GrammarJLPT N5
→ to
From the Perspective of / For (Someone)
JLPT N5Compound particleNeutral
〜にとって is a compound particle used to express a viewpoint or perspective, meaning "for (someone)" or "from the standpoint of (someone)." It highlights that the statement that follows is being evaluated from the perspective of a particular person, group, or entity. The noun before にとって is the person or thing whose perspective is being presented, and the rest of the sentence typically contains a judgment, evaluation, or description of how something is perceived by that person or entity. This grammar point is often confused with 〜に対して, which means "toward" or "in contrast to" and indicates direction of an action or comparison rather than perspective. It is also different from 〜として, which means "as" or "in the role of." 〜にとって is natural in both spoken and written Japanese and frequently appears with evaluative expressions such as 大切 (important), 難しい (difficult), or いい (good). A common variation is 〜にとっては, where the added は provides contrast or emphasis.
Examples
Example #1
私にとって、家族はいちばん大切です。
In this sentence, にとって marks 私 (I/me) as the person from whose perspective the evaluation is being made. The speaker is not making a universal claim but rather expressing a personal judgment — that family is the most important thing specifically from their own standpoint. This is one of the most common patterns with にとって, where it is followed by an evaluative adjective like 大切.For me, family is the most important thing.
Structures
- Noun
- Noun + にとって + Evaluation / Description
Common mistakes
A common mistake is using にとって with action verbs, such as 「私にとって日本語を勉強する」, which is incorrect because にとって should be followed by an evaluation, judgment, or description, not a direct action. Learners also sometimes confuse にとって with に対して, but に対して indicates the direction or target of an action ("toward") or a contrast, whereas にとって specifically introduces a perspective for an evaluation. Another frequent error is using にとって with the subject's own actions, such as 「先生にとって教える」; instead, it should precede how something is perceived, like 「先生にとって教えることは楽しい」. Finally, some learners drop the に and say just とって, but the full form にとって is required.
Related
〜にとっては〜には〜に対して〜として〜からすると〜の立場から