LEARN + JAPANESE / Note 149 JLPT N4

So That It Happens (ように)

ように attaches to a verb’s plain form (often the potential form) and means “so that,” setting up a goal for the action that follows. Combined with なる, する, or 言う, it branches into three related patterns: a change that happened, an effort you’re committing to, or an instruction given to someone else.

In Real Life
ように on its own sets up a purpose, similar to ために, but ために needs a verb someone actively controls, while ように is required whenever the verb is a state, a potential form, or something outside direct control, 読めるように, “so that it becomes possible to read,” not a deliberate action itself.
In Real Life
ようになる marks a change that happened over time, from not doing something to doing it, or from being unable to do something to being able, 話せるようになる, “came to be able to speak,” a natural pairing with なる, which you already know describes change.
In Real Life
ようにする marks a deliberate, ongoing effort toward a goal, distinct from ようになる, which just reports that a change already occurred naturally. ようにしています, with ている, describes a standing habit you actively maintain, “I make a point of.”
In Real Life
ように言う reports an instruction given to someone else, “told them to,” softer and less direct than the causative させる, useful for relaying a request or order secondhand rather than commanding someone outright.

Vocabulary

JapaneseEnglish