〜ともなると: 'Once You Reach That Level...' (Meaning + Examples)
Drawing a natural conclusion from a status
〜ともなると takes a rank, role, life stage, or scale of event, and states what obviously follows once someone or something is at that level.
やったんも社長ともなると、休む暇もない。
やったんも しゃちょうともなると、やすむひまもない。
Once Yattan becomes company president, he doesn't even have time to rest.
社長ともなると sets up the natural, expected result: no free time.
親ともなると、将来のことを考えなければならない。
おやともなると、しょうらいのことを かんがえなければならない。
Once you become a parent, you naturally have to think about the future.
Frames 親 as a status that brings new obligations with it.
オリンピックともなると、練習量が違う。
オリンピックともなると、れんしゅうりょうが ちがう。
Once it's the Olympics, the amount of practice is on a whole different level.
Works for events/scale too, not just people.
What it attaches to
〜ともなると most often follows a noun naming a status, role, rank, or major event.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (role/status) | 名詞 + ともなると | 母親ともなると (once you're a mother) |
| Noun (scale/event) | 名詞 + ともなると | 全国大会ともなると (once it's the national tournament) |
世界チャンピオンともなると、モチでさえ緊張するらしい。
せかいチャンピオンともなると、モチでさえ きんちょうするらしい。
Once it's the world champion, apparently even Mochi gets nervous.
でさえ + ともなると stacks emphasis on how high the bar is.
Don't confuse with 〜になると
Plain 〜になると (once it becomes X) is a neutral statement about a change of state — 夜になると星が見える (once it becomes night, you can see the stars). 〜ともなると adds the implicit も, always framing the noun as a notably elevated or demanding tier, and the sentence that follows is a natural, almost self-evident consequence of reaching that tier — not just any change.
The short version
- 〜ともなると = "once (someone/something) reaches that level, naturally…"
- Attaches to: a noun naming a status, role, rank, or large-scale event.
- Nuance/register: implies the noun marks a notably higher tier than baseline; formal, often written.
- Don't confuse with: plain 〜になると, a neutral "once it becomes X" with no implied elevated status.
Practice it
Choose ともなると when the sentence draws an expected conclusion from reaching a notable status.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿、休む暇もない。
Where 〜ともなると fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Conditional 〜たら · N4 — 〜たら is Japanese's most flexible conditional: just add ら to the plain past. Learn the formation, the 'if/when' meaning, the discovery use, and how it beats ば/と for requests.
- 〜とすれば / 〜としたら / 〜とすると · N3 — 〜とすれば, 〜としたら, and 〜とすると mean 'supposing that' or 'if we assume': set up a hypothesis, then reason from it. Learn the nuances, formation, and how they differ from なら.
More N1 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜はおろか — 〜はおろか means 'let alone X' — it names a basic, easy case (X) and pairs it with a negative predicate to say that if even X isn't possible, a harder case (Y) certainly isn't either, similar to English 'not even X, let alone Y.'
- 〜を踏まえて — 〜を踏まえて means 'based on X' or 'taking X into account' — it introduces prior facts, results, or experience as the grounded foundation for a decision or action that follows, common in reports and formal discussion.
- 〜を経て — 〜を経て means 'through X' or 'after passing through X' — it marks a process, place, or period of time that was passed through before reaching a final result, often used for long journeys, careers, or lengthy processes.
- 〜を限りに — 〜を限りに marks a point in time as the last one — 'as of X, this ends.' Common in retirement announcements and store closures, it attaches to a noun and always signals a final cutoff, not a new beginning.
- 〜を兼ねて — 〜を兼ねて means doing one thing that also serves a second purpose: 散歩を兼ねて買い物に行く ('go shopping, which doubles as a walk'). Learn the noun+を兼ねて pattern, the 〜を兼ねる verb form, and how the main action and the side purpose line up.
- 〜を皮切りに — 〜を皮切りに means 'starting with X' — the first in a string of similar events that follow, like a tour's opening city. It attaches to a noun and always implies more of the same are coming.