~となる VS ~になる (= ~ to naru VS ~ ni naru)
「僕も日本語の先生になる！」
= Boku mo nihongo no sensei ni nau!
= I ‘m going to be a Japanese teacher,too!
「大変よ…」
= Taihen yo…
= It’s tough, you know..
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This is a lesson for my dear Twitter follower, Carol.
She asked me what the difference between ～となる= (～ to naru) and ～になる= (～ ni naru) were.
The verb なる means to be or to become, to turn into.
Adding と and に in front it changes the meaning a bit.
The basic differences? While になる is a natural change, となる implies having reached a final stage.
★ noun + ～になる ( = ~ ni naru) : natural change
*朝になる
= asa ni naru
= the morning comes (natural change : from night to morning.)
*冬になる
= fuyu ni naru
= winter comes/ when we are in winter (natural change: from autumn to winter)
*明日になる
= ashita ni naru
= tomorrow comes / when we are in tomorrow (natural change : from today to tomorrow.)
*大人になる
= otona ni naru
= to be an adult (natural change : from a child to an adult.)
★ noun + ～となる ( = ~to naru) : implies having reached to the final stage.
*今となってはもう遅い
= Ima to natte wa mou osoi.
= It is too late now. (a set phrase : Having reached to the moment, “now”)
*社長となる
= shachou to naru
= to become the president of a company (to have reached to the status.)
*母となる
= haha to naru.
= to become a mother (to have become a mother)
*雨は雪となった
= Ame wa yuki to natta
= the rain turned into snow. (having changed — the final form is snow)
Note :
～となる (=~tonaru) can be replaced with ～になる (= ~ ninaru) but the nuance is a bit different.
*母になる
= haha ni naru
= to be a mother
*母となる
= haha to naru
= to become a mother as a final stage (a bit dramatic)
**************
*先生になる
= sensei ni naru
= to be a teacher
*先生となる
= sensei to naru
= to become a teacher as a final stage
**************
*明日は荒れ模様になるでしょう。
= Ashita wa aremoyou ni naru deshou
= The weather tomorrow is going to be a stormy.
*明日は荒れ模様となるでしょう。
= Ashita wa aremoyou to naru deshou
= It is going to become stormy tomorrow.
(We hear this on the weather forecast)
**************
*心の支えになるものが欲しい。
= Kokokor no sasae ni naru mono ga hoshii.
= I need something to lean on (to be my mental support).
*心の支えとなるものが欲しい。
= Kokokor no sasae to naru mono ga hoshii.
= I want something to become my mental support.
(It emphasizes more. It sounds deeper.)
**************
*生徒の模範になる先生
= Seito no mohan ni naru sensei
= A teacher to be a role model for students.
*生徒の模範となる先生
= Seito no mohan to naru sensei
= A teacher as a role model for students.
Note : となる is more serious and deeper.
**************
But the translation will be almost the same so it might be confusing for you.
In daily conversation, we use になる = ~ ninaru more often than 〜となる= ~ to naru.
We hear/ see 〜となる = ~ tonaru more in written form or formal talk.
Ex. マギー先生になったの？
= Maggie, sensei ni nattano?
= You’ve become a teacher, Maggie?
We rarely say 先生となったの? = sensei to nattano?
Ex. 明日は雪になるんだって。
= Ashita wa yuki ni narundatte.
= I heard it is going to snow tomorrow.
We rarely say 明日は雪となるんだって。= Ashita wa yuki to narundatte. in daily conversation.
★na-adjective ～になる ( = ~ ni naru)
元気な = genki na → 元気になる = genki ni naru =to recover, to be in good shape again
元気となる = genki to naru
Ex. もう元気になったの？
= Mou genki ni natta no?
= Are you OK now?
綺麗な =kirei na → 綺麗になる = kirei ni naru = to be beautiful
綺麗となる = kirei to naru
Ex.あの子、綺麗になったね。
= Ano ko kirei ni nattane.
= She has become beautiful
上手な = jouzu na → 上手になる = jouzu ni naru = to improve
上手となる = jouzu to naru
Ex. ピアノが上手になりたい。
= Piano ga jouzu ni naritai.
= I want to (learn how to) play the piano well.
素直な = sunao na → 素直になる = sunao ni naru = to be honest
素直となる = sunao to naru
Ex. もっと素直にならないと！
= Motto sunao ni naranaito!
= I (or you) have to be more honest.
下手な = heta na → 下手になる = heta ni naru = to get rusty
下手となる = heta to naru
Ex. 最近、英語が下手になった。
= Saikin eigo ga heta ni natta.
= My English has been getting rusty lately.
静かな = shizukana → 静かになる = shizuka ni naru = to be quite
Ex. 先生が来たらみな静かになった。
= Sensei ga kitara mina shizuka ni natta.
= When the teacher showed up, everybody got quiet.
ぺらぺらな = perapeara na ペラペラになる = perapera ni naru = to be fluent
ペラペラとなる = perapera to naru
Ex. 日本語ペラペラになったね。
= Nihongo perapera ni nattane.
= Your Japanese is getting fluent.
★ 様（you) + になる (= ~ ni naru) = to be like
It never takes となる
Ex. マギー先生の様になりたい。
= Maggie sensei no you ni naritai.
マギー先生の様となりたい。
= Maggie sensei no you to naritai.
Ex.マギー先生のサイトに来ると日本語がわかる様になる。
= Maggie sensei no saito ni kuruto nihogo ga wakaru you ni naru.
= If you come to Maggie Sensei’s site, you will be able to understand Japanese.
日本語がわかる様となる
= Nihongo wa wakaru you to naru.
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
来年は日本語が今よりずっと上手になるといいですね。
= Rainen wa nihogo ga ima yori zutto jouzu ni naru to iidesune.
= I hope your Japanese improves much more next year!
10 Responses to “~となる VS ~になる (= ~ to naru VS ~ ni naru)”
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@maggiesensei 
izu on December 24th, 2011
マギー先生、thank you very much about the explanation. ^^
DD
Now I understand the differences. Well, I get it when I read these comments, though.
Anyway, I’m looking forward for your another lesson!
Maggie on December 24th, 2011
@izu
Hi, izu! Thank you for visiting the site. 日本語がペラペラ”になる”様（よう）に私もお手伝（てつだ）いしますね。(= I will help you be fluent in Japanese!) いっしょにがんばりましょう！！
Gianluigi on December 19th, 2010
When you say final stage you mean it leaves no more room for improvement? So if I say 先生になる I am simply stating the fact that I am becoming a teacher. After that who knows, I might get a better job if I find it or I might keep this one. Just saying I am gonna be a teacher. 先生となる implies that a teacher is what I want to be. I aim to no further improvement for my job and I am gonna stay in this position because I like it?
Maggie on December 19th, 2010
@Giaunluigi
There could be more room for improvement, but if the speaker feels that person (including themselves) has achieved something we use となる。
As I wrote in the other comment, it is a bit dramatic expression and used mainly in a written form. (When we talk about weather, we do hear that on the weather report, Ex. 明日は雨となるでしょう。But still not for a daily conversation.)
So if you become a teacher and tell your friend, you will say 先生になりました。
It would sound strange if you say 先生となりました。
But if someone has been working so hard to become a teacher and many things happened in their life, and when finally they have become a teacher,you would write his life saying Ex. “~年**は遂に先生となりました。”
Sorry if my explanation isn’t still clear and makes you more confused.
Andini Rizky on December 14th, 2010
へえ、そうだったんですか。ありがとうございました。たいへん勉強になりました。
By any chance, Maggie-sensei, have you ever explained about the difference between 空が暗い and 空は暗い? Thanking you in advance.
Maggie on December 14th, 2010
@Andini
Thank you for checking the lesson.
No I haven’t made a lesson about the difference between が and は. Will work on it sometime. Please wait.
ゾモチ on December 12th, 2010
I didn’t quite get the difference between 母になる and 母となる. Is it that the former is just a plain and simple “I will become a mother” as in she may be pregnant and is expecting a baby. And the second is more like “I will become a mother” as in she’s decided on that’s what she wants to become and that’s what she’s working toward that goal?
Sorry if that was a bit gibberish:p
Maggie on December 12th, 2010
@ゾモチ
Your interpretation is right.
The translations are the same but if you compare the two sentences,
母になる = natural change.
母となる = ”finally”, We can assume there have been some hardships or she has waited to be a mother for a long time and finally becomes a mother.
So 母となる sounds more dramatic and has feelings that someone has achieved something finally.
In daily conversation we use に more often.
マギー、お母さんになったんだ。
Not X お母さんとなったんだ。(Unless you want it sound very dramatic.)
But if you read my biography, you will see
2010年、マギーは母となった。
寝ちゃま on December 12th, 2010
すげぇ レッソン Maggie先生! The strange thing is that about a day ago I had visited a thread on a forum I frequent, and the thread maker asked the same exact thing: When to use 〜になる over 〜となる. He got answers but they weren’t definitive and I wondered the same thing. Then I found this. Looks like I got my answer:)
このブログ、そう愛してるぜ
Maggie on December 15th, 2010
@寝ちゃま
Really? Then there are other people who have been wondering the difference between になる and となる, huh?
We love you,too!