～ようになる (You ni Naru) Meaning & Usage: “Come to Do” in Japanese

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to say “I’ve started reading manga in Japanese” or “I can finally read the newspaper now” in Japanese?

For example:

• How do you say “I started making my own lunch” after moving out of your parents’ house?
• How do you say “I’ve become able to write nice characters” after practicing calligraphy?
• What expression do Japanese speakers use to describe a change between how things used to be and how they are now?

When you want to show that something has changed over time—a new habit, or a new ability—JLPT N3 grammar ～ようになる (you ni naru) is exactly what you need.

1. Meaning: What does ～ようになる mean?

～ようになる expresses a change: something that was not true before has become true now.

Common English equivalents:

• come to do ~
• begin / start to do ~
• become able to ~
• now ~ (when I didn’t before)

The exact meaning depends on which verb form you put in front. There are two patterns.

① Dictionary form + ようになる → a new habit

With the plain dictionary form, the meaning is that the subject did not do this action before, but now does it regularly.

Example:

日本語にほんごの勉強べんきょうを始はじめてから、日本語でマンガを読よむようになりました。
Since I started studying Japanese, I’ve come to read manga in Japanese.

② Potential form + ようになる → a new ability

With the potential form (読よめる、話はなせる、できる…), the meaning is that the action was not possible before, but is possible now.

Example:

日本語にほんごの新聞しんぶんが少すこしずつ読よめるようになった。
I’ve gradually become able to read Japanese newspapers.

Both patterns share the same core image: before ≠ now. That contrast with the past is always part of the meaning.

2. Formation

Verb (dictionary form = 辞書形じしょけい) + ようになる
Verb (potential form = 可能形かのうけい) + ようになる

• 読よむ (to read) → 読むようになる / 読めるようになる
• 話はなす (to speak) → 話すようになる / 話せるようになる
• 食たべる (to eat) → 食べるようになる / 食べられるようになる
• する (to do) → するようになる / できるようになる

Conjugating なる

なる is a normal verb, so it changes freely depending on what you want to say.

• ようになった (past) — the most common form, reporting a completed change
• ようになりました — the polite version
• ようになりたい — “I want to become able to ~”
  • きれいな字じが書かけるようになりたいので、書道しょどうを習ならい始はじめました。= I started learning calligraphy because I want to become able to write beautifully.
• ようになるために — “in order to become able to ~”
  • 上手じょうずにスピーチができるようになるために、スピーチクラブに入はいった。= I joined a speech club in order to become good at giving speeches.

Important rule: verbs that already mean “change”

Because ようになる itself expresses change, verbs that already describe a change cannot be used with it. These include:

• 太ふとる (to gain weight)
• やせる (to lose weight)
• 慣なれる (to get used to)
• 増ふえる (to increase)

Example: I’ve lost a little weight because I’ve been exercising recently.

最近さいきんよく運動うんどうしているから、少すこしやせるようになった。

最近よく運動しているから、少しやせた。

gokigen penguin

Practical tip: if the verb by itself already tells you something changed, just use the plain past tense.

3. Useful Examples

① A new habit (dictionary form)

Situation: Ken has noticed that John and Emi, who never used to speak, are suddenly close.

Ken

何なにがきっかけで、エミと話はなすようになったの？
What made you start talking to Emi?

John

うーん、サークルの飲のみ会かいがきっかけだったかな。
Hmm, I think it was the club drinking party.

Situation: Saori asks John what has changed since he started university.

Saori

大学だいがくに入はいってから、何なにか変かわったことってある？
Has anything changed since you started university?

John

自分じぶんでお弁当べんとうを作つくるようになったよ。高校こうこうの時ときまでは母ははが作つくってくれていたんだけど……。
I’ve started making my own lunch. Up until high school my mom used to make it for me…

子こどもが生うまれてから、早はやく寝ねるようになりました。
Since my child was born, I’ve started going to bed early.

② A new ability (potential form)

Situation: Saori has heard that Emi recently took up calligraphy.

Saori

書道しょどうを習ならい始はじめたそうですね。
I hear you’ve started learning calligraphy.

Emi

ええ。きれいな字じが書かけるようになりたかったので。
Yes. Because I wanted to become able to write beautiful characters.

練習れんしゅうして、自転車じてんしゃに乗のれるようになりました。
I practiced and became able to ride a bicycle.

4. Related grammar (comparison)

～なくなる（and ～ないようになる）

To say the opposite—that someone stopped doing something they used to do—～なくなる is usually the more natural choice.

Example: Since I started college, I’ve stopped watching TV entirely.

• ✅ 大学だいがくに入はいってから、全然ぜんぜんテレビを見みなくなった。
• △ 大学に入ってから、全然テレビを見ないようになった。

～ないようになる is also used in actual Japanese conversation, but ～なくなる is more natural and more commonly used when simply saying that someone stopped doing something.

The same applies to abilities you have lost: 年としをとって、小ちいさい字じが読よめなくなった。= As I got older, I became unable to read small print.

～ようにする

～ようにする means “to make an effort to ~” or “to make a point of ~ing.” It describes your own conscious effort, not a change that simply happened.

Compare:

• 毎日まいにち野菜やさいを食たべるようにしています。= I make a point of eating vegetables every day. (my effort)
• 毎日野菜を食べるようになりました。= I’ve come to eat vegetables every day. (the change itself)

～ように (so that)

～ように on its own connects two clauses and expresses a purpose: you do Y hoping that situation X will come about.

• 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る。→ Purpose: I practice so that I can read kanji.
• 漢字が読めるようになった。→ Result: I’ve become able to read kanji.

～てくる

～てくる also describes change, but it emphasizes a gradual process continuing up to now, rather than the arrival at a new state.

• 日本語にほんごが上手じょうずになってきた。= My Japanese has been getting better. (ongoing)
• 日本語が話はなせるようになった。= I’ve become able to speak Japanese. (a line has been crossed)

5. Common Mistake: ようになる (you ni naru) vs. ようにする (you ni suru)

These two look almost identical, and learners swap them constantly. Remember this golden rule:

• ようになる: なる = “to become.” A change or result. Often something you couldn’t fully control.
• ようにする: する = “to do.” Your own deliberate effort or policy.

Example: I make an effort to walk every day for my health.

• ✅ Correct: 健康けんこうのために、毎日まいにち歩あるくようにしています。
• ❌ Incorrect: 健康のために、毎日歩くようになっています。

Example: After a year of study, I can now speak Japanese.

• ✅ Correct: 1年ねん勉強べんきょうして、日本語にほんごが話はなせるようになった。(I became able to speak Japanese.)
• ❌ Incorrect: 1年勉強して、日本語が話せるようにした。

One more clue: the potential form (読よめる、話はなせる、できる) goes with なる, because an ability is something you gain, not something you do.

6. Practice

Translate the following English into Japanese using ～ようになる.

7. FAQ

Conclusion

In this article, you learned how to use ～ようになる (you ni naru) to describe a change—“come to do” with the dictionary form, and “become able to” with the potential form.

With this grammar, you can now:

• talk about new habits and new abilities you’ve gained,
• use ～なくなる for habits and abilities you’ve lost,
• and tell ようになる apart from ようにする and ように.