GrammarJLPT N5
→ to become
Formal Expression for "to Become" or "to Turn Out to Be"
JLPT N5Fixed phraseFormal
となる is a formal or literary expression meaning "to become" or "to turn out to be." It functions similarly to になる, but carries a more dramatic, decisive, or official tone, making it common in news reports, written announcements, formal speeches, and literary contexts. While になる is the everyday, neutral way to express change of state, となる emphasizes a clear-cut transformation, a final result, or an officially determined outcome. For example, an election result, a legal decision, or a turning point in a story would naturally use となる rather than になる. The particle と in となる highlights that the resulting state is something definite and categorical, whereas に in になる simply marks a direction of change. Because of its formal register, となる sounds stiff or unnatural in casual conversation.
Functions
#1 Expressing a definitive change or result
Structure
Noun + となる
この試合が最後となる。
Here となる expresses a decisive, final outcome — the match is conclusively determined to be the last one. Using となる instead of になる adds weight and formality, emphasizing that this is not a gradual change but a definitive result. This usage is very common in sports commentary, news, and official statements.This match will be the last one.
Structures
- Noun
- Noun + となる
- Noun (polite)
- Noun + となります
Common mistakes
The most common mistake learners make is using となる in casual, everyday conversation where になる is the natural choice — saying something like 「明日は暑くとなる」 in a chat sounds overly stiff and unnatural. Another frequent error is attaching となる to adjectives directly; unlike になる, which pairs with both adjectives (暑くなる, 静かになる) and nouns, となる is predominantly used with nouns. Learners also sometimes confuse となる with となると (which means "when it comes to" or "if it turns out that"), which is a related but distinct conditional expression. Finally, some learners treat となる and になる as completely interchangeable; while the meaning is similar, remembering that となる emphasizes definitiveness, formality, and dramatic weight will help in choosing the right expression.
Related
になるとなるととなればとするになっている