Through, throughout: 〜を通して・〜を通じて
Noun + を通して／を通じて
Noun + を通して／を通じて: “through, by way of” (person, medium, experience) or “throughout” (period). を通じて is slightly more formal.
In short
〜を通して has two meanings. The first: “through, by way of” a person, a medium or an experience (友だちを通して知り合った). The second: “throughout” a period (一年を通して, “all year round”). 〜を通じて means the same, in a slightly more formal tone.
- 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.
- テレビを通じて、世界のことを知る。てれびをつうじて、せかいのことをしる。We learn about the world through television.
- 京都は一年を通して観光客が多い。きょうとはいちねんをとおしてかんこうきゃくがおおい。Kyoto gets lots of tourists all year round.
The basics
通す means “to pass through”. 〜を通して is therefore “by passing through”: information, a meeting or learning goes through a person, a medium, an experience. Applied to time, you “go through” a whole period: “from start to finish”. English “through” covers both ideas nicely.
I met my wife through a friend.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- この仕事を通して、多くのことを学んだ。このしごとをとおして、おおくのことをまなんだ。I learned a lot through this job.
Two meanings
The preceding noun decides the meaning: an intermediary (person, medium, activity) or a duration (a year, a lifetime, a season).
| Meaning | Noun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| intermediary, means | person, medium, experience | 友だちを通して・ネットを通じて |
| whole duration | period | 一年を通して・一生を通じて |
- インターネットを通じて、世界中の人と話せる。いんたーねっとをつうじて、せかいじゅうのひととはなせる。Through the Internet, you can talk to people all over the world.
- このお寺は一年を通じて人が多い。このおてらはいちねんをつうじてひとがおおい。This temple is busy all year round.
を通して or を通じて?
The two are often interchangeable. を通じて is a little more formal and common in the press, speeches and official relations (外交ルートを通じて). を通して sounds more concrete and personal, especially for a lived experience (経験を通して学ぶ).
- お茶の勉強を通して、日本の心を知った。おちゃのべんきょうをとおして、にほんのこころをしった。Through studying tea, I discovered the Japanese spirit.
Don't confuse: によって, で, 通って
で marks a simple means or tool (電話で話す). によって stresses the cause or the agent, in a written style. を通して puts the emphasis on the intermediary: something goes through it. And to physically pass through a place (a park, a street), use the verb 通る: 公園を通って駅に行く.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| で | tool, simple means | 電話で話す |
| によって | cause, agent (written) | 地震によって家が壊れた |
| を通して | intermediary, through an experience | 友だちを通して知り合う |
| を通って | physically passing through a place | 公園を通って帰る |
- 公園を通って駅に行く。こうえんをとおってえきにいく。I go to the station through the park.
Common mistakes
- Using を通して for going through a place: for “go through the park”, it's 公園を通って.
- Forgetting the “whole duration” meaning: 一年を通して doesn't mean “through a year” but “all year round”.
- Replacing を with に: say 友だちを通して, with を.
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 N3 point is on the Keihan Line (Media and communication) of the Kyoto lines.