Introduction
In this blog post, we will learn how to use the verb なる (naru), which means “to become,” indicating a change. This verb follows nouns and both types of adjectives in Japanese.
What It Means
The verb なる (naru) means “to become” and is used to describe changes in state or condition. It can follow い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and nouns.
Examples:
- い – adjectives:
- 暖かい → 暖かくなる (atatakai → atatakaku naru) – to become warm / warmer
- な – adjectives:
- 静か(な) → 静かになる (shizuka(na) → shizuka ni naru) – to become quiet / quieter
- Nouns:
- 会社員 → 会社員になる (kaishain → kaishain ni naru) – to become a company employee
When You Use It
You use なる to describe a change in state or condition. This can mean becoming something new or experiencing a change in an existing state to something different.
Examples
- Absolute Change: a complete transformation from one state to another
- 日本語の勉強が難しくなりました。(Nihongo no benkyou ga muzukashiku narimashita.) – Studying the Japanese language is difficult now (though it was easy before).
- 日本語の勉強が嫌になりました。(Nihongo no benkyou ga iya ni narimashita.) – I have grown tired of studying the Japanese language (though I had an interest in studying the Japanese before).
- Relative Change: a shift in degree within the same state
- マリアさんは前より日本語が上手になりました。(Maria-san wa mae yori nihongo ga jouzu ni narimashita.) – Maria has become better at Japanese than before. (Maria’s Japanese was already good before, and now it has become even better, so the state is the same but improved)
Note
With い-adjectives, you drop the final い and add く before なる, just like in their negative conjugations. A common mistake is to use the な-adjectives pattern になる for い-adjectives, such as saying 暖かいになる (which is incorrect).
When you use an adjective with なる, it can describe an absolute change (e.g., “it has become warm, so it is no longer cold”) or a relative change (e.g., “it has become warmer, but it is still cold”). For relative change, you can use the comparison pattern with なる. e.g. マリアさんは前より日本語が上手になりました。
Conclusion
Mastering the use of なる with adjectives and nouns allows you to express changes in state or condition in Japanese.
