N3 Time, Sequences, and Change

~を通とおして/通つうじて② (Period): meaning, usage and examples

~を通とおして/通つうじて② (Period) means: throughout... / all... (an entire period).

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

Examples

1. 最近さいきんは、一年いちねんを通とおしておいしいフルーツが食たべられる。

   These days, we can eat delicious fruits all year round.

2. この国くには、四季しきを通つうじて雨あめが多おおい。

   This country has a lot of rain throughout the four seasons.

3. この山やまは一年いちねんを通とおして登のぼれます。

   You can climb this mountain all year round.

4. 夏休なつやすみを通とおして、毎日まいにちプールで泳およぎました。

   I swam in the pool every day throughout summer vacation.

When to use it

With a word for a period of time, を通とおして and を通つうじて mean "throughout" or "all through": the situation stays true for the whole period without a break. Typical nouns are 一年いちねん, 四季しき, 一生いっしょう and 夏休なつやすみ. 一年いちねんを通とおして暖あたたかい means "It is warm all year round." In this meaning the two forms are interchangeable.

Nuance

It is slightly formal and common in written explanations, travel guides and descriptions of climate or habits. を通つうじて sounds a little more written than を通とおして. The pattern describes a state that continues across a span, not a single event at one point in time.

Compare

The other meaning of を通とおして is "by means of," with a person or channel: 友達ともだちを通とおして知しり合あった (we met through a friend). Compare 中じゅう: 一年中いちねんじゅう is casual and conversational, while 一年いちねんを通とおして sounds more formal. から〜にかけて covers part of a period with loose edges, not the whole span.

Tip: Picture a thread running through the whole period. If "all year round" or "throughout" works in English, を通とおして fits; for one moment in time it does not.