N1 Opportunity, Trigger, and Starting Point

~を機きに: meaning, usage and examples

~を機きに means: as an opportunity... / taking the chance...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 病気びょうきになったのを機きに、食生活しょくせいかつを見直みなおすことにした。

   Taking the illness as an opportunity, I decided to reassess my diet.

2. 引ひっ越こしを機きに、古ふるい家具かぐをすべて処分しょぶんした。

   I took the opportunity of moving to get rid of all my old furniture.

3. 父ちちの退職たいしょくを機きに、両親りょうしんは田舎いなかへ移うつり住すんだ。

   My parents took my father's retirement as a chance to move to the countryside.

4. 創立そうりつ五ご十じゅう周年しゅうねんを機きに、会社かいしゃのロゴを新あたらしくした。

   We took the company's fiftieth anniversary as an occasion to update its logo.

When to use it

Means "taking A as an opportunity" to start or change something. A is an event in life or business (marriage, moving, retirement, an anniversary), and the second clause is a deliberate decision. Example: 結婚けっこんを機きに、たばこをやめた (I quit smoking when I got married).

Nuance

Neutral to formal, used in speech and writing. The second clause is a conscious action or decision, often a positive new start. を契機けいきに is a more formal written version. Not used for accidents that just happened to follow.

Compare

をきっかけに is the everyday equivalent and also works for unplanned results: 映画えいがをきっかけに興味きょうみを持もった. を機きに is more formal and usually leads to a decision. を境さかいに marks a turning point where a state changed, decided or not: その日ひを境さかいに話はなさなくなった.

Tip: If someone used an event as a chance to make a choice, を機きに fits. For causes of feelings or interests, prefer をきっかけに.