ようにする
- 1Make an effort, or make a point of, doing something regularly; ようにしている describes a habit one keeps up.Ex. 1
- 2Take care to avoid doing something (ないようにする), or arrange matters so that a certain state results.
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Neutral in register and common in everyday speech and writing about personal habits, health and self-improvement. ようにしている emphasizes an ongoing effort one keeps up. ようになる reports that a change in state or ability has come about. ようにする instead stresses the subject's own deliberate effort or arrangement.
Learners often confuse ようにする (making an effort) with ようになる (reporting that a change has come about, whether through time or effort).
Note that ようにしている describes a continuing habit, while ようにする can refer to a single resolution or effort.
Do not attach ようにする directly to nouns or adjectives; it follows verb forms.
- ようになるN4「ようになる」expresses a change in ability or habit (a change that may also be achieved through effort), without emphasizing volition; 「ようにする」emphasizes actively paying attention and making an effort toward that end. The two have different meanings and cannot be interchanged.
- ことにするN4「ことにする」expresses making a decision, and also has the sense of 'treating something as'; 「ようにする」focuses on continuously paying attention and trying one's best. When talking about habits, 「ことにしている」is a self-imposed rule and sounds more resolute than 「ようにしている」, so the two should not be swapped casually.
- 〜ことにしているN3「ことにしている」emphasizes following a rule one has set for oneself, whereas this pattern emphasizes trying as hard as possible. Both can be used for habits, but with different nuances. 「ことにしている」can also express an already-decided future plan, while this pattern can also express trying to bring about a certain state.
- ようと思うN4「ようと思う」attaches to the volitional form and only states an intention in one's mind; 「ようにする」attaches to the dictionary form, ない form, or potential form, and is about paying attention and making an effort to do something, or taking measures to make it happen. The two cannot be interchanged.
- なるべくN3「なるべく」is an adverb placed before verbs and adjectives meaning 'as much as possible'; it often pairs directly with 「ください」or 「ほしい」to express requests or wishes, and does not express trying to bring about a certain state. The two are often used together as 「なるべく〜ようにする」.
ようになる reports a change in state or ability, which may result from practice or effort, while ようにする describes the effort itself. ことにする and 〜ことにしている express a decision or fixed rule rather than an effort, ようと思う states a simple intention, and なるべく is an adverb ('as much as possible') that often co-occurs with ようにする.
