〜をきっかけに: 'That's What Started It' (Meaning + Examples)
Naming what got something started
Nをきっかけに marks N as the event, encounter, or moment that triggered the change or new activity described next.
彼と出会ったことをきっかけに、私の人生は大きく変わった。
かれと であった ことを きっかけに、わたしの じんせいは おおきく かわった。
Meeting him is what started the big change in my life.
The classic 'how we met' pattern.
やったんは友達の一言をきっかけに、日本語の勉強を始めた。
やったんは ともだちの ひとことを きっかけに、にほんごの べんきょうを はじめた。
A friend's offhand comment is what got Yattan started studying Japanese.
Original example: a small remark as the trigger.
もちが撮った写真をきっかけに、二人は旅行が趣味になった。
もちが とった しゃしんを きっかけに、ふたりは りょこうが しゅみに なった。
A photo Mochi took is what got the two of them into travel as a hobby.
Form: Noun / Verb-past + の・こと + をきっかけに
をきっかけに attaches to a noun directly, or to a verb clause via こと or の.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N + をきっかけに | 病気をきっかけに = triggered by an illness |
| Verb (past) + こと | Vたこと + をきっかけに | 留学したことをきっかけに = triggered by having studied abroad |
留学したことをきっかけに、彼女は通訳者を目指すようになった。
りゅうがくした ことを きっかけに、かのじょは つうやくしゃを めざすように なった。
Triggered by having studied abroad, she started aiming to become an interpreter.
Everyday きっかけ vs. formal 契機・機
をきっかけに, 〜を契機に, and 〜を機に all mean roughly "triggered by," but をきっかけに is the one that sounds natural in casual conversation as well as writing. 契機 and 機 lean formal and are more common in news, speeches, and reports about large-scale change.
The short version
- 〜をきっかけに = "triggered by X" — X is the event that started a change.
- Attaches to: Noun, or Vた + こと/の.
- Nuance/register: neutral, works in both casual and formal contexts.
- Don't confuse with: 〜を契機に / 〜を機に, the more formal, written-register equivalents.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of 〜をきっかけに to name the trigger for a change.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
彼と出会った＿＿＿、私の人生は大きく変わった。
Where 〜をきっかけに 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.
- 〜やら〜やら — 〜やら〜やら lists two or more things (or feelings) side by side to convey a chaotic, overwhelming, or mixed situation — 'what with A and B.' Casual-to-neutral, and often used for jumbled emotions.