Kotomora
JLPT N3ConstructionWritten
Furigana

によってDoer in a formal passive sentence

によって marks the person, organization, creator, or other doer responsible for an action in a passive sentence. It is especially common in formal accounts of discoveries, inventions, construction, decisions, and historical events.

What it highlights

A passive sentence presents something as receiving an action. Adding によって identifies the person or group responsible for that action. The construction is most natural when authorship, institutional responsibility, or historical attribution matters.

Typical formal contexts

Creators, institutions, and historical actors are especially natural doers with this pattern.

この交こう響きょう曲きょくは若わかい作さっ曲きょく家かによって書かかれた。

This symphony was written by a young composer.

Analyze

The composer is identified as the creator of the work.

新あたらしい安あん全ぜん基き準じゅんは専せん門もん委い員いん会かいによって定さだめられた。

The new safety standards were established by an expert committee.

Analyze

This emphasizes the institution formally responsible for the decision.

この城しろは十じゅう六ろく世せい紀きに国こく王おうによって建たてられた。

This castle was built by the king in the sixteenth century.

Analyze

Historical descriptions often use this pattern to attribute an act or project to a particular figure.

Doer, cause, or method?

Ask what the noun contributes. If it answers “by whom?” in a formal passive sentence, it is the doer use taught here. If it answers “because of what?”, it expresses cause; if it answers “by what method?”, it expresses means. Also, in an everyday personal passive such as “I was praised by my teacher,” Japanese normally marks the person with the shorter に rather than the more formal によって.

台たい風ふうによって多おおくの家いえが壊こわされた。

Many homes were damaged by the typhoon.

Analyze

This is a near-miss, not the target use: the typhoon is the cause of the damage, not a person or organization responsible for performing the action.

More examples

このワクチンは国こく際さい的てきな研けん究きゅうチームによって開かい発はつされた。

This vaccine was developed by an international research team.

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最さい終しゅう案あんは理り事じ会かいにより承しょう認にんされた。

The final proposal was approved by the board.

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その寺てらは地じ元もとの職しょく人にんたちによって再さい建けんされた。

The temple was rebuilt by local craftspeople.

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この法ほう則そくは十じゅう九きゅう世せい紀きの物ぶつ理り学がく者しゃによって発はっ見けんされた。

This law was discovered by a nineteenth-century physicist.

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報ほう告こく書しょは第だい三さん者しゃ機き関かんにより作さく成せいされた。

The report was prepared by an independent organization.

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式しき典てんでは、市し長ちょうによって記き念ねん碑ひが除じょ幕まくされた。

At the ceremony, the monument was unveiled by the mayor.

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