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> 今年も良い年でありますように！ I hope you have another good year!

What is going on exactly where the ように means hope? Does the よう derive from a
verb? I would also like to know how to describe this word in the relevant
grammatical terms, both in english and japanese. From what I understand from
the answers it is a noun that turns into an adverb?
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2012-01-03T04:33:19.377
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grammar
How does this ように work?
I believe it comes from an abbreviation of 「〜ように願います」, where ように here means
"so as to" or "so that". In that case it would be the same ように which appears
in e.g. 「〜ようにご注意ください」 "Please be careful so as to ..." or 「〜ようにする」 "make it so
that ...".
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2012-01-03T04:51:14.747
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answer
## What it means

`ように` at the end of a sentence is a set expression for the volitional
subjunctive. In layman terms, it means the preceding sentence is a wish!

## Why it means that

`様{よう}` is ["a word that expresses the state of
things"](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/thsrs/13632/m0u/%E6%A7%98). `に` is a
target particle. Therefore, if it helps you understand, `ように` means "towards a
certain state". So when I say something like

> 明日{あした}は晴{は}れるように — May it be sunny tomorrow

I'm saying "towards the state of things where it's sunny". As happens
frequently in Japanese, I am omitting the verb of this sentence because it is
obvious in context.

> 明日{あした}は晴{は}れるように祈{いの}ります — I pray it may be sunny tomorrow

It expresses a yearning for a particular `様{よう}`.
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answer