によって is a Japanese grammar pattern that is used in a variety of contexts, often meaning "by," "depending on," "due to," or "through." It's used to indicate the agent of an action, the cause, the method, or to express variability depending on the situation.

Formula:

Noun (subject) + は/が + Agent + によって + Passive Verb

• によって means "by" and indicates the agent performing the action in a passive sentence.

Key Points:

• Noun (は/が): The thing being acted upon.
• Agent (によって): The person or thing doing the action.
• Passive Verb: Use the passive form of the verb (e.g., 作られる = "to be made").

This structure applies to many situations, like writing, building, inventing, etc.

Here are the main usages of によって:

1. Indicating the agent of a passive sentence (by):

In passive sentences, によって is used to indicate the person or thing that causes the action.

• 例: この絵はピカソによって描かれました。 (Kono e wa Pikaso ni yotte egakaremashita.) "This painting was drawn by Picasso."

2. Indicating the cause (due to / because of):

によって can also indicate the reason or cause for something.

• 例: 地震によって、ビルが倒れた。 (Jishin ni yotte, biru ga taoreta.) "Due to the earthquake, the building collapsed."

3. Indicating a method or means (through / by means of):

It can express the method or means through which something is achieved.

• 例: インターネットによって、多くの情報が得られる。 (Intānetto ni yotte, ōku no jōhō ga erareru.) "A lot of information can be obtained through the internet."