How to tell them apart
に基づいて means a concrete document, data, or rule was used as the actual basis for creating or deciding something, like 設計に基づいて建てられた. によって is far broader: it marks the agent of a passive sentence (ピカソによって描かれた), the means or cause of something, or variation depending on a factor. Swapping them is unnatural because に基づいて always implies a source you consulted and built upon, whereas によって does not require that consultative basis.
- に基づいて/基づく Use に基づいて when something was created or decided using a specific document, data, or rule as its basis.
- によって/より Use によって to mark the agent of a passive sentence, the means, or the cause of an action.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| に基づいて/基づく ni zuite zuku | Founded on, grounded in | N2 |
| によって/より niyotte yori | depending on / caused by / through the use of | N3 |
に基づいて/基づく ni zuite zuku
Founded on, grounded in
に基づいて (or its dictionary form 基づく) means something is founded on or grounded in a source such as facts, love, or experiences. It attaches to a noun with the particle に, and can end a clause as 基づいている or modify a following noun as 基づく.
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彼女はその小説が真実に基づいていることをつきとめた。
She ascertained that the novel was based on facts.
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夫婦間の関係は愛情に基づくものでなければいけない。
The relationship between husband and wife should be based on love.
によって/より niyotte yori
depending on / caused by / through the use of
In these examples the form appears in fixed expressions built on より: 例によって means "as is usual with someone," and よりによって adds an emphatic "of all things/people" nuance when complaining about a choice. Both attach directly to a noun, and they carry a slightly exclamatory, spoken feel.
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良かれ悪しかれ、困難を乗り切るにはこうするより他ない。
For good or ill, there is no way but this to tide over the difficulty.
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よりによって相手がノーマークのスーちゃんなんて。
That it be with the off-the-radar Sue of all people!
に基づいて/基づく and によって/より are JLPT N3–N2 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.