〜よう (~yō) — the way / how (much) ~ (a noun)
The 「よう」that turns 'how something happened, and how much' into a noun.
Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)
Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)
When to use it
- After ten years you go back to the town where you used to live. The shops in front of the station have all changed, there are new buildings, nothing looks familiar — 'How much it has changed!'
- That 'way and degree of changing' is 「変わりよう」in Japanese: 「町の変わりように驚いた」.
Meaning
- Here 「よう」is a noun — 'the way something happened, its state'.
- It is the condition you actually see — 'how it turned out, and to what degree' — usually a surprising, unusual degree (驚いた・ひどかった・すごかった).
- 「ものは考えようだ」is a fixed saying: 'it all depends on how you look at it'.
How to attach
- Drop 「ます」from the ます-form and add 「よう」: 変わり + よう, 喜び + よう
- Put 「N の」in front to say whose: 母の喜びよう
- After that it works like a noun: 〜に驚く, 〜は〜だ, 〜といったらない (extremely)
Versus what you know
- N4「〜方」(書き方 = the way to write) is a method, 'how to do it'; よう is the state that came about.
- N2「〜ようがない」(どうしようもない) uses this same よう, in the sense of 'means, way'.
Watch out
- Don't confuse it with 「〜ようだ」(it seems) — that attaches to the plain form (変わったようだ), this one to the ます-form.
- When asking for a method (× 使いようを教えてください), say 「方」.
Examples (उदाहरणहरू)
久しぶりに行った駅前の変わりように、言葉を失った。
ひさしぶりにいったえきまえのかわりように、ことばをうしなった。
I was lost for words at how much the area in front of the station had changed since I was last there.
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 変わる = to change → ます-form: 変わります → drop 「ます」: 変わり → attach 「よう」: 変わりよう = the state it has changed into (a noun) → 「駅前の」 says whose → 「に」 → then the reaction: 言葉を失った (I was lost for words).
合格を知ったときの母の喜びようといったらなかった。
ごうかくをしったときのははのよろこびようといったらなかった。
You can't imagine how happy my mother was when she heard I had passed.
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 喜ぶ = to be happy → ます-form: 喜びます → drop 「ます」: 喜び → 「よう」: 喜びよう = the way she was happy → 「母の」 → then 〜といったらなかった = words can't describe it (extremely).
仕事を失ったのはつらいが、ものは考えようで、休むいい機会だ。
しごとをうしなったのはつらいが、ものはかんがえようで、やすむいいきかいだ。
Losing my job is hard, but it all depends on how you look at it — it's a good chance to rest.
How it is built (कसरी बन्यो) 考える = to think → ます-form: 考えます → drop 「ます」: 考え → 「よう」: 考えよう = way of thinking → the set saying ものは考えようで (it depends on how you look at it) → then a new viewpoint: 休むいい機会だ.
Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)
「久しぶりに会った友達の___ように、びっくりした。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint: Which verb form does 「よう」(the way) attach to?
Vます − ます + よう. 変わりよう = how much someone has changed; add 「に」: 変わりように驚く.
In which sentence is 「〜よう」unnatural?
💡 Hint: Asking for a method, or describing a state you saw?
To ask how to use something, say 「使い方」. よう is for a state you see and its degree.
In 「母の喜びよう」, what does 「よう」mean?
💡 Hint: よう on the ます-form — it is a noun.
Vます + よう = the state and degree of what happened. 'It seems' (ようだ) attaches to the plain form, and a method is 「方」.
Your score: /3