How to tell them apart
The core contrast is that によると marks the source of information you heard or read, always followed by a hearsay/reporting verb like そうだ or という. によって marks means, cause, agent, or dependency — never a source of hearsay. Swapping them is wrong: 天気予報によると雨が降るそうだ is natural, but 天気予報によって雨が降るそうだ is not, because によって cannot introduce a source of information.
- によると Use によると when you are citing where you heard or read the information that follows.
- によって/より Use によって when you are showing means, cause, agent of a passive verb, or dependency on a situation.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| によると niyoruto | based on what some source says or reports | N3 |
| によって/より niyotte yori | depending on / caused by / through the use of | N3 |
によると niyoruto
based on what some source says or reports
によると marks the source of information, meaning according to. It attaches directly to a noun such as ニュース, 新聞, or 話, and the sentence that follows typically reports the information, often ending in ということだ, らしい, or そうだ. It is common in news and reported speech.
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ニュースによると彼はサメに食べられたということだ。
According to the news, he was eaten by sharks.
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彼らの話によると、あの男の子は歌がうまいらしい。
According to what they say, that boy is very good at singing.
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!
によると and によって/より are both JLPT N3 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.