なる means to become or to get. You use it whenever something changes: the weather gets cold, a student becomes a teacher, the clock turns six. The trick is the little piece in front of it: に after nouns and な-adjectives, く after い-adjectives.
先生になる, 元気になる, 寒くなる — learn these three and you can describe almost any change.
What does なる mean?
なる describes a change from one state to another. English uses several verbs for this, and なる covers all of them:
- become — 医者になりました (She became a doctor)
- get / grow — 寒くなりました (It’s gotten cold)
- turn (time, age, season) — 六時になりました (It’s six o’clock now), 二十歳になりました (I turned twenty), 春になりました (Spring has come)
In the past tense, なりました often translates as English present perfect (“has become”) or even plain present (“It’s cold now”), because the focus is on the new state that exists after the change. 寒くなりましたね is the standard small-talk line when autumn arrives.
How to form なる
なる is a regular う-verb (なります, なった, ならない). What changes is how you attach the word before it.
- Noun + に: 先生 → 先生になる (become a teacher)
- な-adjective + に (drop the な): 元気な → 元気になる (get well), 上手な → 上手になる (get good at)
- い-adjective: replace い with く: 寒い → 寒くなる, 高い → 高くなる
- Irregular いい: いい → よくなる (get better)
- Negative い-ending: 分からない → 分からなくなる (stop understanding)
The rule for adjectives is the same one you use for adverbs: 静かに, 早く. If you can say “quietly” and “early,” you already have the forms for なる.
When is なる used?
- Weather and seasons: 暖かくなりました, 夏になりました.
- Time and age: もう十二時になりました, 来年三十になります.
- Jobs and goals: 先生になりたいです (with たい for dreams).
- Skills and health: 日本語が上手になりました, 病気がよくなりました.
- Prices and amounts: 野菜が高くなりました.
Register: neutral. なる appears in casual talk, polite speech, and writing alike. With future goals it usually combines with たい or つもり: 医者になるつもりです (I plan to become a doctor).
なる example sentences
Example 6 is worth a second look: きれい ends in い but is a な-adjective, so it takes に, not く.
Nuance of なる
なる describes a change that happens, with no one pushing it. The weather gets cold on its own; you get better at Japanese over time. Japanese often prefers this “it came to be” framing even when a person was involved. 会議は三時になりました (The meeting has been set for three) sounds softer than naming who decided.
Past なりました also carries the feeling that the new state is here now. 暗くなりました is less “it became dark at some point” and more “it’s dark now.”
なる vs する
なる is “something becomes X.” する with the same に/く is “someone makes it X.” The same adjective works in both, only the verb changes.
A familiar pair: 静かになりました (It got quiet) vs 静かにしてください (Please be quiet, literally “please make it quiet”). The する side is covered in detail in くする・にする.
Common mistakes with なる
い-adjectives change い to く before なる. に is only for nouns and な-adjectives.
いい is irregular. All its forms come from よい: よく, よくない, よかった.
きれい and 有名 look like い-adjectives but are な-adjectives, so they take に.
The result of the change is marked with に, never が or を.
Is なる on the JLPT?
Yes. なる is basic JLPT N5 grammar and vocabulary. It appears in reading passages about seasons, school, and jobs, and in listening questions about time.
- Choose に or く correctly before なる
- Know that いい becomes よくなる
- Read なりました as "is now," not only "became"
Grammar questions often give 「暑（ ）なりました」 and ask you to choose between く, に, で, and が.
Practice questions for なる
Show answer
暖かくなりました。 — It's gotten warm.
Show answer
パイロットになりたいです。 — I want to become a pilot.
Show answer
料理が上手になりましたね。 — Your cooking has really improved.
Show answer
風邪がよくなりました。 — My cold got better.
Learning path for なる
Related grammar to review next
- い-adjectives — the く form you need for 寒くなる and 高くなる.
- な-adjectives — drop な and add に: 元気になる, 上手になる.
- くする・にする — the “someone makes it change” version of なる.
- ようになる — なる with verbs: “come to be able to” or “start doing.”
- ことになる — なる for decisions made by circumstances or others.
Learn なる with Hane
Hane quizzes you on the に/く choice with real adjectives until 寒くなる and 元気になる come out right without thinking. Practice with Hane.
FAQ about なる
What does なる (naru) mean in Japanese?
なる (naru) means “to become”. It is JLPT N5 grammar. なる describes a change from one state to another.
How do you form なる (naru)?
なる is a regular う-verb (なります, なった, ならない). What changes is how you attach the word before it.
What is the difference between なる and する?
〜になる / 〜くなる: it becomes (change happens). 〜にする / 〜くする: someone makes it (change is caused).
What is an example sentence with なる (naru)?
将来、先生になりたいです。 — I want to become a teacher in the future.