〜とおり / 〜どおり: 'Just As' / 'In the Way That' (N3)
Happening exactly as something specifies
とおり comes from the noun 通り (とおり, "way/manner"). As a grammar point it tells you that something happens exactly the way something else specifies — a person's words, a plan, an instruction, an expectation. English equivalents are "just as," "the way that," "in accordance with," "as per."
The same word shows up in two spellings depending on what comes before it:
先生が言ったとおりにやってください。
せんせいが いった とおりに やって ください。
Please do it just as the teacher said.
Verb (た-form) + とおりに — following someone's instructions.
ヤッタンは説明書のとおりに本棚を組み立てた。
ヤッタンは せつめいしょの とおりに ほんだなを くみたてた。
Yattan assembled the bookshelf as the manual said.
Noun + の + とおりに.
電車は予定どおりに着きました。
でんしゃは よていどおりに つきました。
The train arrived right on schedule.
Noun + どおり — voiced suffix, no の.
Where の goes — and where it doesn't
The form changes with the word in front of it. The key split is whether の appears: if it does (or a verb precedes), you get とおり; if the word attaches directly to a noun, it voices to どおり.
| What's in front | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (dictionary form) | Vる + とおり(に) | 私が作るとおりに (the way I make it) |
| Verb (た-form) | Vた + とおり(に) | 言ったとおりに (just as [I] said) |
| Noun + の | Nの + とおり(に) | 説明書のとおりに (as the manual says) |
| Noun (direct) | N + どおり(に) | 予定どおり (as scheduled), 期待どおり (as expected) |
| この/その/あの | その + とおり | そのとおりです (that's exactly right) |
The に is optional and often dropped, especially with the どおり suffix: 予定どおり and 予定どおりに are both fine.
Dictionary form vs た-form
Both verb forms are common, but they point at different timing:
- Vた + とおり = the action has already been done/shown, and you're matching it. 私が書いたとおりに写してください ("copy it exactly as I've written it").
- Vる + とおり = a habitual or about-to-happen action. 私がやるとおりにまねしてください ("imitate it the way I [am about to] do it").
モチが教えてくれたとおりに作ったら、すごくおいしくできた。
モチが おしえて くれた とおりに つくったら、すごく おいしく できた。
When I made it exactly the way Mochi taught me, it came out really tasty.
Vた + とおり — following advice already given.
これから私が読むとおりに、後について言ってください。
これから わたしが よむ とおりに、あとに ついて いって ください。
Repeat after me exactly as I read it out.
Vる + とおり — an action about to happen.
The どおり suffix
When とおり sticks straight onto a noun, it becomes a compound and voices to どおり. This form is extremely common with set nouns:
- 予定どおり — as scheduled / as planned
- 計画どおり — according to plan
- 期待どおり — as expected (hoped for)
- 思ったとおり — just as I thought (note: still とおり, because 思った is a verb)
- 指示どおり — as instructed
- 言葉どおり — literally, word for word
弟はテストで思ったとおりの点が取れなかった。
おとうとは テストで おもった とおりの てんが とれなかった。
My little brother couldn't get the score he'd expected on the test.
思った is a verb, so it stays とおり, not どおり.
プロジェクトは計画どおりに進んでいる。
プロジェクトは けいかくどおりに すすんで いる。
The project is going according to plan.
The traps that catch learners
- Using とおり where it should voice to どおり. After a noun with no の, it must be どおり: 予定どおり (✓), not 予定とおり. But with の it stays unvoiced: 予定のとおり (✓).
- Adding の before a verb. Verbs connect directly: 言ったとおり (✓), not 言ったのとおり. The の only links nouns.
- Treating 思った as a noun. Because it's a verb, it's 思ったとおり ("just as I thought") — never どおり, even though it feels like a fixed phrase.
- Confusing it with 通り as a counter/word. Here とおり means "way/manner." The same kanji also reads とおり meaning "street" or counts methods (二通り = two ways) — context tells them apart.
The rule in one screen
- とおり / どおり = "exactly as, in accordance with."
- Verb + とおり (言った/言うとおり); noun + の + とおり (説明書のとおり).
- Noun directly + どおり — voiced: 予定どおり, 期待どおり.
- Vた = matching something already done; Vる = habitual or about to happen.
- Keep verbs unvoiced (思ったとおり) even when the phrase feels fixed.
Practice it
Choose とおり or どおり and the right verb form.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
この規制はいく＿＿＿にも解釈できる。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between とおり and どおり?
Same meaning ('just as'). It's とおり after a verb or after noun + の (説明書のとおり), and it voices to どおり when it attaches straight onto a noun with no の (予定どおり).
Do I need the に?
No. The に in とおりに / どおりに is optional and frequently dropped, especially in the suffix form: 予定どおり and 予定どおりに are both natural.
Why is it 思ったとおり and not 思いどおり... wait, both exist?
思ったとおり uses the verb 思った, so it stays とおり ('just as I thought'). 思いどおり is a separate set noun-compound ('the way one wants/wishes') and voices to どおり because 思い is treated as a noun here.
Should I write it in kanji?
Both 通り and かな are seen. The suffix どおり is often written in kana (予定どおり), while standalone とおり may appear as 通り. Either is acceptable; kana is common in textbooks.
Where 〜とおり / 〜どおり fits
Don't confuse it with
- 〜という · N3 — 〜という names things (「ヤッタン」という犬), wraps hearsay (来ないという), and packages a clause into a noun (失敗したという事実). Learn all three N3 uses.
- 〜によって · N3 — 〜によって is a versatile N3 pattern: means/method, 'varies depending on,' formal cause, and the agent in passive sentences. Learn all four senses plus による and によっては.
More N3 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ついでに — 〜ついでに means doing a second thing while you're already doing the first: verb/noun + ついでに. Learn the formation, which action is the 'main' one, and common mistakes.
- つまり — つまり restates or sums up what you just said — 'in other words,' 'that is,' 'in short.' Learn how to use it, how it pairs with ということだ, and how it differs from すなわち and 要するに.
- 〜わけだ — 〜わけだ marks a logical conclusion that naturally follows from facts: 'so that means,' 'no wonder,' 'it follows that.' Learn the formation and how it differs from はず and から.
- 〜わけではない — 〜わけではない softly corrects an assumption: 'it's not that…' / 'it doesn't necessarily mean…'. Learn the formation, the casual わけじゃない, and how it differs from わけがない.
- 〜を中心に — 〜を中心に means 'centered on / mainly / with X at the center.' Learn the formation, the を中心として and を中心にして variants, and the adnominal を中心とした.
- 〜ようとする — 〜ようとする adds とする to the volitional form: (1) try/attempt to do, (2) be just about to do. Negative 〜ようとしない means won't or refuses to do.