Structure
Phrase + 思うように + (Outcome)
Phrase + 思うような + Noun
Details
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About 思うように
思うように is a common sentence pattern in Japanese that is used for illustrating when something either does or does not happen in the way that one had thought. This phrase may be interpreted as 'as one hopes', 'as desired', or 'as one thought'. 思うように is simply a combination of the う-Verb 思う and the conjunctive form of the auxiliary verb ようだ, ように.
Typical sentence structures that use this pattern will start with an (A) phrase highlighting the 'expectation', be followed by 思うように, then finished with a (B) phrase indicating the outcome. When (B) is a simple noun, 様な will be used instead.
As the (B) part of 思うように sentences will contain the information about whether the 'expectation' of (A) either was or was not met, this phrase may be used either positively or negatively to show that something did not meet, met, or even exceeded that expectation.
Examples
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ケーキ屋みたいなお菓子が思うように作れなかった。
Making sweets like they do at the pastry shop didn't go as I had hoped it would.
生け花を綺麗にすることが難しくて、思うようにできなかった。
Doing flower arrangement was difficult and I wasn't able to do it as I had hoped.
勉強が思うようにできず、日本語が上達しなかった。
Unable to study as I had hoped, my Japanese hasn't improved.
思うように回転が掛けられるように、何度も卓球の練習をしました。
I practiced table tennis many times to be able to put a spin on the ball as I desired.
この車は思うように加速しないからイライラする。
It is irritating that this car doesn't accelerate like I hoped it would.
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Online
思うように+Negative-ない
LearnJapanese [video]
思うように
E-Japanese
All uses of ように listed and explained
BriefJapanese
Offline
Tobira
Page 219
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 229
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思うように – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (2 in total)
FredKore
What’s the difference between 思うように and 思ったように?
(They seem to be used interchangeably but there has to be a nuance difference.)Fuga
Hey @FredKore !
We apologize for the late response.
思うように and 思ったように doesn’t have a difference in nuance, and they can be used interchangeably!
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