked by a chain (くさり) and move together. Without a continuously moving antecedent, the consequent has nothing to track.¹

No volitional or command main clause

In the proportional-change reading, the consequent describes change that simply happens. It is not an action the speaker chooses, orders, or invites. 友松・他 state explicitly that ～につれて cannot be followed by a clause expressing the speaker's intention, an appeal, or an invitation.¹⁶

This is why ～しよう, the imperative ～しなさい, and the request ～してください are blocked in the pure-change main clause. The consequent must be automatic change.¹⁶¹⁰

通勤客つうきんきゃくが増ふえるにつれて、バスの本数ほんすうが増ふえていく。¹
"As commuters increase, the number of buses increases."

呉 notes a telling contrast. A volitional consequent such as "I plan to add more buses from now on" is awkward with につれて but acceptable with にしたがって. That is because にしたがって keeps the 従う "follow / conform" meaning and so tolerates a chosen response, whereas につれて casts the consequent as pulled along involuntarily.¹

につれて vs にしたがって: choosing between them

Where they overlap

In pure proportional-change sentences, the two forms are largely interchangeable.¹³ The difference is one of focus.

呉 documents the split: につれて puts the focus on the antecedent, the cause that pulls the consequent along, and on the variation while it is in progress. にしたがって puts the focus on the consequent and on the changed result.¹

A behavioral test backs this up. The adverb やがて ("eventually, in time") fits well with a につれて antecedent but poorly with a にしたがって one. That is because やがて describes a continuously elapsing process, and につれて foregrounds that process.¹¹⁷

For register, につれて is the slightly softer, more conversational, change-only form, while にしたがって and にしたがい are more formal and written.¹⁰

にしたがって's second meaning: in accordance with

にしたがって also has a separate sense that につれて does not share: "in accordance with, following, obeying." It comes from the main verb 従う "to follow / obey." デジタル大辞泉 defines this sense as doing as directed by laws, customs, or opinions without going against them, with the example 指示に従って行動する.¹¹

This rule-following reading can take a volitional or command consequent, because a person can be told to obey. The change reading does the opposite: it blocks such clauses.¹¹⁰

この原稿げんこうに従したがってインタビューに答こたえてください。⁹
"Please answer the interview in accordance with this script."

指示しじに従したがって行動こうどうする。¹¹
"Act in accordance with the instructions."

矢印やじるしにしたがって進すすんでください。¹¹¹⁰
"Please proceed following the arrows."

The command consequent is the tell

A request or order in the main clause (こたえてください, すすんでください) is grammatical only in the rule-following sense. The same shape with the proportional-change sense would be ungrammatical, so the verb meaning of 従う is doing the work here.¹¹⁹

Nuance and usage contexts

Gradual and proportional, not abrupt

The change tracks continuously. 呉 describes the antecedent and consequent as linked by a chain (くさり), so they move together in synchrony.¹

Typical antecedents are continuous processes: time passing, aging, seasons changing, technology or the economy developing, distance changing, or climbing.¹³⁵ The consequent often carries a gradual-change adverb such as だんだん or どんどん, which reinforces the step-by-step reading.⁷

Neighboring "along with" markers

Two nearby markers cover similar ground and are worth distinguishing. The sourcing here is thinner than for the main pair.

～に伴って (にともなって) stresses accompaniment and causal triggering, as in "Y is brought about by X." It is preferred for large-scale phenomena and can even handle a one-time large event. It also reads more formal.¹⁵

～とともに (とともに) emphasizes simultaneity and accompaniment. It can attach to non-changing states as well as continuous processes. It works awkwardly for short gradual changes.¹⁵

All four (につれて, にしたがって, とともに, にともなって) share the core proportional-change meaning. When both X and Y gradually change in response to X, any of the four is generally usable. They differ mainly in focus and register.¹⁵

Good to know

したがう is "to follow," つれる is "to take along"

にしたがって is the te-form of 従う "to follow / obey." デジタル大辞泉 lists three senses for the verb: going behind or coming after, complying or obeying, and the grammaticalized form 「…にしたがって」 itself, glossed as equivalent to につれて / とともに.¹¹

につれて is the te-form of 連れる "to take or bring along." Its grammaticalized sense is that as one side's situation changes, the other side's situation changes too.¹²

The etymology explains the behavior. The 従う root is why にしたがって also means "in accordance with a rule" and why the consequent "follows" the antecedent. The 連れる root is why につれて casts the consequent as dragged along involuntarily.¹¹¹¹²

Don't use these forms for a one-time, punctual event

A single-point event such as getting married or dying gives the consequent nothing to track along a scale, so the construction is unsuitable for a 単発的な出来事 (one-time event). A sentence like 彼が結婚するにつれて、引っ越した to mean "when he got married, he moved" is wrong. Use とき for a one-time event instead.

彼かれが結婚けっこんした時とき、引ひっ越こした。¹
"When he got married, he moved."

Both halves must be on a moving scale

A clause with no movement, such as 静かだ (is quiet) or 三人だ (is three people), has nothing for the other clause to track. The construction marks 連動 between two changing values. 部屋が静かだにつれて、集中できる does not work because the antecedent does not move.¹⁵ Put both halves on a scale instead.

夜よるが更ふけるにつれて、部屋へやが静しずかになっていく。¹
"As the night deepens, the room grows quieter."

つれる, not つける

～につれて comes from 連れる (つれる), not from つける. In writing, learners sometimes slip toward つけて or づけて, but the reading is つれて.¹² A separate form ～につけ (as in ～につけ…につけ) exists and is higher-level, so do not conflate the two.

年としをとるにつれて忘わすれっぽくなる。¹²
"As you get older, you become more forgetful."

See also

• ば…ほど: How to Say "The More X, the More Y" in Japanese
• The より Particle: Than / From (Formal)
• The ほど Particle: Extent and Comparison
• The によって Compound Particle: By Means of, Depending on
• The に対して Compound Particle: Toward / In Contrast

References

Footnotes

1. 呉シ娟「複合辞『〜につれて』『〜にしたがって』について」第6回日本語教育学講座定例研究会発表資料, 名古屋大学大学院国際言語文化研究科, 2006. https://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/bugai/kokugen/nichigen/0-kyouiku/seminar/pdf/006-1.pdf ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴

2. 森田良行・松木正恵『日本語表現文型 用例中心・複合辞の意味と用法』アルク, 1989. Claims accessed via 呉シ娟 (2006)¹, which dates this work 1985; the standard published edition is 1989. ↩

3. MLC Japanese Language School (Tokyo). "JLPT N2 grammar: ～につれて・～にしたがって（～に従って)." https://www.mlcjapanese.co.jp/n2_04_32.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

4. Bunpro. "につれて (JLPT N3)." https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/につれて (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. 日本語NET（日本語教師のためのサイト）. 「【JLPT N3】文法・例文：〜につれて」. https://nihongokyoshi-net.com/2018/09/08/jlptn3-grammar-nitsurete/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

6. 毎日のんびり日本語教師. 「【N3文法】～につれて／につれ」. https://mainichi-nonbiri.com/grammar/n3-nitsurete/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³

7. 日本語教師のN1et. 「【JLPT N3】「につれて」」. https://jn1et.com/niturete/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. 日本語NET（日本語教師のためのサイト）. 「【JLPT N3】文法・例文：〜にしたがって」. https://nihongokyoshi-net.com/2019/05/13/jlptn3-grammar-nishitagatte/ (limitation) ↩ ↩²

9. Bunpro. "にしたがって (JLPT N2)." https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/にしたがって (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

10. Maggie Sensei. "How to use につれ（て）/したがって（したがい）/ともなって（ともない）/とともに." https://maggiesensei.com/2021/02/28/how-to-use-につれ-したがって-ともなって-とともに/ (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

11. デジタル大辞泉（小学館）, entry 従う（したがう）. Via Weblio. https://www.weblio.jp/content/%E5%BE%93%E3%81%86 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

12. デジタル大辞泉（小学館）, entry 連れる（つれる）. Via Weblio. https://www.weblio.jp/content/%E9%80%A3%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

13. グループ・ジャマシイ（編）『教師と学習者のための日本語文型辞典』くろしお出版, 1998. ↩

14. 庵功雄・高梨信乃・中西久実子・山田敏弘『中上級を教える人のための日本語文法ハンドブック』スリーエーネットワーク, 2001. ↩

15. 日本語応用言語学（nihongo-appliedlinguistics.net）.「『～につれて』『～にしたがって』『～とともに』『～にともなって』の違いについて」. https://www.nihongo-appliedlinguistics.net/wp/archives/7036 (limitation) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

16. 友松悦子・宮本淳・和栗雅子『どんな時どう使う日本語表現文型500』アルク, 1996/1997. Claim on the volitional-clause restriction accessed via 呉シ娟 (2006)¹, p. 45 as cited there. ↩ ↩²

17. 飛田良文・浅田秀子『現代副詞用法辞典』東京堂出版, 1994. Cited via 呉シ娟 (2006)¹ for the meaning of やがて. ↩