影響を受ける (Eikyō o Ukeru): Meaning and Usage — A Common JLPT N2 Expression

Do you ever feel like this when studying for the JLPT?

“I understand most of the words in the passage, but I still cannot choose the correct answer.”

This is especially common at the N3–N2 level.

The problem is often not vocabulary itself. The real challenge is understanding how words work together as expressions and how ideas are connected within a sentence.

One expression that appears frequently in JLPT N2 reading passages is:

影響を受ける (eikyō o ukeru / to be influenced, to be affected)

You may already know both words:

• 影響 (eikyō / influence, effect)
• 受ける (ukeru / to receive)

But when they are used together as 影響を受ける, they form an important expression that appears in news articles, essays, explanations, academic writing, and JLPT reading passages.

Let’s look at how it works.

What Does 影響を受ける Mean?

影響を受ける (eikyō o ukeru) means:

“to be influenced by something”
“to be affected by something”

More precisely, it describes a situation in which something causes a change in a person, situation, behavior, opinion, condition, or result.

For example:

日本の音楽の影響を受けて、彼は音楽家を目指すようになった。
Influenced by Japanese music, he began to aspire to become a musician.

In this sentence, Japanese music changed the person’s interests or direction in life.

Here is another example:

台風の影響を受けて、電車が遅れている。
The trains are delayed because they have been affected by the typhoon.

Here, the typhoon caused a change in train operations.

So 影響を受ける can describe changes involving people, society, business, transportation, culture, the environment, education, and many other topics.

The Basic Pattern: Aの影響を受ける

One of the most important patterns to remember is:

Aの影響を受ける (A no eikyō o ukeru / to be influenced or affected by A)

A is the source or cause of the influence.

For example:

彼は父親の影響を受けて、医者になった。
He became a doctor under the influence of his father.

Here, 父親 (chichioya / father) is the source of the influence.

この地域は台風の影響を受けやすい。
This region is easily affected by typhoons.

Here, the typhoon is what affects the region.

日本文化は中国文化の影響を受けて発展してきた。
Japanese culture developed while being influenced by Chinese culture.

When you see this structure, think of the relationship like this:

AがBに影響を与える。
A influences B.

BがAの影響を受ける。
B is influenced by A.

Understanding this direction is extremely important in JLPT reading questions.

影響を受ける vs. 影響を与える

Another expression you should learn together with 影響を受ける is:

影響を与える (eikyō o ataeru / to influence, to have an effect on)

Compare these sentences:

インターネットは私たちの生活に大きな影響を与えた。
The internet has had a major influence on our lives.

The internet is the source of the influence.

Now compare:

私たちの生活はインターネットの影響を大きく受けた。
Our lives have been greatly influenced by the internet.

Here, our lives are on the receiving side of the influence.

The basic relationship is:

• 影響を与える = to give or exert influence
• 影響を受ける = to receive or be affected by influence

The situation may be almost identical, but the speaker’s point of view is different.

This distinction can be very important when answering JLPT reading questions.

Common N2 Uses of 影響を受ける

At the N2 level, 影響を受ける appears in many different topics.

Economy and Business

この業界は景気の影響を受けやすい。
This industry is easily affected by economic conditions.

The pattern:

影響を受けやすい (eikyō o ukeyasui / to be easily affected)

is especially useful.

The ending 〜やすい means that something tends to happen easily.

Nature and the Environment

農作物は天候の影響を受ける。
Crops are affected by weather conditions.

Rain, temperature, typhoons, and other weather conditions can change crop growth and harvests.

Education and Human Relationships

子どもは周囲の大人から大きな影響を受ける。
Children are greatly influenced by the adults around them.

This type of sentence often appears in passages about education, psychology, family, or society.

Culture

日本の建築は外国の文化からさまざまな影響を受けてきた。
Japanese architecture has been influenced in various ways by foreign cultures.

You will often see 影響を受ける in texts discussing history, art, culture, literature, and social change.

Aから影響を受ける

Another common pattern is:

Aから影響を受ける (A kara eikyō o ukeru / to be influenced by A)

For example:

私は高校時代の先生から大きな影響を受けました。
I was greatly influenced by my high school teacher.

彼の作品はヨーロッパの芸術から影響を受けている。
His work is influenced by European art.

In this pattern, から (kara / from) emphasizes the source from which the influence comes.

This is especially natural when talking about people, artists, ideas, cultures, books, or other sources of inspiration.

影響 Is Not Always Negative

Some learners associate the word 影響 (eikyō / influence) with something negative.

However, 影響 itself is neutral.

It can describe a positive influence:

先生から良い影響を受けた。
I was positively influenced by my teacher.

It can describe a negative influence:

長時間スマートフォンを見ることで、睡眠が悪い影響を受ける可能性がある。
Spending long periods looking at a smartphone may negatively affect sleep.

It can also describe a neutral historical or cultural influence:

日本料理はさまざまな外国文化の影響を受けてきた。
Japanese cuisine has been influenced by various foreign cultures.

Therefore, do not automatically interpret 影響を受ける as negative.

Look at the words before and after it to determine whether the writer sees the influence as positive, negative, or simply neutral.

JLPT Reading Tip: Find the Cause and the Result

When 影響を受ける appears in an N2 reading passage, try to identify two things immediately:

• What is causing the influence?
• What is changing because of that influence?

For example:

インターネットの普及によって、人々の買い物の方法も大きな影響を受けた。
The spread of the internet has had a major influence on the way people shop.

The cause is:

インターネットの普及
the spread of the internet

What changed?

人々の買い物の方法
the way people shop

So the structure is:

Cause → Influence → Change

This way of reading is much more useful than translating every word individually.

At N2, understanding the relationship between ideas becomes increasingly important.

Useful Expressions to Learn Together

Instead of memorizing only 影響を受ける, learn several common combinations as complete chunks.

大きな影響を受ける

大きな影響を受ける (ōkina eikyō o ukeru / to be greatly affected)

世界経済は戦争によって大きな影響を受けた。
The global economy was greatly affected by the war.

強い影響を受ける

強い影響を受ける (tsuyoi eikyō o ukeru / to be strongly influenced)

彼の小説は日本の古典文学から強い影響を受けている。
His novels are strongly influenced by classical Japanese literature.

This pattern is especially common when discussing literature, art, culture, and ideas.

影響を受けやすい

影響を受けやすい (eikyō o ukeyasui / to be easily influenced or affected)

子どもは周囲の環境の影響を受けやすい。
Children are easily influenced by their surroundings.

ほとんど影響を受けない

ほとんど影響を受けない (hotondo eikyō o ukenai / to be hardly affected)

この植物は気温の変化にほとんど影響を受けない。
This plant is hardly affected by changes in temperature.

Learning these expressions as chunks will help you recognize them much faster when reading.

Why Do JLPT Answer Choices Feel So Similar?

A common complaint among N2 learners is:

“I understand the passage, but I always get stuck between the last two choices.”

One reason is that learners sometimes focus too much on individual keywords.

Suppose the passage contains words such as:

環境 (kankyō / environment)
影響 (eikyō / influence)
変化 (henka / change)

An answer choice containing the same words is not automatically correct.

Instead, ask yourself:

• What influenced what?
• What changed as a result?
• Is the writer evaluating the change positively or negatively?
• Or is the writer simply describing a fact?

JLPT distractors often use words from the passage while changing the relationship between them.

That is why understanding structure is more important than simply recognizing vocabulary.

Learn Japanese in Chunks, Not Just Individual Words

At the N2 level, vocabulary knowledge alone is no longer enough.

Instead of learning:

影響 = influence

and

受ける = receive

separately, learn natural chunks such as:

• 影響を受ける — to be influenced / affected
• 大きな影響を受ける — to be greatly affected
• 〜の影響を受ける — to be affected by ~
• 〜から影響を受ける — to be influenced by ~
• 影響を受けやすい — to be easily influenced / affected

When these combinations become familiar, you no longer need to stop and translate every word.

You can understand the expression as one unit.

That makes reading faster and reduces hesitation during the JLPT.

Summary

影響を受ける (eikyō o ukeru) is an important expression for JLPT N2 learners.

It means:

“to be influenced by something”
or
“to be affected by something.”

Common patterns include:

• Aの影響を受ける
• Aから影響を受ける
• 大きな影響を受ける
• 強い影響を受ける
• 影響を受けやすい

But simply memorizing the meaning is not enough.

When you encounter 影響を受ける in a reading passage, identify:

Who or what is causing the influence?

Who or what is being affected?

What changes as a result?

This habit will help you understand the logical structure of Japanese passages and distinguish between answer choices that look almost identical.

If you know the vocabulary but still struggle to turn that knowledge into correct JLPT answers, the next step is practice.

RJT (Rapid Japanese Training) helps you train with JLPT vocabulary, grammar, reading, and listening questions so that you can move from simply “knowing Japanese” to actually “using that knowledge to choose the right answer.”

Practice JLPT questions and turn your Japanese knowledge into real test-taking ability with RJT