〜を機に: 'On This Occasion' (Meaning + Examples)
Seizing a moment to make a change
Nを機に says that N became the occasion someone used to make a deliberate decision or change.
結婚を機に、故郷に戻ることにした。
けっこんを きに、こきょうに もどることに した。
Taking her marriage as the occasion, she decided to move back to her hometown.
A classic life-milestone pattern.
この事故を機に、安全対策を強化した。
この じこを きに、あんぜんたいさくを きょうかした。
Taking this accident as the occasion, they strengthened safety measures.
やったんは新しい一年を機に、もちと一緒に日記を書き始めた。
やったんは あたらしい いちねんを きに、もちと いっしょに にっきを かきはじめた。
Taking the new year as the occasion, Yattan started keeping a diary together with Mochi.
Original example: a milestone used as a deliberate starting point.
Form: Noun + を機に
を機に attaches to a noun naming the occasion or milestone.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + を機に | 結婚を機に = taking marriage as the occasion |
| Noun | N + を機に | 10周年を機に = taking the 10th anniversary as the occasion |
会社の設立10周年を機に、新事業を開始する。
かいしゃの せつりつ じっしゅうねんを きに、しんじぎょうを かいしする。
Taking the company's 10th anniversary as the occasion, we are launching a new business.
A deliberate occasion, not just any trigger
を機に overlaps with 〜を契機に and 〜をきっかけに, but it leans toward moments the person chose to act on — milestones and anniversaries — rather than accidents or external events that merely happened to them. All three are close enough that JLPT questions test them against each other, so look for the "deliberate decision" flavor as the tell for を機に.
The short version
- 〜を機に = "taking X as the occasion" — a milestone used as the deliberate opportunity for a change.
- Attaches to: Noun (an event, milestone, or occasion).
- Nuance/register: formal; often implies an intentional, chosen moment.
- Don't confuse with: 〜を契機に / 〜をきっかけに, which fit external triggers as well as deliberate ones.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of 〜を機に to mark a milestone used as the occasion for a change.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
結婚＿＿＿、故郷に戻ることにした。
More N1 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜を除いて / を除き — 〜を除いて marks an exception before a general statement, and in formal writing shortens to the literary conjunctive 〜を除き; at N1 it often pairs with totality words like 全員・ほぼ全て in news and report style.
- 〜をおいて — 〜をおいて, almost always paired with a negative like いない or ない, means 'other than X, there is no one/nothing' — an emphatic, rhetorical way of saying X is the only one truly qualified.
- 〜を余儀なくされる — 〜を余儀なくされる means 'to be forced/compelled to (do)' by circumstances beyond one's control. Formal written Japanese, always passive in feeling — the subject has no real choice.
- 〜をよそに — 〜をよそに means 'disregarding' or 'paying no attention to' — someone acts without regard for others' worry, expectations, or a surrounding situation. Formal, and often carries a note of criticism or striking contrast.
- 〜や否や — 〜や否や means 'the moment that / no sooner than' — a second event follows the first with zero gap. Formal written Japanese used for dramatic, immediate sequences of action.
- 〜ゆえに — 〜ゆえに is a formal, literary expression meaning 'therefore' or 'because of' — it attaches to nouns and adjectives (often with が or の) to state a reason in written, academic, or classical-sounding Japanese.