〜を契機に: 'Triggered By' (Meaning + Examples)
An event as the turning point
Nを契機に says that N was the trigger or catalyst behind a change — usually a significant, sometimes large-scale one.
あの事故を契機に、安全対策が強化された。
あの じこを けいきに、あんぜんたいさくが きょうかされた。
Triggered by that accident, safety measures were strengthened.
Typical policy-change pattern.
やったんは病気を契機に、健康的な生活を始めた。
やったんは びょうきを けいきに、けんこうてきな せいかつを はじめた。
Triggered by his illness, Yattan started living a healthier life.
Original example: an event that turns a life around.
震災を契機に、都市開発が進んだ。
しんさいを けいきに、としかいはつが すすんだ。
Triggered by the earthquake, urban development advanced.
Form: Noun + を契機に
を契機に attaches to a noun naming the triggering event.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + を契機に | 事故を契機に = triggered by the accident |
| Noun | N + を契機に | 出会いを契機に = triggered by that encounter |
彼との出会いを契機に、人生が変わった。
かれとの であいを けいきに、じんせいが かわった。
Triggered by meeting him, her life changed.
Formal news register vs. everyday きっかけ
を契機に and をきっかけに are close in meaning, but register differs: を契機に sounds like a headline or an official report describing something large-scale (a policy, an economic shift), while をきっかけに fits ordinary personal stories just as comfortably as formal ones. When in doubt in casual speech, きっかけ is the safer, more natural pick.
The short version
- 〜を契機に = "triggered by X" — X is the catalyst behind a significant change.
- Attaches to: Noun (the triggering event).
- Nuance/register: formal, written; common in news and reports on policy or social change.
- Don't confuse with: 〜をきっかけに, the more casual, everyday equivalent.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of 〜を契機に to mark the trigger for a major change.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
＿＿＿、安全対策が強化された。
Where 〜を契機に fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- を · N5 — を marks the direct object of a verb (パンを食べる), the path you move along (道を歩く), and the place you leave (家を出る). Learn all three uses with examples.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜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.
- やがて — やがて is an adverb meaning 'soon,' 'before long,' or 'eventually' — something will happen after a stretch of time passes. Common in narration and storytelling to bridge from one scene to a later, changed one.