～をきっかけに(して) — The Turning Point
Marks an event or occasion that becomes the trigger or catalyst for a change, often the start of a new habit, relationship, or situation. It highlights that something specific set a larger development in motion. Frequently used when looking back at what prompted a life change.
Structure
[Noun] + をきっかけに(して) / [Plain phrase] + の / こと + をきっかけに
Examples
入院をきっかけに、お酒をやめました。
Nyuuin o kikkake ni, osake o yamemashita.
My hospitalization was the trigger that made me quit drinking.
The noun 入院 (hospitalization) is the event that started the change (quitting)
留学をきっかけにして、日本語を本気で勉強し始めた。
Ryuugaku o kikkake ni shite, nihongo o honki de benkyou shihajimeta.
Studying abroad was the opportunity that made me start seriously learning Japanese.
をきっかけにして (fuller form) links the trigger to the new action
彼と出会ったことをきっかけに、人生が変わった。
Kare to deatta koto o kikkake ni, jinsei ga kawatta.
Meeting him was the turning point that changed my life.
A clause is nominalized with こと before をきっかけに
• Register: neutral to slightly formal; common in written and spoken reflection. • Use こと or の to attach it to a verb clause, since it fundamentally connects to a noun. • Nuance: emphasizes a single decisive moment, not a gradual reason.
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(して) is tested against.
vs をもとに
をもとに means 'based on' a source/material, while をきっかけに means an event 'triggered' a change.
vs を契機に (をけいきに)
を契機に is the stiffer, more formal/written twin of をきっかけに with the same meaning; をきっかけに is more conversational.
More cause & effect
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