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LingakuLingakuThe grammar pattern つつある expresses that something is in the process of changing or gradually progressing. It attaches to the verb stem (ます-form without ます) and emphasizes that a change or transition is currently underway.
Unlike 〜～ている, which broadly describes ongoing actions or resulting states, つつある specifically highlights that a process of change is in progress. It is not used for simple ongoing actions like "eating" or "reading"; rather, it pairs with verbs that describe transitions or shifts – things getting better, worsening, increasing, decreasing, changing, disappearing, etc.
つつある is a written and formal expression. It is commonly found in news reports, academic writing, essays, and formal speeches. In everyday casual conversation, 〜～ている or 〜～てきている would be used instead. For example, you would say かわり変わりつつある in a report but かわって変わってきている in daily speech.
つつある is different from the conjunction ～つつ (meaning "while doing"). In つつある, ある indicates an ongoing state of change, whereas ～つつ alone connects two simultaneous actions (e.g., かんがえ考えつつあるく歩く – walk while thinking). Do not confuse the two.
Verbs of change pair naturally with this pattern: かわる変わる, ふえる増える, へる減る, すすむ進む, ひろがる広がる, うしなわれる失われる, かいぜん改善する, あっか悪化する, かいふく回復する, きえる消える, etc.