日本語道場

Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2

Grammar

N2

~に至る

~ni itaru

leads to, results in

When to use it

Use ~に至る in written or formal spoken Japanese to mark the end point of a process — the outcome finally arrived at after a chain of events (negotiations, investigations, disputes). It carries a sense of gravity and distance travelled, so it suits reports, minutes, and legal or contractual prose rather than casual conversation. For everyday outcomes, ~になる or ~という結果になる is the neutral choice.

Formation

  • Noun + に至る — the most common form; the noun names the endpoint or outcome: 合意に至る、結論に至る、解散に至る
  • Verb (dictionary form) + に至る — 撤退するに至る、提訴するに至る (often with 度重なる…, ついに, とうとう)
  • i-adjectives / na-adjectives — not used directly; nominalize instead: 業績が悪化し、赤字という結果に至る
  • Conjugations: 至った (completed outcome), 至っていない/至っておりません (outcome not yet reached), 至るまで (up to and including / all the way until), 至っては (as for the extreme case of)

Examples

  • Talks broke down, resulting in termination of the contract.

  • It took six months to arrive at a final agreement.

  • Repeated delivery delays are what led to the lawsuit.

  • The investigation is ongoing; we have not yet identified the cause.

  • Losses continued, and we ultimately withdrew from the business.