Chapter 13 — Purpose: ために and ように

English uses "to" and "in order to" for purpose, and "so that" for desired outcomes. Japanese draws a sharper line. It has two purpose constructions — ために and ように — and the choice between them is not stylistic. It is determined by whether the verb expresses something you can do on purpose.

This chapter teaches both constructions, their secondary uses, and the two important derived patterns ようにする ("make an effort to") and ようになる ("come to be able to"). By the end, you will be able to express goals, explain reasons, describe lifestyle changes, and talk about abilities that developed over time.

13.1 ために — Purpose with Volitional Verbs

Formation

[dictionary form of volitional verb] + ために

A volitional verb is one that describes an action you can choose to perform — eating, studying, buying, going, working. Most verbs are volitional. ために attaches to the dictionary form of these verbs to express purpose: "in order to do X."

Examples

日本語を勉強するために日本に来た。 I came to Japan in order to study Japanese.

新しい車を買うためにお金を貯めている。 I am saving money in order to buy a new car.

試験に合格するために毎日勉強しています。 I study every day in order to pass the exam.

健康のために野菜をたくさん食べるようにしている。 For my health, I try to eat a lot of vegetables.

家族に会うために国に帰った。 I went back to my country in order to see my family.

Noun + のために

ために can also follow nouns with the particle の:

家族のために働いている。 I am working for my family.

将来のためにお金を貯めている。 I am saving money for the future.

健康のために毎朝散歩している。 I take a walk every morning for my health.

When following a noun, ために means "for the sake of" — the purpose or beneficiary of the action.

Key requirement: the verb must be volitional

ために for purpose requires a verb that the subject can intentionally perform. You cannot use ために with non-volitional verbs or potential forms for purpose. This is where ように (Section 13.3) comes in.

✗ 日本語が話せるために勉強する。 ✓ 日本語が話せるように勉強する。

話せる (can speak) is a potential form — you cannot "decide" to be able to speak. The ability happens as a result of effort, not as a direct choice. For this type of purpose, Japanese uses ように.

The subject constraint

In a ために purpose sentence, the subject of the ために clause and the subject of the main clause must be the same person:

✓ 私は日本語を勉強するために日本に来た。 (I study / I came — same subject)

✗ 子供が勉強するために私は静かにした。 (The child studies / I was quiet — different subjects → use ように)

When the two clauses have different subjects, ように is required (Section 13.3).

13.2 ために — Reason and Cause

The second meaning

ために has a second, distinct use: expressing reason or cause. When ために follows a completed or existing state, it means "because of" rather than "in order to."

Formation

[plain form (past or present)] + ために [noun + の] + ために

Examples

台風のために電車が止まった。 Because of the typhoon, the trains stopped.

事故があったために道が混んでいる。 Because there was an accident, the road is congested.

雪が降ったために学校が休みになった。 Because it snowed, school was canceled.

仕事が忙しいために、なかなか友達に会えない。 Because work is busy, I can't easily meet friends.

病気のために会社を休んだ。 I was absent from work because of illness.

How to distinguish purpose from reason

The same word ために can mean "in order to" (purpose) or "because of" (reason). Context usually makes the distinction clear, but here are guidelines:

When the verb before ために is in the dictionary form and describes a goal, it is purpose. When it describes something that already happened or an existing state, it is reason.

試験に合格するために勉強する。 I study in order to pass the exam. (purpose — passing has not happened yet)

試験に落ちたために、もう一年勉強することにした。 Because I failed the exam, I decided to study for one more year. (reason — failing already happened)

13.3 ように — Purpose with Non-Volitional Verbs

Formation

[dictionary form / potential form / ない-form of non-volitional verb] + ように

ように expresses purpose when the desired outcome is not under the subject's direct control. This includes potential forms, spontaneous verbs, negative forms, and situations where the subjects of the two clauses differ.

Examples

日本語が話せるように毎日練習している。 I practice every day so that I can speak Japanese.

聞こえるように大きい声で話した。 I spoke in a loud voice so that (it) could be heard.

忘れないようにメモを書いた。 I wrote a memo so that I would not forget.

遅刻しないように早く出た。 I left early so that I would not be late.

子供が分かるように簡単な言葉で説明した。 I explained in simple words so that the child would understand.

Why ように and not ために

In each of these examples, the desired outcome is not a direct, volitional action:

• 話せる — potential form. You cannot "decide" to be able to speak.
• 聞こえる — spontaneous perception. You cannot control whether something is heard.
• 忘れない — a negative state. You cannot "do" the act of not forgetting.
• 遅刻しない — a negative state.
• 子供が分かる — different subject from the main clause.

ために requires a volitional verb with the same subject. ように covers everything else: non-volitional outcomes, potential forms, negatives, and different-subject purpose clauses.

Different subjects

ように allows the two clauses to have different subjects. This is one of its most important features:

母が心配しないように毎日電話する。 I call every day so that my mother won't worry.

The main clause subject is "I" (the caller). The ように clause subject is "my mother" (the one who might worry). Since the subjects differ, ために cannot be used.

みんなに見えるように大きく書いた。 I wrote in large characters so that everyone could see.

Again, different subjects: "I" wrote, "everyone" sees.

13.4 ようにする — "Make an Effort to"

Formation

[dictionary form / ない-form of verb] + ようにする

ようにする means "make an effort to" or "make sure to." It expresses a conscious attempt to establish or maintain a habit.

Examples

毎日運動するようにしている。 I make an effort to exercise every day.

野菜をたくさん食べるようにしています。 I try to eat a lot of vegetables.

夜十一時までに寝るようにしている。 I make sure to go to bed by eleven at night.

甘い物を食べないようにしている。 I try not to eat sweets.

できるだけ日本語で話すようにしている。 I try to speak in Japanese as much as possible.

ようにしている vs ようにする

ようにしている (with ている) means "I make it a practice to" — an ongoing effort that is currently in place. ようにする (without ている) describes a newly adopted effort or a one-time attempt:

今日から早く起きるようにする。 Starting today, I will make an effort to wake up early. (new resolution)

毎朝早く起きるようにしている。 I make an effort to wake up early every morning. (ongoing practice)

In everyday conversation, the ている form is far more common because people usually talk about habits they are already maintaining.

ようにする vs ことにする

Both express decisions about future behavior, but they differ:

毎日走ることにした。 I decided to run every day. (firm decision)

毎日走るようにしている。 I try to run every day. (effort — implies it doesn't always happen)

ことにした presents the decision as definite. ようにしている acknowledges that the speaker is trying but may not always succeed. ようにする is humbler and more realistic.

13.5 ようになる — "Come to Be Able to"

Formation

[dictionary form / potential form / ない-form of verb] + ようになる

ようになる describes a change in state — specifically, a transition from not being able (or not doing) something to being able (or doing) it. It means "reach the point where" or "come to be able to."

Examples

日本語が話せるようになった。 I became able to speak Japanese.

漢字が読めるようになりました。 I became able to read kanji.

子供が一人で着替えられるようになった。 The child became able to dress by himself.

最近、朝早く起きられるようになった。 Recently, I have become able to wake up early in the morning.

やっと自転車に乗れるようになった。 I finally became able to ride a bicycle.

Negative: ないようになる

The negative form describes a change toward not doing something:

最近、あまりテレビを見ないようになった。 Recently, I have stopped watching TV much. (I came to a state of not watching)

大人になって、甘い物を食べないようになった。 After becoming an adult, I stopped eating sweets.

ようになる vs the potential form alone

The potential form alone (話せる) describes a current ability. ようになる describes the process of acquiring that ability:

日本語が話せる。 I can speak Japanese. (current state)

日本語が話せるようになった。 I became able to speak Japanese. (describes the change)

ようになった answers the implicit question: "When did this ability develop?" or "How did things change?" It is a narrative form — it tells a story of progress.

ようになる with non-potential verbs

ようになる also works with regular dictionary forms to describe changes in behavior or circumstance:

大学に入ってから、よく本を読むようになった。 After entering university, I came to read books often.

日本に来てから、毎日お米を食べるようになった。 After coming to Japan, I came to eat rice every day.

These describe lifestyle changes — transitions from one pattern to another.

13.6 Distinguishing ために vs ように

This section provides a clear summary of when to use each form.

The deciding factor: volitionality

The core question is: Can the subject directly and intentionally perform the action in the purpose clause?

• If yes → ために
• If no → ように

Decision flowchart

1. Is the purpose verb volitional (something you can choose to do)?
   • No → use ように
   • Yes → continue to step 2
2. Is the purpose verb in the potential or negative form?
   • Yes → use ように
   • No → continue to step 3
3. Do the two clauses have the same subject?
   • No → use ように
   • Yes → use ために

Contrastive examples

A practical guideline

If in doubt, ように is the safer choice. It works in more contexts than ために. ために is more specific — it requires a volitional verb, same subject, and dictionary form. ように has no such restrictions. Native speakers sometimes use ように where ために would also be correct, but the reverse — using ために where ように is required — is a clear error.

13.7 Reading Passage

生活を変える

田中さんは三十五歳の会社員だ。去年の健康診断で、医者に「もう少し運動した方がいいですよ」と言われた。体重が少し増えていたし、血圧も高くなっていた。

田中さんは健康のために生活を変えることにした。

まず、毎朝三十分歩くようにした。最初は大変だったが、二週間ぐらい続けたら、だんだん慣れてきた。今では毎朝歩かないと気持ちが悪く感じるようになった。

次に、野菜をたくさん食べるようにした。前はコンビニ弁当ばかり食べていたが、自分で料理を作ることにした。料理ができるようになるために、インターネットで簡単なレシピを調べた。最初は卵焼きぐらいしか作れなかったが、三ヶ月ぐらいで色々な料理が作れるようになった。

お酒も減らすようにした。前は毎日飲んでいたが、今は週に二回だけ飲むことにしている。友達に「飲まないの？」と聞かれることがあるが、「健康のために減らしているんだ」と答えている。

夜は早く寝るようにしている。前は十二時過ぎまで起きていたが、今は十一時までに寝るようにしている。朝起きられるようになるためには、早く寝ることが大切だ。

半年たって、体重が五キロ減った。血圧も下がった。医者に「よく頑張りましたね」と言ってもらえた。

生活を変えるのは簡単ではなかったが、少しずつ変えていけば、できるようになる。田中さんは来年、マラソンに出るために、もっと走る練習を始めることにした。

Translation

Changing One's Lifestyle

Tanaka is a thirty-five-year-old office worker. At last year's health checkup, the doctor told him, "You should exercise a little more." His weight had increased a bit, and his blood pressure had also become high.

Tanaka decided to change his lifestyle for his health.

First, he started making an effort to walk for thirty minutes every morning. It was hard at first, but after continuing for about two weeks, he gradually got used to it. Now he has reached the point where he feels bad if he does not walk every morning.

Next, he started making an effort to eat a lot of vegetables. Before, he had only been eating convenience store boxed lunches, but he decided to cook for himself. In order to become able to cook, he looked up simple recipes on the internet. At first, he could only make things like tamagoyaki, but after about three months, he became able to cook various dishes.

He also tried to reduce his alcohol intake. Before, he drank every day, but now he has decided to drink only twice a week. Sometimes friends ask him, "You're not drinking?" but he answers, "I'm cutting back for my health."

At night, he makes an effort to go to bed early. Before, he was up past midnight, but now he tries to go to bed by eleven. In order to become able to wake up in the morning, going to bed early is important.

After half a year, his weight dropped by five kilos. His blood pressure also went down. The doctor said to him, "You worked hard, didn't you."

Changing one's lifestyle was not easy, but if you change things little by little, you become able to do it. Tanaka has decided to start practicing running more in order to enter a marathon next year.

Passage Notes

• 健康のために生活を変えることにした — noun + のために (purpose: "for health") combined with ことにした (decision).
• 毎朝三十分歩くようにした — ようにする: began making the effort to walk.
• 歩かないと気持ちが悪いようになった — ようになる: reached a state where not walking feels wrong. A change in habit.
• 料理ができるようになるために — ようになる (become able) + ために (in order to). A layered construction: "in order to reach the state of being able to cook."
• 作れるようになった — ようになる with potential: became able to cook.
• 減らすようにした — ようにする: made an effort to reduce.
• 飲むことにしている — ことにしている: "I have decided to (and continue to)" — an ongoing personal policy.
• 聞かれることがある — ことがある (present, dictionary form): "it sometimes happens that I am asked."
• 寝るようにしている — ようにしている: ongoing effort to sleep early.
• 起きられるようになるためには — a chain: potential (起きられる) + ようになる (become able) + ために (in order to) + は (topic). "As for in order to become able to wake up..."
• マラソンに出るために — ために with volitional verb: purpose.

13.8 Vocabulary List