Along, in line with: 〜に沿って
N + に沿って／に沿い／に沿う + N／に沿った + N
N + に沿って (before a noun: に沿った／に沿う): along (concrete), or in line with a plan, a policy, a wish (abstract). ご希望に沿えず: a polite business refusal.
In short
〜に沿って (read そって) has a concrete meaning, “along” (a river, a road, a railway line), and an abstract one, “in line with, following” (a plan, a guideline, a wish). In business, ご希望に沿う means “to meet your wishes”, and ご希望に沿えず “being unable to meet your wishes”. Neutral to formal register.
- 川に沿って歩くと、駅に出ます。かわにそってあるくと、えきにでます。If you walk along the river, you'll come out at the station.
- 計画に沿って、工事を進めます。けいかくにそって、こうじをすすめます。We're carrying out the works in line with the plan.
- 線路に沿った道を、自転車で走った。せんろにそったみちを、じてんしゃではしった。I cycled along the road that runs beside the railway line.
- ご希望に沿えず、申し訳ございません。ごきぼうにそえず、もうしわけございません。We're very sorry that we're unable to meet your wishes.
The basics
沿う (そう) is “to run alongside, to follow a line”. In the concrete sense, 〜に沿って describes movement or layout along a landmark: a river, a road, a railway line, a coast. In the abstract sense, the line becomes a plan, a method, a policy, a wish: you act following that thread, without straying from it.
Watch the reading: 沿 is read そ in 沿う, 沿って. The same kanji is read えん in 沿線 (the area along a train line), a word you often see in property ads.
We're carrying out the works in line with the plan.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 名古屋の堀川に沿って、桜の木が並んでいる。なごやのほりかわにそって、さくらのきがならんでいる。Cherry trees line the Horikawa River in Nagoya.
- このマニュアルに沿って作業してください。このまにゅあるにそってさぎょうしてください。Please carry out the work following this manual.
How to form it
You attach it to a noun with に. に沿い is the written continuative form. Before a noun, you say に沿った (most common) or に沿う. The potential 沿える (そえる, “to be able to meet”) is used in polite business formulas.
| Construction | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| N + に沿って | 川に沿って歩く | walk along the river |
| N + に沿い (written) | 方針に沿い決定する | decide in line with policy |
| N + に沿った + N | 線路に沿った道 | the road beside the railway line |
| N + に沿う + N | ご希望に沿うプラン | a plan that matches your wishes |
| ご希望に沿えず | ご希望に沿えず申し訳ございません | sorry we can't meet your wishes |
- お客様のご希望に沿うプランをご用意しました。おきゃくさまのごきぼうにそうぷらんをごよういしました。We've put together a plan that matches your wishes.
- できる限りご期待に沿えるよう、努力いたします。できるかぎりごきたいにそえるよう、どりょくいたします。We'll do our utmost to live up to your expectations.
に沿って, に基づいて, のとおりに, に従って
のとおりに (N3) reproduces a model exactly (説明のとおりに作る). に沿って follows a general line, with some room to adapt (方針に沿って進める). に基づいて rests on a reference basis (法律に基づいて判断する).
に従って (N3) can mean “in accordance with” (指示に従って), but never “along”. For a river or a road, only に沿って works.
| Expression | Idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| に沿って | follow a line (concrete or abstract) | 川に沿って歩く・計画に沿って進める |
| のとおりに | reproduce exactly | 説明のとおりに作る |
| に基づいて | rest on a reference | データに基づいて判断する |
| に従って | obey an instruction | 係員の指示に従って避難する |
- 説明書のとおりに組み立てたのに、動かない。せつめいしょのとおりにくみたてたのに、うごかない。I put it together exactly as the instructions said, and it still doesn't work.
- 道に沿って、小さな店がいくつも並んでいる。みちにそって、ちいさなみせがいくつもならんでいる。A number of little shops line the street.
Common mistakes
- Using に従って in the spatial sense: “川に従って歩く” is wrong; you say 川に沿って歩く.
- Forgetting に: the construction is 川に沿って, not “川を沿って”.
- Failing to recognise ご希望に沿えず in an email: it's a polite refusal, “we're unable to meet your request”.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Meijō Line (Politics and society) of the Nagoya lines.