目錄
The Japanese pattern 「〜ようとしている」 is often translated into Chinese as “about to…” or “on the verge of…,” but when you encounter it in an actual sentence, those Chinese translations can sometimes make the meaning more confusing rather than clearer. 「日が沈もうとしている」 describes the sun as it is about to set, while 「試合が始まろうとしている」 means that the game is just about to begin. But with 「ドアを開けようとしている」, the sentence may mean that someone is about to open the door, or that the door will not open and the person is trying to get it open. All of these use the same structure, “volitional form + としている,” but the meaning changes depending on the subject, the verb, and the surrounding context. A more useful way to understand this pattern is to look directly at what is happening in the scene: is something already very close to happening, is someone preparing to perform an action, or are they actively trying to complete it?
What Does Japanese 「〜ようとしている」 Mean? The Sense of Time Behind “About to…”
The core image expressed by 「〜ようとしている」 is that an action, event, or change is approaching the exact moment when it truly takes place. It has not fully happened yet, but judging from the situation in front of the speaker, it is already very close to that result. This is why Chinese translations often use expressions equivalent to “be about to…,” “be on the verge of…,” or “look just about to….”
For example, 「日が沈もうとしている」 does not simply mean “the sun will set later.” It means the sun is already close to the horizon and is entering the final stage of sunset. Likewise, 「夏休みが終わろうとしている」 does not merely state that summer vacation will end in the future; it means summer vacation has already reached its final stretch. In other words, 「〜ようとしている」 often contains a clear sense of temporal progression: the speaker is observing a change as it approaches a threshold.
This usage commonly appears with natural phenomena, changes over time, the beginning or end of events, shifts in social conditions, and narration in novels, news reports, and documentaries. It can certainly appear in everyday conversation as well, but compared with the simple 「もうすぐ〜」, 「〜ようとしている」 more readily creates the image of something that is actively moving toward a change.
How to Form 「〜ようとしている」: Volitional Form + とする
「〜ようとしている」 attaches to the volitional form of a verb. The basic structure is:
Verb volitional form + としている
| Verb type | Formation | Example |
| Godan verbs | Change the final う-row sound to the corresponding お-row sound + う | 終わる → 終わろうとしている |
| Ichidan verbs | Remove る + よう | 始める → 始めようとしている |
| する | しよう | しようとしている |
| 来る | 来よう | 来ようとしている |
For example:
始まる → 始まろう → 始まろうとしている
終わる → 終わろう → 終わろうとしている
沈む → 沈もう → 沈もうとしている
開く → 開こう → 開こうとしている
This often raises a question: does the volitional form not originally express something like “want to do” or “let’s do”?
That is true. When used on its own, forms such as 「行こう」 and 「食べよう」 are usually related to the speaker’s intention. However, once the form enters the structure 「〜ようとする／〜ようとしている」, you cannot determine the meaning based on the volitional form alone. When the subject is something without actual intention, such as the sun, a season, an event, or an era, 「〜ようとしている」 naturally cannot mean “intend to do something.” Instead, it describes an event as it approaches the point at which it will occur.
Three Uses of Japanese 「〜ようとしている」: Impending Change, Events About to Happen, and a Person “About to / Trying to” Do Something
Usage ①｜A Natural Phenomenon or State Is About to Change
The most typical use of 「〜ようとしている」 is to describe a natural phenomenon, state, or environment that is changing and is already close to the moment when that change begins or is completed. The subject in these sentences usually does not possess human intention, so there is no sense of “trying.” Depending on the context, it can be translated as “be about to…,” “be on the verge of…,” or “be just about to….”
- Example: 太陽が山の向こうに沈もうとしている.
Kana: たいようが やまの むこうに しずもうとしている.
Translation: The sun is about to sink beyond the mountains.
The sun is already close to the horizon, but sunset has not fully taken place yet. 「〜ようとしている」 describes the process of sunset approaching, rather than simply predicting that it will become dark later. - Example: 長かった冬が終わり、春が始まろうとしている.
Kana: ながかった ふゆが おわり、はるが はじまろうとしている.
Translation: The long winter is ending, and spring is about to begin.
Seasonal change does not involve human intention, so 「始まろうとしている」 is naturally understood as “be about to begin.” This kind of expression is common in writing, news reports, and narration. - Example: 東の空が明るくなり、夜が明けようとしている.
Kana: ひがしの そらが あかるくなり、よるが あけようとしている.
Translation: The eastern sky is growing brighter, and dawn is about to break.
The preceding 「空が明るくなり」 already provides a clue that the change is in progress, so 「夜が明けようとしている」 creates a very concrete image of the moment just before dawn.
Usage ②｜An Activity, Period, or Event Is About to Begin or End
In addition to natural phenomena, 「〜ようとしている」 is also commonly used with activities, periods of time, systems, plans, and events. Here as well, the focus is not on “someone intending to do something,” but on the event itself approaching the point where it begins or ends.
In particular, 「始まろうとしている」 and 「終わろうとしている」 are very common. They are not merely alternative ways of saying “will start soon” or “will end soon”; they more strongly emphasize that the present moment is already standing at that temporal boundary.
- Example: 試合が今まさに始まろうとしている.
Kana: しあいが いま まさに はじまろうとしている.
Translation: The game is about to begin right now.
「今まさに」 already carries the sense of “at this very moment,” and when combined with 「〜ようとしている」, it emphasizes even more strongly that the game has entered the final moment before the start. - Example: 三年間の高校生活が終わろうとしている.
Kana: さんねんかんの こうこうせいかつが おわろうとしている.
Translation: Three years of high school life are about to come to an end.
This does not necessarily mean that “today is graduation day.” Rather, the entire period of high school life has reached its final stage, so the expression can naturally carry feelings of reflection, emotion, or the passage of time. - Example: この町では、大きな再開発計画が動き出そうとしている.
Kana: この まちでは、おおきな さいかいはつけいかくが うごきだそうとしている.
Translation: A major redevelopment project in this city is about to get underway.
「動き出す」 itself means “begin to move” or “start operating,” and with 「〜ようとしている」 it indicates that the entire project has reached the stage just before its official launch.
Usage ③｜With Human Actions, It Can Mean Either “Be About to Do” or “Be Trying to Do”
「〜ようとしている」 does not always mean “be about to happen.” If the subject is a person with intention and the preceding verb describes an action that person can control, you need to determine from the context whether it means “be about to do something” or “be trying to do something.”
For example, 「彼は家を出ようとしている」 can, in some contexts, mean “He is about to leave the house.” But 「彼は窓を開けようとしているのに、なかなか開かない」 clearly means “He is trying to open the window.” The grammatical structure is the same; what determines the actual meaning is the situation described by the sentence.
- Example: 彼女は席を立って、店を出ようとしている.
Kana: かのじょは せきを たって、みせを でようとしている.
Translation: She has stood up and is about to leave the shop.
The preceding 「席を立って」 already shows that the action leading to departure is underway, so it is more natural to understand this as “be about to leave” rather than “be making an effort to leave.” - Example: 子どもが自分で靴を履こうとしている.
Kana: こどもが じぶんで くつを はこうとしている.
Translation: The child is trying to put on their shoes by themself.
The focus is on the child attempting to complete the action of putting on the shoes, so 「〜ようとしている」 is closer to “be trying to….” - Example: ドアを開けようとしているが、鍵がかかっていて開かない.
Kana: ドアを あけようとしているが、かぎが かかっていて あかない.
Translation: They are trying to open the door, but it is locked and will not open.
The following 「開かない」 shows that the action has not succeeded, so 「開けようとしている」 clearly carries the meaning of “trying to open the door.”
For this reason, when the sentence describes a human action, you should not automatically translate 「〜ようとしている」 as “be about to….” First check whether the action has reached the moment just before execution, and whether the following context contains information about failure, obstacles, effort, or similar factors. That usually makes the intended meaning much easier to identify.
What Is the Difference Between Japanese 「〜ようとしている」, 「〜そうだ」, and 「〜ところだ」?
「〜ようとしている」, 「〜そうだ」, and 「〜ところだ」 can all be translated into Chinese with expressions similar to “about to…” or “almost…,” but in Japanese they focus on different things. 「〜ようとしている」 focuses on an action or change moving toward the point where it happens. 「〜そうだ」 expresses a judgment based on what is visible in the current situation: something looks as though it is about to happen. 「〜ところだ」 directly indicates where an action is positioned in time—just before it begins, while it is in progress, or just after it is completed. The three patterns can sometimes appear in very similar situations, but replacing one with another changes what aspect of the scene the sentence is focusing on.
| Comparison | 「〜ようとしている」 | 「〜そうだ」 | 「〜ところだ」 |
| Basic meaning | be about to…, be on the verge of…, be trying to… | look like it is about to…, seem likely to… | be just about to…, be in the middle of…, have just… |
| What the sentence focuses on | An action or change moving toward the point of occurrence | A judgment based on visible signs | The action’s current temporal stage |
| Is ongoing change already visible? | Usually yes | Not necessarily; signs sufficient for judgment are enough | The focus is not the process of change but the temporal position |
| Common contexts | Natural changes, the beginning/end of events, human actions | Weather, appearance, states, things that seem likely to happen | Concrete actions just before, during, or just after completion |
| Human actions | Can mean either “be about to do” or “be trying to do” | Indicates that, from appearance, someone seems likely to act soon | Indicates that someone is currently at the point just before doing it |
| Example | 出かけようとしている | 出かけそうだ | 出かけるところだ |
▌「〜ようとしている」 vs 「〜そうだ」｜A Change Is Already Approaching the Point of Occurrence vs A Judgment Based on Visible Signs
Both 「〜ようとしている」 and 「〜そうだ」 can be translated as “be about to…,” but the difference lies in what the speaker is observing. 「〜ようとしている」 describes the event itself as already moving in the direction of occurrence and approaching the moment when it begins, ends, or changes. 「〜そうだ」, by contrast, is a judgment based on what can currently be seen, so its meaning is closer to “it looks like it is about to….” For example, if the sky darkens and clouds gather, leading you to think that it will rain soon, 「雨が降りそうだ」 is very natural. If the sentence instead describes a change that has already reached the immediate foreground, such as the sun gradually approaching the horizon, 「日が沈もうとしている」 is very suitable. For this reason, 「雨が降ろうとしている」 is not grammatically wrong, but when you are simply predicting rain from the appearance of the sky, 「〜そうだ」 is usually more natural in that situation.
- Example: 空が急に暗くなって、雨が降りそうだ.
Kana: そらが きゅうに くらくなって、あめが ふりそうだ.
Translation: The sky suddenly turned dark, and it looks like it is going to rain.
Here, the speaker is making a judgment after seeing the sky become dark. The focus is on “it looks like rain is coming based on the current situation,” so 「〜そうだ」 is used. - Example: 太陽が地平線に近づき、日が沈もうとしている.
Kana: たいようが ちへいせんに ちかづき、ひが しずもうとしている.
Translation: The sun is approaching the horizon, and it is about to set.
This is not a guess about whether the sun will set; it directly describes sunset as a change that has already progressed close to completion. For that reason, 「〜ようとしている」 better matches the change unfolding in front of the speaker.
▌「〜ようとしている」 vs 「〜ところだ」｜An Event Is Moving Toward Occurrence vs An Action Is at a Particular Point in Time
「〜ところだ」 is also often translated as “be about to…,” but its main function is to indicate where an action currently stands in its timeline. 「食べるところだ」 means “be just about to eat,” 「食べているところだ」 means “be in the middle of eating,” and 「食べたところだ」 means “have just eaten.” When you use 「〜ようとしている」 instead, the perspective shifts to the process of the action or event moving toward the point where it happens. For example, if all preparations for a match have been completed and the venue is entering the final stage before the opening, you can say 「試合が始まろうとしている」. If you simply want to answer what you are about to do now—say lunch is ready and you are just going to eat—「食べるところだ」 is more direct. Both can refer to the period before an action begins, but 「〜ところだ」 is more like marking the action’s current position in time, while 「〜ようとしている」 also depicts the state of moving toward the beginning.
- Example: これから昼ご飯を食べるところです.
Kana: これから ひるごはんを たべる ところです.
Translation: I am just about to eat lunch.
This sentence simply indicates that the current moment is exactly “before eating lunch.” It does not particularly describe the process of the action gradually beginning, so 「〜ところだ」 is the most natural choice. - Example: 観客が席につき、試合が始まろうとしている.
Kana: かんきゃくが せきに つき、しあいが はじまろうとしている.
Translation: The spectators are taking their seats, and the match is about to begin.
The audience is already seated, and the venue has entered the final stage before the start. 「〜ようとしている」 expresses the state of the match gradually approaching its official beginning, giving the sentence a stronger sense of process than a simple time marker would.
▌Even When All Three Mean “About to Go Out,” They Describe Different Scenes
Suppose someone has already put on a coat, picked up a bag, and is standing at the entrance preparing to leave. 「出かけようとしている」, 「出かけそうだ」, and 「出かけるところだ」 can all relate to the idea of “being about to go out,” but the speaker’s point of observation is different. 「出かけようとしている」 describes the person as already entering the action of going out. 「出かけそうだ」 means the speaker sees clues such as the person’s clothing or bag and infers that they seem likely to go out soon. 「出かけるところだ」 is the most direct: it simply states that the current moment is right before going out.
- Example: 彼はコートを着て、家を出ようとしている.
Kana: かれは コートを きて、いえを でようとしている.
Translation: He has put on his coat and is about to leave the house.
「家を出ようとしている」 depicts the action of leaving as already moving forward. Preparatory actions such as putting on the coat are complete, and he is now in the stage immediately before leaving the house, so there is a clear sense of progression. - Example: 彼はコートを着ているし、もう出かけそうだ.
Kana: かれは コートを きているし、もう でかけそうだ.
Translation: He is wearing his coat, so it looks like he is about to go out.
The focus here is on “it looks like….” The speaker infers from visible signs such as the coat that he will probably leave soon, but the sentence itself does not directly describe the action of going out as already underway. - Example: 今、家を出るところです.
Kana: いま、いえを でる ところです.
Translation: I am just about to leave the house.
「出るところです」 simply indicates that the current moment is immediately before leaving the house. It is commonly used to answer questions such as “What are you doing now?” or “Have you left yet?” The focus is the temporal position, not the process of moving toward departure and not an inference based on appearance.
A simple way to distinguish the three in the same type of scene is this: when the event itself is already moving toward the point where it happens, 「〜ようとしている」 is likely to appear. When you are simply looking at visible clues and thinking “it seems like this is about to happen,” 「〜そうだ」 is suitable. When you want to state that “right now, I am just about to do this,” 「〜ところだ」 is the most direct. All three can correspond to Chinese expressions meaning “almost” or “about to,” but the real difference is whether the sentence is focusing on change, judgment, or temporal position.
Everyday Situations for Japanese 「〜ようとしている」: Travel, Japanese Dramas, and Narrative Scenes
「〜ようとしている」 is not the kind of fixed expression, like 「ください」 or 「〜てもいいですか」, that travelers frequently need to use proactively in conversation. However, it is far from rare in Japanese radio, news, train announcements, guides, drama narration, and everyday descriptions. Its function is not to accomplish a practical task, but to give a description a stronger sense of time: instead of reducing things to simply “has happened” or “has not happened,” it can describe the precise moment when something is “just about to cross that line.”
For example, Japanese dramas and fiction often use expressions such as 「夜が明けようとしていた」 and 「夏が終わろうとしていた」 to establish time and emotion. If you simplify these to “dawn was approaching” or “summer was about to end,” the basic information is not wrong, but the original also contains an additional perspective: one period is receding while another is about to begin. This is one reason 「〜ようとしている」 works especially well in narrative writing.
▌Situation ①｜Watching the Sunset While Traveling
A：見て。ちょうど日が沈もうとしているよ。
みて。ちょうど ひが しずもうとしているよ.
Look. The sun is just about to set.
B：本当だ。ここから見るとすごくきれいだね。
ほんとうだ。ここから みると すごく きれいだね.
It really is. It looks beautiful from here.
📌 Grammar Point: 「沈もうとしている」 is not predicting that sunset will happen later. The speaker can already see the sun approaching the horizon, so the expression emphasizes a change that is visibly in progress.
▌Situation ②｜An Event Is About to Begin
A：もう中に入ったほうがいいよ。イベントが始まろうとしている。
もう なかに はいったほうが いいよ。イベントが はじまろうとしている.
We should probably go inside now. The event is about to begin.
B：じゃあ、飲み物を買ったらすぐ行こう。
じゃあ、のみものを かったら すぐ いこう.
Then let’s go right after we buy our drinks.
📌 Grammar Point: 「始まろうとしている」 indicates that the event has reached the final stage before it begins. Compared with simply saying 「もうすぐ始まる」, it gives a stronger sense that the event is currently at the exact point of transition.
▌Situation ③｜A Trip Is About to End
A：長かった旅行も、もう終わろうとしているね。
ながかった りょこうも、もう おわろうとしているね.
This long trip is almost over now.
B：あっという間だったね。まだ帰りたくないな。
あっというまだったね。まだ かえりたくないな.
It went by so quickly. I still don’t want to go home.
📌 Grammar Point: Here, 「終わろうとしている」 expresses not only that the trip is close to ending in terms of time, but also naturally conveys the feeling that the journey has reached its final stage. This makes it especially suitable when looking back on a period of time.
Cultural Notes:
- Japanese often treats time itself as something that undergoes change. Expressions such as 「夏が終わる」, 「夜が明ける」, and 「一年が終わる」 are all natural. Adding 「〜ようとしている」 allows an abstract change in time to be depicted as an event that is actively unfolding before the speaker’s eyes.
- Novels, essays, and documentary narration make especially frequent use of 「〜ようとしている」 to create a sense of transition. Expressions such as 「時代が変わろうとしている」 and 「新しい時代が始まろうとしている」 do more than identify a point in time; they also suggest that an old phase is receding and a new one is about to emerge, giving them a stronger narrative quality.
- In everyday speech, if you simply want to say that something will happen soon, 「もうすぐ〜」 is usually more direct. For example, 「もうすぐ電車が来る」 is very natural. Changing it to 「電車が来ようとしている」 requires a more specific context. For this reason, not every Chinese expression meaning “about to” can be mechanically replaced with 「〜ようとしている」.
How Does Japanese 「〜ようとしている」 Compare with Korean 「-(으)려고 하다」?
◆ Similar Grammar: 「-(으)려고 하다」
Korean 「-(으)려고 하다」 and Japanese 「〜ようとしている」 overlap in quite a few ways. When the subject is a person, both can describe an action that is just about to begin, and depending on the context, both can also carry the sense of “trying to do something.” When the subject changes to weather, seasons, or other things without intention, Korean 「-(으)려고 하다」 can likewise describe a change that appears to be on the verge of happening. For example, 「비가 오려고 하다」 means that rain seems about to start, while 「날씨가 추워지려고 하다」 means that the weather is beginning to turn cold. It is therefore not useful to memorize the distinction as “Japanese can be used for natural changes, but Korean cannot.” A more practical understanding is that both forms can express movement toward an action or change, although their collocational tendencies, sentence-level nuance, and actual usage contexts do not always match exactly. They should not be treated as direct word-for-word equivalents simply because both may be translated into Chinese as “be about to….”
- Example: 지금 집을 나가려고 해요.
Romanization: ji-geum ji-beul na-ga-ryeo-go hae-yo.
Translation: I am about to leave the house now.
Here, a human action has reached the stage just before it begins, and 「나가려고 해요」 and the Japanese 「今、家を出ようとしています」 can both express the state of being just about to go out. - Example: 아이가 혼자 문을 열려고 하고 있어요.
Romanization: a-i-ga hon-ja mu-neul yeol-lyeo-go ha-go i-sseo-yo.
Translation: The child is trying to open the door by themself.
The sentence describes the child attempting to open the door, so 「열려고 하고 있어요」 has the sense of actively working on the action even though it has not yet been completed. This is very close to the Japanese 「子どもが一人でドアを開けようとしている」. - Example: 비가 오려고 하는지 구름이 잔뜩 끼었어요.
Romanization: bi-ga o-ryeo-go ha-neun-ji gu-reu-mi jjan-tteuk kki-eo-sseo-yo.
Translation: Maybe it is about to rain; the sky is completely covered with clouds.
「비가 오려고 하다」 does not involve human intention. It describes rain as something that appears likely to begin soon. This usage also shows that Korean 「-(으)려고 하다」 is not limited to human intention or attempts, but can also describe impending weather and changes of state.
◆ Core Difference from 「〜ようとしている」:
Human actions are where the two patterns are easiest to compare. 「家を出ようとしている／집을 나가려고 하다」 can both be used when someone is preparing to leave, while 「ドアを開けようとしている／문을 열려고 하다」 can both carry the meaning of attempting to complete an action. Natural changes also overlap in practice: Japanese can say 「雨が降ろうとしている」, and Korean has 「비가 오려고 하다」. However, Japanese 「〜ようとしている」 is very often used to describe a process approaching its beginning or end, as in 「夏が終わろうとしている」 and 「夜が明けようとしている」. When expressing the same content in Korean, whether 「-(으)려고 하다」 is chosen or another form such as 「곧」 or 「-기 시작하다」 is more natural depends on the verb and the nuance of the sentence as a whole. The two forms can help in understanding each other, but they should not be treated as fixed one-to-one equivalents.
What is really worth mastering about 「〜ようとしている」 is not simply another grammatical pattern meaning “about to.” It is learning to recognize how Japanese describes the state in which “something has not fully happened yet, but has already reached the moment immediately before it happens.” Natural changes, transitions between eras, the beginning of events, and the end of a period can all be expressed with this pattern in a way that gives a clearer sense of progression than 「もうすぐ」. A useful next step is to practice 「〜ようとしている」, 「〜そうだ」, and 「〜ところだ」 within the same set of situations and identify whether each form is describing “visible signs,” “temporal position,” or “a change approaching the point of occurrence.” This makes the nuance much clearer than memorizing isolated Chinese translations.
FAQs
「〜ようとしている」 can indicate that an action or change is approaching the point where it happens, and is often translated as “be about to…” or “be on the verge of….” For example, 「日が沈もうとしている」 means that the sun has already reached the stage immediately before sunset rather than simply predicting that the sun will set later. When the subject is a person, it can also mean either “be about to do” or “be trying to do.”
「〜ようとしている」 tends to describe a change itself as moving toward the point where it occurs, whereas 「〜そうだ」 expresses a judgment based on visible signs. For example, saying 「雨が降りそうだ」 after seeing dark clouds means “it looks like it is going to rain,” while 「日が沈もうとしている」 directly describes sunset as a change that is already in progress.
「〜ところだ」 mainly indicates whether an action is just about to begin, currently in progress, or has just been completed. 「〜ようとしている」, by contrast, emphasizes that an event or change is approaching the point where it actually takes place. For example, 「食べるところだ」 means “I am just about to eat,” while 「試合が始まろうとしている」 describes a match as moving into the moment just before it begins.
The key is the subject and whether the verb describes an action controlled by human intention. Natural phenomena, time, and events do not normally have intention, so 「夏が終わろうとしている」 can only mean “summer is about to end.” When the subject is a person, however, a sentence such as 「ドアを開けようとしている」 may mean either “be about to open the door” or “be trying to open the door,” depending on the context.
Not completely. 「もうすぐ」 simply indicates that something will happen soon in terms of time, while 「〜ようとしている」 usually also suggests that the event has already begun moving toward a particular result and is now approaching a point of change. For general announcements or simple predictions, 「もうすぐ」 is more common; when describing an ongoing change, 「〜ようとしている」 is more suitable.