〜とおり / 〜どおり: 'Just As' / 'In the Way That' (N3)
What it means
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.
How to form it
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.
Common mistakes
- 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.
Quick recap
- 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.
Your turn
Choose とおり or どおり and the right verb form.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N3 〜とおり/どおり drill →
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.