〜を兼ねて: 'Serving Double Duty' (Meaning + Examples)
One action, two purposes
Nを兼ねて says the action that follows also serves the purpose named by N — not just its main, stated purpose. It's common for trips, greetings cards, and gifts that quietly do double duty.
観光を兼ねて、出張で京都に行った。
かんこうを かねて、しゅっちょうで きょうとに いった。
I went to Kyoto for business, combining it with sightseeing.
One trip, two purposes.
ご挨拶を兼ねて、新年会を開催いたします。
ごあいさつを かねて、しんねんかいを かいさい いたします。
We are holding a New Year's party, which will also serve as our greeting.
Common in formal invitations.
やったんはもちへのお礼を兼ねて、手作りのクッキーを送った。
やったんは もちへの おれいを かねて、てづくりの くっきーを おくった。
Yattan sent handmade cookies, both as a gift and as thanks to Mochi.
Original example: a gift with a dual purpose.
Form: Noun + を兼ねて
を兼ねて attaches to a noun naming the secondary purpose the action also fulfills.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + を兼ねて | 運動を兼ねて = combining it with exercise |
| Noun | N + を兼ねて | お礼を兼ねて = combining it with an expression of thanks |
お礼を兼ねて、皆様を食事に招待したい。
おれいを かねて、みなさまを しょくじに しょうたいしたい。
Combining it with my thanks, I'd like to invite everyone to a meal.
Not just "and also"
を兼ねて is stronger than simply listing two goals with と or や — it says the same single action accomplishes both at once. If the two things happen separately, use a plain conjunction instead; save を兼ねて for when one trip, gift, or event genuinely does double work.
The short version
- 〜を兼ねて = "combining X with (this)" — one action serving two purposes at once.
- Attaches to: Noun (the secondary purpose).
- Nuance/register: neutral-to-formal; common in travel, greetings, and gifts.
- Don't confuse with: simply joining two separate purposes with と/や — を兼ねて requires one action to fulfill both.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of 〜を兼ねて for an action that serves two purposes at once.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
観光＿＿＿、出張で京都に行った。
Where 〜を兼ねて fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜を契機に — 〜を契機に means 'triggered by' or 'taking X as the turning point' — a formal way to say an event caused a significant change. It attaches to a noun and is common in news about policy, society, and life changes.
- 〜をきっかけに — 〜をきっかけに means 'triggered by' or 'as a result of' — a friendly, everyday way to name the event that started a change. It attaches to a noun and works equally well in casual talk and writing.
- 〜をこめて — 〜をこめて means 'putting X into it' — doing something while filling it with an emotion like love, gratitude, or hope. It attaches to a noun naming the feeling and is common with gifts, letters, and prayers.
- 〜をめぐって — 〜をめぐって marks the topic a dispute, debate, or negotiation revolves around — 'concerning/over X' — typically followed by verbs like 争う, 対立する, or 議論する; the noun-modifying form is 〜をめぐる + Noun.
- 〜をもとに — 〜をもとに means 'based on / using X as a foundation,' marking data, experience, or material that gets reworked into something new; softer than に基づいて, which implies strict, faithful adherence to a source.
- 〜を除いて — 〜を除いて means 'except for / excluding X,' carving one item out of a group before describing the rest; often strengthened to 〜を除いては when contrasting the exception more sharply against everything else.