Grammar Info
N2 Lesson 7: 1/21

思(おも)う様(よう)に
as one hopes, as desired, as one thought

Structure
Phrase + 思うように + (Outcome)
Phrase + 思うよう + Noun
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
Information
思(おも)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(おも)うように is simply a combination of the う-Verb 思(おも)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(おも)うように, then finished with a (B) phrase indicating the outcome. When (B) is a simple noun, 様(よう)な will be used instead.
  • 最近(さいきん)仕事(しごと)が思(おも)うように行(い)かなくてストレスが溜(た)まってきてるんだよ。
    Recently, work has not been going as well as I hoped, so I am starting to get stressed out.
  • 毎日(まいにち)漢字(かんじ)を練習(れんしゅう)しているが思(おも)うように上達(じょうたつ)しない。
    I am practicing kanji every day, but I am not making as much progress as I thought.
  • 事故(じこ)に遭(あ)ってから指(ゆび)が思(おも)うように動(うご)かなくなった。
    Since the accident, my fingers have become unable to move as I had thought.
As the (B) part of 思(おも)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.
Slow Male
Hide All
Hide Japanese
Hide English
ケーキ屋(や)みたいなお菓子(かし)思(おも)うように作(つく)れなかった。
Making sweets like they do at the pastry shop didn't go as I had hoped it would.
Play  
生(い)け花(ばな)を綺麗(きれい)にすることが難(むずか)しくて、思(おも)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.
Play  
勉強(べんきょう)思(おも)うようにできず、日本語(にほんご)が上達(じょうたつ)しなかった。
Unable to study as I had hoped, my Japanese hasn't improved.
Play  
Books
Tobira
Page 219
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 229