By way of, after going through: 〜を経て
N + を経て
N + を経て (へて): by way of a place, a stage or a period of time, before arriving at a result. Written register: CVs, the press, procedures.
In short
〜を経て (read へて) means “by way of, after going through”: you pass through a stage, a place or a period of time before reaching a result. 経る means “to pass through, to elapse”. The expression is written and polished: CVs, the press, official procedures, accounts of someone's career.
- 三年の研究を経て、新しい薬が完成した。さんねんのけんきゅうをへて、あたらしいくすりがかんせいした。After three years of research, a new drug was completed.
- 東京から名古屋を経て、大阪へ向かった。とうきょうからなごやをへて、おおさかへむかった。I left Tokyo for Osaka, by way of Nagoya.
- 二回の面接を経て、採用が決まった。にかいのめんせつをへて、さいようがきまった。After two interviews, I was offered the job.
- 大学を出てから、銀行員を経て作家になった。だいがくをでてから、ぎんこういんをへてさっかになった。After university, he worked as a bank clerk before becoming a writer.
The basics
経る (へる) is “to pass through”: a place you cross, a stage you clear, time that elapses. 〜を経て presents that passage as necessary: without it, you wouldn't have reached the result. Three years of research lead to the drug; two interviews lead to the job.
It's a word for polished narration: you find it in biographies (“having been a teacher, he became a minister”), press reports, procedures (“following review of the application”).
After three years of research, a new drug was completed.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- この法案は、国会での議論を経て成立した。このほうあんは、こっかいでのぎろんをへてせいりつした。This bill was passed after debate in the Diet.
- 多くの苦労を経て、彼は自分の店を持った。おおくのくろうをへて、かれはじぶんのみせをもった。After many hardships, he opened his own shop.
How to form it, and how to read it
The construction is fixed: noun + を経て. The noun can be a place (名古屋を経て), a stage or a procedure (面接を経て, 審議を経て), a length of time (十年を経て). Watch the reading: here 経 is read へ, not けい as in 経済.
Don't confuse it with 経つ (たつ), “to elapse”, for time: 十年が経った (ten years have passed). Same kanji, different verb, different particle.
| What you go through | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| a place | 名古屋を経て大阪へ | via Nagoya |
| a stage | 面接を経て採用される | be hired after an interview |
| a length of time | 十年を経て完成する | be completed after ten years |
| a position (CV) | 銀行員を経て作家になる | become a writer after working as a bank clerk |
| don't confuse | 十年が経った（たった） | ten years have passed |
- この荷物は、香港を経て日本に届いた。このにもつは、ほんこんをへてにほんにとどいた。This parcel reached Japan via Hong Kong.
- 日本に来てから、もう五年が経った。にほんにきてから、もうごねんがたった。It's already been five years since I came to Japan.
を経て, てから, を通して
てから (N5) gives a simple succession: A, then B. を経て stresses that A is a necessary passage to B. You don't say “朝ご飯を経て会社に行く”: breakfast isn't a stage that leads to the office.
を通して (N3) marks a means or an intermediary (友だちを通して知り合う, to meet through a friend) or a whole period (一年を通して). を経て, by contrast, is about a path you go through to arrive somewhere.
| Expression | Idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| てから | A then B (simple order) | 顔を洗ってから朝ご飯を食べる |
| を経て | A is a necessary passage to B | 面接を経て採用される |
| を通して | through, throughout | 友だちを通して知り合う |
- 友だちを通して、今の妻と知り合った。ともだちをとおして、いまのつまとしりあった。I met my wife through a friend.
- 長い入院生活を経て、ようやく仕事に戻れた。ながいにゅういんせいかつをへて、ようやくしごとにもどれた。After a long stay in hospital, I was finally able to go back to work.
Common mistakes
- Reading it “けいて”: in を経て, 経 is read へ (へて).
- Using it for an everyday succession: “朝ご飯を経て出かける” is absurd. You need a stage that leads to the result.
- Mixing up 経て (へて, to go through) and 経って (たって, time has passed): 十年を経て but 十年が経って.
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 Higashiyama Line (The working world) of the Nagoya lines.