に応じて — According To, Depending On

Meaning & Usage

に応おうじて (ni ōjite) expresses that something changes, adjusts, or is performed in accordance with a condition, standard, or variable factor. The pattern derives from the verb 応おうじる (ōjiru), meaning to respond to, to comply with, or to adapt to. Combined with the particle に and the て-form, it links a noun representing a variable condition to a resulting action or state.

What sets に応おうじて apart is its emphasis on proportional or adaptive response. Unlike a simple cause-and-effect relationship, the response must be calibrated to the condition at hand. As that condition changes, the response adjusts accordingly. This explains why the pattern appears so often in policies, evaluations, and procedures — contexts where individualized treatment matters more than uniform application.

English translations — according to, depending on, in response to, in proportion to — only partially capture the nuance. に応おうじて implies deliberate, active adaptation. 能力のうりょくに応おうじて仕事しごとを割わり当あてる does not simply mean work depends on ability — it means work is assigned with each person's ability level actively taken into account.

に応おうじて sits firmly in formal, written Japanese. Business documents, policy statements, academic papers, and legal texts are its natural home. In casual speech it sounds stiff; native speakers reach for に合あわせて or によって instead.

Two forms to know: the conjunctive form に応おうじて, which connects to a following verb phrase, and the attributive form に応おうじた, which modifies a following noun. 収入しゅうにゅうに応おうじて税金ぜいきんを払はらう (pay taxes according to income) uses the conjunctive form; 収入しゅうにゅうに応おうじた税率ぜいりつ (tax rate proportional to income) uses the attributive form.

Structure & Formation

に応おうじて attaches exclusively to nouns. The noun must represent a condition, standard, variable, demand, or graduated factor. The two forms differ in what connects to them:

Common categories of nouns that precede に応おうじて:

• Ability & performance: 能力のうりょく (ability), 成績せいせき (grades), 実力じつりょく (actual skill)

• Conditions & situations: 状況じょうきょう (situation), 必要性ひつようせい (necessity), 場合ばあい (case)

• Demands & needs: 需要じゅよう (demand), ニーズ (needs), 要求ようきゅう (requirements)

• Scale & degree: 収入しゅうにゅう (income), 規模きぼ (scale), 程度ていど (degree)

• Age & developmental stage: 年齢ねんれい (age), レベル (level), 段階だんかい (stage)

Important restriction: に応おうじて cannot attach directly to verbs or adjectives. If the concept is verbal or adjectival, nominalize it first. Convert 勉強べんきょうする (to study) to 勉強量べんきょうりょう (amount of study), or 便利べんり (convenient) to 利便性りべんせい (convenience), before attaching に応おうじて.

Example Sentences

Work & Business

Education & Learning

Daily Life

Society & Policy

Health & Medicine

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Attaching に応じて Directly to a Verb Form

❌ 勉強べんきょうするに応おうじて成績せいせきが上あがります。

✅ 勉強量べんきょうりょうに応おうじて成績せいせきが上あがります。

に応おうじて must follow a noun, never a verb in dictionary or て-form. In the incorrect example, 勉強べんきょうする must be converted to a noun — 勉強量べんきょうりょう (amount of studying) or 努力どりょく (effort) both work naturally here.

Mistake 2: Using に応じて Instead of に従って for Fixed Rules

❌ 交通こうつうルールに応おうじて運転うんてんしてください。

✅ 交通こうつうルールに従したがって運転うんてんしてください。

に応おうじて implies the preceding noun is a variable condition requiring an adaptive response. Traffic rules are fixed — the only expected behavior is compliance. For fixed rules, instructions, or procedures, に従したがって (in accordance with; following) is the correct choice. Save に応おうじて for conditions that are genuinely variable or graduated.

Mistake 3: Using に応じての Before a Noun Instead of に応じた

❌ 状況じょうきょうに応おうじての対応たいおうが必要ひつようです。

✅ 状況じょうきょうに応おうじた対応たいおうが必要ひつようです。

When に応おうじて modifies a following noun, it must shift to the ta-form: に応おうじた. The construction に応おうじての before a noun is ungrammatical. The conjunctive form connects to verb phrases; the attributive form connects to nouns. N2 exams test this contrast regularly.

Mistake 4: Using に応じて for Simple Variation (Use によって Instead)

❌ この地域ちいきでは、気候きこうに応おうじて文化ぶんかが違ちがいます。

✅ この地域ちいきでは、気候きこうによって文化ぶんかが違ちがいます。

に応おうじて implies something is actively adapting to a variable condition. Culture may differ across climates, but it does not dynamically respond to climate in real time. When things simply vary depending on a factor — without active calibration — によって is the natural choice. Telling the two apart is a frequent exam challenge.

Mistake 5: Confusing に応じて with に合わせて

❌ 相手あいてのペースに応おうじて話はなしを進すすめました。

✅ 相手あいてのペースに合あわせて話はなしを進すすめました。

に合あわせて (ni awasete) emphasizes aligning with or synchronizing to a specific reference point — matching a particular speed, schedule, or style. に応おうじて suits variable conditions requiring a graduated or proportional response. Matching someone's conversational pace is alignment, not calibration — so に合あわせて is the natural pick.

Cultural Notes

に応おうじて reflects something central to Japanese social norms: the expectation that responses should fit the situation rather than be applied uniformly. Japanese culture prizes what is often called TPO (時とき・場所ばしょ・場合ばあい — Time, Place, Occasion) and reading the atmosphere of a situation (空気くうきを読よむ, kuuki wo yomu). に応おうじて puts this preference into grammar: responses calibrated to circumstances, not handed out wholesale.

In Japan's professional world, phrases such as 能力のうりょくに応おうじた報酬ほうしゅう (compensation according to ability) and 成果せいかに応おうじた評価ひょうか (performance-based evaluation) have become increasingly common as companies move away from the traditional seniority system (年功序列ねんこうじょれつ, nenkō joretsu) toward merit-based approaches. The spread of に応おうじて in HR documents signals this broader shift.

Government and legal texts use に応おうじて to establish proportionality — that benefits, obligations, and penalties should scale with factors like income or age. This reflects 公平性こうへいせい (kōheisei, fairness): not identical treatment for everyone, but treatment matched to each person's situation.

At N2 and beyond, に応おうじて appears constantly in business, government, academic, and media texts. Recognizing it quickly makes reading comprehension noticeably smoother.

JLPT Tips

に応おうじて appears in both the grammar section (文法) and reading comprehension passages (読解) of the N2 exam. Knowing how to tell it apart from similar patterns is where most points are won or lost.

In grammar fill-in-the-blank questions, the key is identifying the nature of the preceding noun. Ask yourself: Is this noun a variable condition requiring an adaptive, calibrated response? If yes, に応おうじて is likely correct. If the noun represents a fixed rule, use に従したがって. For matching or synchronizing to something specific, use に合あわせて. For simple variation without adaptation, use によって.

Pay close attention to what follows the grammar point. If a noun follows, use the attributive form に応おうじた. If a verb phrase follows, use the conjunctive form に応おうじて. Choosing the wrong form costs points even when everything else is right.

In reading comprehension passages, に応おうじて most commonly appears in texts about workplace policies, educational systems, medical treatment, social welfare, and government regulations. When you encounter it, take it as a signal that the passage is discussing individualized, adaptive treatment — not uniform application.

Think of 応おうじる as responding appropriately. に応おうじて always carries the sense of a calibrated, non-arbitrary response. When writing your own sentences, choose nouns representing measurable, variable conditions — 能力のうりょく, 需要じゅよう, 状況じょうきょう, 収入しゅうにゅう — to sound natural and precise.