～ように: How to Say "So That" / "In Order To" in Japanese

To say "so that" in Japanese with ～ように, you need a purpose marker that attaches to a result you cannot fully will into being: a potential ("can do"), a negative ("so as not to"), or another non-volitional verb.¹² ～ように marks the aim behind a deliberate action. It contrasts with ために (which takes a concrete, willed act) and also appears in the standalone prayer 受かりますように.³⁴

Overview

What ～ように expresses

～ように marks the aim or desired result behind a deliberate action: "so that X" or "in order to (be able to) X." The aim comes before ように. The action taken to reach it comes after.¹²

The construction points to a result the subject does not directly will or fully control. That is why it pairs with the potential form, the negative, or a non-volitional verb, not a plain willed act.⁵³ This one property separates it from ために, the related marker for concrete, intended action.

Structurally, ように is the に particle plus the よう nominal (from 様, "appearance, way, manner"). Its literal sense is "in the manner that the result comes about." The construction therefore reads as shaping things toward a state rather than commanding an act.⁶

漢字かんじが読よめるように、毎日まいにち練習れんしゅうしています。¹
"I practice every day so that I can read kanji."

始発しはつ電車でんしゃに間まに合あうように、早はやく家いえを出でました。²
"I left the house early so that I would make the first train."

Register and where it appears

～ように is neutral and works across registers, from casual speech to formal writing. It is common in instructions, resolutions, and explanations of why an action was taken.¹⁴

The wish use ～ますように carries a formal, respectful, prayer-like tone even in otherwise casual contexts, because it preserves the polite ます-form before ように.⁴

N3 in most curricula, sometimes filed at N4

The JLPT publishes no official grammar list, so any level label is a reference convention. JLPT Sensei and the ように-vs-ために distinction page both place the result-oriented pattern at N3, while Bunpro files the base ～ように at N4.¹³⁷ This article keeps the N3 label because the volitionality contrast and the potential-form trigger are what make the pattern hard.

Form: what attaches to ように

The trigger: potential, negative, or non-volitional verb

The key rule: ～ように attaches to a verb whose result the subject does not directly will. It appears in three main slots.

1. The potential form: 話せる, 読める, 見える.
2. The negative nai-form: 忘れない, 遅れない.
3. A non-volitional or change-of-state verb: わかる, なる, 治る, 間に合う.⁵³

This follows from the 意志動詞 / 無意志動詞 (volitional verb / non-volitional verb) distinction. A 意志動詞 names an action the subject can control by will. A 無意志動詞 names a movement or change the subject cannot control by will. ～ように selects the non-volitional side, which is why it also pairs with the potential form.⁵³

The potential form (話せる) and the negative target state (忘れない) work the same way here: they describe a state to be reached, not an act to perform. Both name something the subject cannot simply will into happening, so ように, not ために, fits.⁵³

A small set of verbs can be read as either volitional or non-volitional (for example なる "become," 忘れる "forget"). With those verbs, ように and ために can overlap.⁵

Positive purpose: potential and non-volitional dictionary form

With the potential form, ～ように means "so that one can" or "so that one will be able to": 話せるように, 読めるように, 泳げるように.²³

With a non-volitional dictionary form, it means "so that the state comes about": 間に合うように ("so as to be in time"), わかるように ("so that one understands"), 治るように ("so that it heals").⁵³

日本語にほんごが話はなせるように、毎日まいにち勉強べんきょうしています。³
"I study every day so that I can speak Japanese."

子こどもにもわかるように、やさしい言葉ことばで説明せつめいしました。⁵
"I explained it in simple words so that even a child could understand."

試験しけんに間まに合あうように、急いそいで会場かいじょうへ向むかいました。²
"I hurried to the venue so that I would make the exam in time."

Negative purpose: nai-form + ように

Verb-nai + ように means "so as not to X" or "in order to avoid X." The aim is for an event not to happen. Because that is outside direct will, ように is the natural marker.¹²

This is the most frequent learner-facing pattern: 忘れないように, 遅れないように, 風邪をひかないように, 落ちないように.¹

バスに乗のり遅おくれないように、早はやく出でました。¹
"I left early so that I would not miss the bus."

先生せんせいの話はなしを忘わすれないように、メモしておきます。¹
"I will take notes so that I do not forget what the teacher said."

明日あしたは遅刻ちこくしないように、早はやく寝ねます。²
"So that I am not late tomorrow, I will go to bed early."

Why a plain volitional verb does not take ように

A plain volitional verb (食べる "eat," 行く "go," 買う "buy," when read as willed acts) names something the subject directly controls. Pairing it with ように to mean "in order to do X by my own will" does not work. That purpose belongs to ために.⁵³

The contrast is minimal: 車を買うために働く ("I work in order to buy a car," a willed act, so ために) versus 車が買えるように貯金する ("I save money so that I can buy a car," a potential result, so ように).³ This is the most common error type for this grammar point, treated as a pitfall below.

～ように vs ～ために

The volitional vs non-volitional split

～ために takes a volitional verb (意志動詞) in dictionary form. It names a concrete action the subject intends and controls.⁵³ ～ように takes a non-volitional predicate: the potential, the negative, or a 無意志動詞. It names a result or state to be brought about.⁵³

The references converge on this rule of thumb: 車を買うために働く (volitional) versus 車が買えるように貯金する (non-volitional potential).³

Feature	～ように	～ために
Trigger verb type	potential, negative, or non-volitional (無意志動詞)	plain volitional (意志動詞) dictionary form
Subject	aim and action may have different subjects	aim and action share one subject
Nuance	result or state brought about; "so that"	concrete intended action; "in order to"

日本にほんへ行いくために、お金かねを貯ためています。³
"I am saving money in order to go to Japan."

日本語にほんごが話はなせるように、毎日まいにち練習れんしゅうしています。³
"I practice every day so that I can speak Japanese."

The same-subject rule

～ために requires the purpose and the action to share one subject: the person who has the goal is the person who acts.⁵

～ように allows different subjects: the actor does one thing so that someone else, or an uncontrolled situation, reaches a result.⁵

後うしろの席せきまで聞きこえるように、マイクを使つかって話はなしました。⁵
"I used a microphone so that I could be heard all the way to the back seats."

子こどもがよく勉強べんきょうするように、いい机つくえを買かいました。⁵
"I bought a good desk so that my child would study well."

A quick decision test

Ask two questions about the aim clause. First, is the outcome something the same actor directly wills and controls? Second, is it a single, concrete, intended action? If the answer to both is yes, use ために.⁵³

If the outcome is a potential ("can do"), a negative ("so as not to"), a change of state, or someone else's result, use ように.⁵³

Pairing the potential form with ために is an error

The mechanical shortcut is firm: potential form, nai-form, and 無意志動詞 take ように, while a plain volitional dictionary form with one shared subject takes ために.⁵³ 泳げるためにと練習します is wrong. The correct form is 泳げるように練習します.³

The wish and prayer use: ～ますように

From purpose to prayer

～ますように uses the same ように grammar, aimed at an uncontrollable result, but with no following action clause. The main clause ("I pray," "I hope") is dropped, and the wish stands alone.⁴⁸

It is formed with the polite ます-form: 合格しますように, 受かりますように, 元気になりますように, 治りますように. The ます-form keeps the wish in a respectful, outward-facing register even when the rest of the speech is casual.⁴

The result wished for is always non-volitional (passing, recovering, good weather), which is exactly why ように, not ために, is the marker.⁴⁸

試験しけんに受うかりますように。⁴
"I hope I pass the exam."

父ちちの病気びょうきが早はやく治なおりますように。⁴
"I hope my father's illness gets better soon."

明日あしたがいいお天気てんきになりますように。⁴
"I hope the weather is nice tomorrow."

The 祈る frame and 絵馬

The full frame restores the dropped verb: …ますように（と）祈る, or お祈りします ("I pray that …").⁴ The standalone wish leaves the verbs 祈る and 願う ("pray," "wish") unsaid.⁴

This is the standard register of 絵馬 (ema), the wooden wish plaques offered at shrines. Typical 合格祈願 (exam-success prayer) wishes are written as 合格しますように or ○○大学に合格できますように.⁹⁸

どうか家族かぞくが無事ぶじに過すごせますように。⁴
"Please let my family stay safe and well."

第一だいいち志望しぼうの大学だいがくに合格ごうかくできますように。⁹
"May I pass my first-choice university."

The name 絵馬 comes from dedicated horses

絵馬 ("picture-horse") reflects the old practice of dedicating live horses to the kami (Shinto deities). Horse pictures on wooden tablets later replaced live horses. Today, the plaque carries the petitioner's written wish.⁸

The standalone ～ますように is set, prayer-register language. For an ordinary statement of hope, ～といい, ～たらいい, or ～ことを願う is more usual. ～ますように specifically carries a supplication tone.⁴

Nuance and usage contexts

Instructions and soft requests

〜ように（と）言う reports or gives a directive indirectly: "tell or instruct someone to do X." The verb before ように is in plain form, and the construction softens a bare command into a relayed instruction.⁴

〜ようにしてください is a softened request ("please see to it that you X," "please make a point of X-ing"), gentler than a direct ～てください.⁴ Its action-focused twin, ～ようにする ("make an effort to"), is a neighboring point and is kept distinct here.

毎朝まいあさ薬くすりを飲のむように、医者いしゃに言いわれました。⁴
"The doctor told me to take the medicine every morning."

時間じかんに遅おくれないようにしてください。⁴
"Please make sure you are not late."

Comma, intonation, and clause order

The default order is aim clause first, action clause second. An optional comma (読点「、」) after ように marks the boundary: ［aim］ように、［action］.¹²

In the wish use, the action or main clause is omitted entirely. The sentence trails off after ように with falling intonation, as in 受かりますように.⁴

The comma after ように is stylistic, not obligatory; both 忘れないようにメモする and 忘れないように、メモする are well-formed.¹

Good to know

Pairing ように with a plain volitional verb

The most common error is using ように with a willed act. 日本語を話すように勉強します for "I study in order to speak Japanese" does not work, because 話す here is a plain volitional verb. Use the potential before ように, or use ために for the willed act.³

日本語にほんごが話はなせるように勉強べんきょうします。³
"I study so that I can speak Japanese."

The reverse error is also common: 泳げるためにと練習します is wrong, while 泳げるように練習します is right.³

ように means "toward the way things should be"

ように is に + よう (様, "appearance, way, manner"). You are steering a situation toward a state rather than commanding an act. That is why it takes the potential, the negative, and 無意志動詞, and why the same form carries the prayer 受かりますように.⁶⁸

Why textbooks pair it with the potential form first

A potential form (話せる, 読める) is unambiguously non-volitional. You cannot will yourself to "be able." That makes 〜できるように and 〜られるように the cleanest, least ambiguous first pattern to teach, and the one references lead with.¹³

Standalone ～ますように is prayer register

受かりますように with the main clause dropped is supplication language: shrines, ema, letters, set wishes. For a neutral statement of hope, ～といい or ～たらいい is the everyday choice. ～ますように specifically signals the petition-to-fate tone.⁴

See also

• ～ことができる: How to Say "Can Do" in Japanese
• The Polite Volitional ～ましょう: How to Say "Let's" in Japanese
• The Te-Form in Japanese: Uses (Linking, Cause, Light Imperative, Continuation)
• The と Particle: With, And, Quote

References

Footnotes

1. JLPT Sensei. "JLPT N3 Grammar: ように (you ni) Meaning." https://jlptsensei.com/learn-japanese-grammar/%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB-you-ni-meaning-in-order-to/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

2. BondLingo. "〜ように：Expressing aims or 'In order to/so that'." https://bondlingo.tv/blog/%E3%80%9C%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB%EF%BC%9Aexpressing-aims-or-in-order-to-so-that-japanese-grammer/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

3. JPLT Online Japanese Language Training School. "The Difference Between 〜ように (yō ni) vs 〜ために (tame ni) | Japanese Grammar (N5–N3)." https://jplt-dialogplus.com/the-difference-between%E3%80%9C%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB-yo-ni-vs-%E3%80%9C%E3%81%9F%E3%82%81%E3%81%AB-tame-ni%EF%BD%9Cjapanese-grammar-n5-n3/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴

4. Maggie Sensei. "How to use 〜よう ( = ~ you)." https://maggiesensei.com/2012/04/03/request-lesson-%E3%82%88%E3%81%86you/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹

5. Wasabi. "How to Express Aims: ために, …に, …のに, and …ように." Wasabi Japanese Online. https://wasabi-jpn.com/magazine/japanese-grammar/how-to-express-aims/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷

6. Bunpro. "ように・ような (JLPT N4)." https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/138 ↩ ↩²

7. Bunpro. "ように (JLPT N4)." https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB ↩

8. 日本文化研究ブログ (Japan Culture Research). 「『絵馬』の意味と由来とは？正しい絵馬の書き方 見本と例文」. https://jpnculture.net/ema/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

9. 産泰神社 (Santai-jinja). 「絵馬の正しい書き方は？お願い事をいくつも書いていいの？」神社豆知識・このはな手帖. https://www.santai-jinja.jp/blog/ema-kakikata/ ↩ ↩²