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JLPT N2Cause & Effect

～をきっかけに— The Spark That Started It

をきっかけに (or をきっかけとして) marks an event or occasion that served as the trigger or starting point for a change, new action, or development. It highlights the moment that set something in motion, often a positive or life-changing turn. The following clause describes what began as a result.

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Pro lessonUNIT 58 · CAUSE & EFFECT

Structure · 形

[Noun / plain-form + の] + をきっかけに(して)／をきっかけとして

Examples · 例文

  • 留学をきっかけに、日本語を本格的に勉強し始めた。

    Ryuugaku o kikkake ni, nihongo o honkakuteki ni benkyou shihajimeta.

    Studying abroad was the trigger for me to start studying Japanese seriously.

    留学をきっかけに marks study abroad as the starting point of the change.

  • 病気をきっかけとして、生活習慣を見直した。

    Byouki o kikkake to shite, seikatsu shuukan o minaoshita.

    Prompted by illness, I reconsidered my lifestyle habits.

    をきっかけとして presents the illness as the prompting event.

  • 彼と出会ったのをきっかけに、絵を描くようになった。

    Kare to deatta no o kikkake ni, e o kaku you ni natta.

    Meeting him was the spark that led me to start painting.

    出会ったの nominalizes the event, marked as the trigger by をきっかけに.

Usage notes · 注意

  • After a verb/clause, add の before をきっかけに.
  • Often marks a positive or neutral turning point in daily life.
  • Register: neutral; common in both speech and writing.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～をきっかけに is tested against.

vs～を契機に

を契機に is the more formal, written equivalent, often for larger/official turning points, while をきっかけに is everyday and can be casual.

vs～をもとに

をもとに means 'based on (material/data)', whereas をきっかけに marks a triggering event that started something.

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