〜を〜として: 'As' / 'In The Capacity Of' (Meaning + Examples)
Assigning a role or capacity
Nを〜として says that N is being treated, used, chosen, or positioned as something — a job title, a category, a standpoint. The verb before として is usually one of designation: 選ぶ (choose), 扱う (treat), 迎える (welcome), 保護する (protect), 利用する (use).
この会議では、ヤッタンを司会として選んだ。
この かいぎでは、ヤッタンを しかいとして えらんだ。
At this meeting, we chose Yattan as the moderator.
司会として = 'as the moderator/emcee.'
政府はこの島を国立公園として保護している。
せいふは この しまを こくりつこうえんとして ほごしている。
The government protects this island as a national park.
モチを家族の一員として迎えた。
モチを かぞくの いちいんとして むかえた。
We welcomed Mochi as a member of the family.
Form
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + Noun | NをMとして | この島を公園として (this island, as a park) |
| Noun + Noun (reflective) | Nを教訓として | この経験を教訓として (this experience, as a lesson) |
この経験を教訓として、次はもっと注意する。
この けいけんを きょうくんとして、つぎは もっと ちゅういする。
Taking this experience as a lesson, I'll be more careful next time.
Very common set phrase: 〜を教訓として.
Don't confuse with plain 〜として (no を)
When nothing is being actively reassigned a role, plain Nとして works alone: 彼は医者として働いている ("He works as a doctor") describes his own standing, with no separate object being designated. を〜として needs a transitive verb where you actively designate one thing as another — 選ぶ, 扱う, 迎える, 保護する — so there's always a "before" (N) and an "after, as" (M) on either side of the action.
The short version
- NをMとして = "treat/use/regard N as M" — assigns N a role or capacity M.
- Attaches to: nouns on both sides, with a designating verb (選ぶ、扱う、迎える、保護する…).
- Nuance/register: formal, common in writing, announcements, and reports.
- Don't confuse with: plain Nとして (no を), used when describing a subject's own role rather than actively assigning one.
Practice it
Choose the sentence that correctly assigns a role or capacity with を〜として.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
会社はやったん＿＿＿採用した。
Where 〜を〜として 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 〜ようでは — 〜ようでは means 'if (this) is the state of things' — a current situation, if it continues, will lead to a bad result. Used to criticize or warn, often followed by a negative conclusion.
- 要するに — 要するに is a conjunction meaning 'in short' or 'the point is' — it introduces a summary or rephrasing of what was just said, boiling a longer explanation down to its essence.
- 〜に向かって — 〜に向かって attaches to a noun and means 'toward / facing,' marking physical motion toward a place, effort aimed at a goal, or words directed at a person: 駅に向かって走る ('run toward the station').
- 〜において — 〜において is the formal, written equivalent of で/に, marking a location, time, or field of activity: 現代において ('in modern times'). Learn the pattern plus its adnominal form における.