目錄
Once you reach a certain stage in learning Japanese, you will inevitably keep coming across 「による」 when watching Japanese news or reading reports from schools and companies. In Chinese translation, it usually looks like a very standard “caused by…” or “arising from…,” so the meaning itself is not difficult to understand. However, when you actually try to write sentences or answer grammar multiple-choice questions, many learners get stuck on where it should be placed. Even when the meaning involves the same kind of cause or means, if what follows is a noun, you need to use 「による」; if what follows is a verb or the rest of a sentence, you need to switch to 「によって」 or 「により」.
What are the uses of Japanese 「による」? Core functions explained
The core function of 「による」 is adnominal modification. In other words, it is placed directly before a noun and explains that noun in terms of “what caused it” or “what brought it about.” This usage appears extensively in news headlines, report titles, and academic writing, as in 「台風による被害状況」 and 「AIによる自動翻訳」. Once you understand this point, it becomes easier to see why 「による」 has such a fixed position within the broader 「によって」 family: it appears almost exclusively immediately before a noun and is not followed by a comma or a full clause in the way 「によって」 can be.
Attachment pattern
The attachment pattern for 「による」 is very simple: add 「による」 after a noun, then immediately follow it with another noun, forming a modifying structure meaning “B caused by A.” This adnominal position is the main dividing line between 「による」 and 「によって」.
| Type of preceding noun | Pattern | Example |
| Noun (cause／method) | Noun＋による＋noun | 地震による被害 |
| Noun (agent) | Noun＋による＋action noun | 専門家による分析 |
Usage ① of 「による」｜Modifying a noun to express a cause or means
In this usage, the “cause or means” is placed before 「による」 to modify the following noun, explaining what brought about the result or phenomenon. It is especially common in formal written contexts such as news headlines and report titles.
- Example: 地震による被害は甚大だった。
Translation: The damage caused by the earthquake was severe.
This sentence treats 「地震」 as the cause and uses it to modify 「被害」, showing where the damage came from. It is a typical structure often seen in news reporting. - Example: 彼の成功は、長年の努力による結果だ。
Translation: His success is the result of many years of effort.
This sentence uses 「努力」 as the method or basis modifying 「結果」, emphasizing that his success was not accidental but the outcome of a clear source. - Example: インターネットによる情報収集が一般的になった。
Translation: Gathering information through the internet has become common.
This sentence treats 「インターネット」 as the method or tool modifying 「情報収集」, showing the channel through which information is gathered. This function of marking a “means” also overlaps to some extent with the written-register role of the case particle 「より」.
Usage ② of 「による」｜Modifying a noun to express the agent
In this usage, the “person or organization carrying out an action” appears before 「による」 and modifies an action-related noun that follows. It explains “who performed this action” and is commonly seen in formal event announcements and reports.
- Example: 校長先生による特別講義が行われた。
Translation: A special lecture given by the principal was held.
This sentence treats 「校長先生」 as the agent modifying 「特別講義」, showing who gave the lecture. - Example: AIによる自動翻訳の精度が年々向上している。
Translation: The accuracy of AI-powered automatic translation is improving year by year.
This sentence treats 「AI」 as the agent carrying out the act of translation and uses it to modify 「自動翻訳」, emphasizing the entity performing the process behind the technology. - Example: 専門家による分析では、来年の景気は回復するとされている。
Translation: According to analysis by experts, the economy is expected to recover next year.
This sentence treats 「専門家」 as the agent modifying 「分析」, identifying the source of the analysis and making the content appear more authoritative.
What is the difference between Japanese 「による」, 「によって」, and 「により」?
These three forms have almost the same meaning and can all be translated as “because of…” or “by…,” but their grammatical positions are completely different. One modifies a noun, while the other two are used before a verb or the remainder of a sentence. This dividing line is one of the easiest points for beginners to get wrong.
| Comparison | による | によって | により |
| Position | Noun＋による＋noun (adnominal modification) | Noun＋によって, followed by a clause or verb | Noun＋により, followed by a clause (more strongly written/formal) |
| Common contexts | News headlines, report titles, headline-style expressions | General statements, passive sentences | Formal documents, announcements, legal provisions |
| Common mistake | ❌ Using it in the middle of a sentence before a verb | ❌ Using it where a noun should be modified | ❌ Using it in casual conversation |
| Correct example | ✅ 地震による被害 | ✅ 地震によって、多くの建物が壊れた | ✅ 台風により、電車が運休した |
▌The core difference between 「による」 and 「によって」
❌ Incorrect: 地震による、多くの建物が壊れた。(Here, 「による」 is followed directly by a comma and a full clause, but the function of 「による」 is to modify the noun immediately after it. It cannot be followed by a complete sentence in the way 「によって」 can, so the placement is incorrect.)
✅ Correct: 地震によって、多くの建物が壊れた。(「によって」 is used within the sentence and is followed by a complete clause. Functionally, it complements 「による」, and the two cannot be used interchangeably.)
「による」 can only be placed immediately before a noun to form the modifying structure 「A による B」. 「によって」, by contrast, appears in the middle of a sentence and is followed by a complete predicate containing a verb or adjective. This “cause＋result” relationship is somewhat similar to causal expressions using から／ので, but although the meanings are related, the grammatical positions are completely different. This boundary is the part most likely to cause confusion in writing.
▌The difference between 「による」 and 「により」
❌ Overthinking it: Assuming that 「により」 and 「による」 can simply be substituted for one another when modifying a noun.
✅ Correct understanding: 「により」 functions in the same way as 「によって」 and is used in the middle of a sentence before a verb or complete predicate. The difference is that 「により」 has a stronger formal, written-register feel and is often found in official announcements and legal provisions, as in 「台風により、電車が運休した」. When modifying a noun, however, you still need 「による」, as in 「台風による運休」.
Of the three forms, 「による」 is the only one that can directly modify a noun. 「によって」 and 「により」 connect to a clause, with 「により」 being more formal and more strongly associated with written language than 「によって」.
「による」 in Japanese news and reports: a fixed written-register pattern
Japanese news headlines, academic paper titles, and corporate report titles often use the compact noun-modifying structure 「による」 to insert a “cause” or “agent” directly into the title, allowing readers to grasp the source of the information at a glance. This is more concise and forceful than writing out a full sentence and reflects one aspect of Japanese written style that prioritizes brevity and high information density.
▌Situation ①｜An editorial team discussing how to phrase a news headline
A：この記事のタイトル、「台風による交通機関の乱れ」でどうかな。
このきじのタイトル、「たいふうによるこうつうきかんのみだれ」でどうかな。
How about using “Disruptions to transportation caused by the typhoon” as the headline for this article?
B：いいと思います。原因がすぐわかりますね。
いいとおもいます。げんいんがすぐわかりますね。
I think that works. You can immediately tell what the cause is.
📌 Grammar Point: In 「台風による交通機関の乱れ」, 「による」 incorporates the cause 「台風」 directly into the headline and uses it to modify 「交通機関の乱れ」. Compared with the full sentence 「台風によって交通機関が乱れた」, it is more concise and therefore well suited to news headlines, where the main point needs to be immediately clear.
▌Situation ②｜Students discussing how to title a paper
A：卒業論文のタイトルは「AIによる医療診断の可能性」にしようと思うんだ。
そつぎょうろんぶんのタイトルは、「AIによるいりょうしんだんのかのうせい」にしようとおもうんだ。
I’m thinking of calling my graduation thesis “The Possibilities of AI-Based Medical Diagnosis.”
B：いいタイトルだね。何が主体なのかはっきりしてる。
いいタイトルだね。なにがしゅたいなのかはっきりしてる。
That’s a good title. It clearly shows what the agent is.
📌 Grammar Point: In 「AIによる医療診断」, 「による」 incorporates 「AI」 as the agent directly into the title, allowing readers to immediately understand that the paper concerns “medical diagnosis performed by AI.” This kind of title-style noun modification is very common in academic paper titles.
Cultural Notes:
- Japanese official statistical reports and weather-related announcements often use fixed patterns such as 「〜による被害」 and 「〜による影響」 so that readers can quickly identify the cause of a disaster or event from the headline. This reflects a written-language culture that prioritizes information efficiency.
- 「による」 appears frequently in news headlines because Japanese headlines tend to favor concise noun phrases over complete sentences. This differs noticeably from Chinese news headlines, which often use complete verb clauses.
- Academic paper titles commonly prefer 「による」 over 「によって」 because paper titles themselves are often noun phrases. This also makes 「による」 a highly recognizable fixed pattern in academic writing.
How does Japanese 「による」 compare with Korean 「에 의한」?
The Korean 「에 의한」 is the noun-modifying form of 「에 의해」 and likewise directly modifies the noun that follows. Its function corresponds almost exactly to 「による」, and even the distinction between “adnominal modification vs sentence-level connection” is highly similar.
- Example: 담배에 의한 사망자가 매년 증가하고 있다.
Romanization: dam-bae-e ui-han sa-mang-ja-ga mae-nyeon jeung-ga-ha-go it-da.
Translation: The number of deaths caused by smoking is increasing every year.
The structure of this sentence is almost identical to the noun-modifying use of 「による」. It treats 「담배 (cigarettes)」 as the cause and uses it to modify 「사망자 (deaths)」. - Example: 오해에 의한 싸움이 자주 발생한다.
Romanization: o-hae-e ui-han ssa-um-i ja-ju bal-saeng-han-da.
Translation: Fights caused by misunderstandings occur frequently.
This structure of “cause＋에 의한＋noun” corresponds almost directly to the noun-modifying logic of Japanese 「による」. In both languages, the cause is embedded directly into the noun phrase.
◆ The core difference from 「による」:
Just like Japanese, Korean uses 「에 의해」 rather than 「에 의한」 when connecting to a verb within a sentence. For example, 「오해에 의해 싸움이 발생했다」. This rule of “using an adnominal form to modify a noun, but another form to connect to a clause” corresponds almost word for word to the distinction between 「による／によって」. The two languages show a high degree of structural similarity at this grammar point.
Once you understand 「による」, you realize that the real difficulty has never been its Chinese meaning but its fixed position within the sentence. As long as you stick to the principle that “a noun must come directly after it,” you are much less likely to get confused when you encounter 「によって」 and 「により」.
FAQs
「による」 means “caused by…” or “arising from…” and directly modifies the noun that follows. It explains the cause, method, or agent behind a result or phenomenon and is commonly found in news headlines and formal documents.
They have the same general meaning but appear in different grammatical positions. 「による」 must be placed directly before a noun to form a modifying structure, while 「によって」 appears in the middle of a sentence and is followed by a verb or complete predicate. They cannot be used interchangeably.
「により」 functions like 「によって」 and connects to a verb within a sentence, but it has a more formal, written-register tone. When modifying a noun, you still need 「による」. Of the three forms, 「による」 is the only one that can appear directly before a noun.
The most common mistake is using it in the middle of a sentence before a complete predicate, as in 「地震による、多くの建物が壊れた」. In this situation, 「によって」 should be used instead. 「による」 is only appropriate immediately before a noun as part of a modifying structure.
In addition to news headlines, 「による」 is commonly used in academic paper titles, corporate report titles, and official statistical announcements. It is particularly useful whenever a cause or agent needs to be incorporated concisely into a noun phrase.