through
via
throughout
Structure
- Noun + を通じて
- Noun + を通して
Used when something has been done not directly
but by a proxy/some means/tool/etc.
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How significant is the difference between を通じて and を通して?
The readings link to this Stackexchange page which says
while many times they can be used interchangeably,
を通じてis used when describing the means that brings about some conclusion .
But does that mean を通して can’t be used to describe a conclusion? When is it used then?
In other words, why is を通して incorrect for 今の奥さんは友達 ____ 出会った。 but not 植木 _____ 自然の尊さを学びました。?
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Hey @eccol !
Although を通して and を通じて can be used interchangeably, they do have a slight difference in the nuance because the plain forms of を通して and を通じて is 通す and 通じる, and have different meanings. 通す means ‘to make an object pass through another object’ and 通じる means ‘to connect’. Due to these differences in their meanings, を通して has a volitional nuance, and を通じて has a passive nuance.
を通して does not work with 今の奥さんは友達を ____ 出会った, because he did not go out of his way to meet his wife, he met his wife through coincidence of having a friend that was friends with his current wife. Also, because the definition for 通じてる is ‘to connect’, を通じて sounds a lot more natural.
を通して sounds more natural for 植木 _____ 自然の尊さを学びました, because the speaker went out of their way to plant trees to learn nobility of nature.
We hope that this answers your question!
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For future reference, I think this grammar point could do with splitting:
Matt on Game Gengo made a video on this grammar
