とおり (toori) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Just Like That

The expression とおり (toori) means just like that, exactly, that way.

とおり is used to state how something is the same as previously mentioned, forming the expression just like or likewise.

In this post we learn more about the meaning of とおり, how it is formed, and when とおり is used through real example sentences.

How とおり is formed

とおり can be used as a noun or as an adverb. とおり therefore follows a verb or other noun. When とおり follows a noun, the pronunciation becomes どおり:

The kanji form of とおり is 通(とお)り, where 通 indicates the road, the way.

How and when to use とおり

The expression とおり is used when we want to indicate that something is the same as what was said previously: in this way the expression translates as just like, in that way.

This meaning comes from the origin of the term とおり, which derives from the kanji 通(とお)り meaning road, passage, way.

In this sense, とおり literally means "following that way", which we then translate as in that way.

In the example we see how とおり refers to instructions 説(せつ)明(めい)書(しょ), indicating to do (やる) as written on them.

Literally the translation of the sentence would be: do just as directed by the (written) instructions.

時(じ)間(かん)どおり means "on time", "on schedule".

言う通り e その通り: "just like that"

Two commonly used expressions that use とおり are 言(い)う通(とお)り and その通(とお)り:

• 言(い)う通(とお)り means just as (you) said, and is formed by the verb say 言(い)う followed by とおり
• その通(とお)り means just like this, just like that, where その is a demonstrative of the Kosoado series meaning that

思い通り: "as planned"

Another expression that uses とおり is 思(おも)い通(とお)り.

This expression uses the verb to think 思(おも)う, which as a noun becomes 思(おも)い thought.

For this reason, 思(おも)い通(とお)り means as planned, literally "following one's own thought".

You can also use the expression 思(おも)った通(とお)り, which translates as "as thought" (not something planned).

Examples of とおり

From a series of Japanese コミックエッセイ:

思(おも)い通(どお)り: contains the verb think 思(おも)う: as I thought; as I please, as I desire