きめる (決める): One Verb, Many Meanings (with Examples)
Why one verb has so many meanings
The English words decide, choose, fix, set, settle feel like five separate ideas. In Japanese they're one verb, because きめる describes a single action seen from different angles: something was up in the air, and you bring it down to a fixed answer.
Picking tomorrow's plan, agreeing on a rule, settling a deal, choosing what to order — in every case you start with options or uncertainty and end with one locked-in result. Hold that "lock the undecided thing into place" image and the translations stop looking like a list to memorize and start looking like one idea wearing different outfits.
One structural note before the meanings: きめる is the transitive verb (you decide something). It has an intransitive twin, きまる ("something gets decided / is settled"), which we'll compare at the end — it's a classic JLPT trap.
The meanings, most common first
1. To decide / make up your mind (決める)
ヤッタンは毎日漢字を勉強すると決めた。
ヤッタンは まいにち かんじを べんきょうすると きめた。
Yattan decided to study kanji every day.
Plain form + と決める is the most common way to say 'decide to do something.'
2. To choose / settle on something (決める)
ヤッタンは昼ごはんをラーメンに決めた。
ヤッタンは ひるごはんを ラーメンに きめた。
Yattan settled on ramen for lunch.
Use 〜に決める when you pick one option out of several. 〜に決めた = 'I've decided on ~.'
3. To fix / set (a plan or schedule) (予定を決める)
モチは旅行の予定を決めた。
モチは りょこうの よていを きめた。
Mochi fixed the travel schedule.
4. To set (a rule) (ルールを決める)
先生はクラスのルールを決める。
せんせいは クラスの ルールを きめる。
Sensei sets the rules for the class.
The result of this action is a 決まり (きまり) — 'a rule.'
5. To decide to do (an action) — 〜ことに決める
ヤッタンの弟は日本語を習うことに決めた。
ヤッタンの おとうとは にほんごを ならうことに きめた。
Yattan's little brother decided to learn Japanese.
Verb + ことに決める is a fixed pattern for 'decide to do.' Closely related to the grammar 〜ことにする.
6. To settle / close (a deal or matter) (決める)
二人は会議でその話を決めた。
ふたりは かいぎで その はなしを きめた。
The two of them settled the matter at the meeting.
The same "lock it into place" image stretches a little further too: スポーツでゴールを決める (to score / nail a shot), 服装を決める (to decide on / nail your outfit). You don't need to memorize each as a separate word — once the core image clicks, most of them feel intuitive.
Common collocations worth memorizing
Some きめる phrases come up so often that it pays to learn them as ready-made chunks:
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 予定を決める | to fix a schedule / plan |
| ルールを決める | to set the rules |
| 〜に決める | to decide on / choose ~ |
| 〜ことに決める | to decide to do ~ |
| 心を決める | to make up one's mind |
| 日にちを決める | to set the date |
Kanji & related verbs
The kanji is 決 ("decide, settle"), and きめる is almost always written 決める in real text — it's not usually left in kana. The same kanji shows up in everyday words: 決まり (きまり, a rule), 決定 (けってい, a decision), and 解決 (かいけつ, a solution / resolution).
The verb to watch is its intransitive partner きまる (決まる) — same kanji, completely different grammar. Keep them straight:
- 決める (きめる) — transitive, Group 2 (ru-verb): you decide it.
- 決まる (きまる) — intransitive, Group 1 (う-verb): it gets decided.
きめる vs きまる — the trap
This transitive/intransitive pair is a JLPT favorite. The difference is who's doing it — and notice they're even different verb groups:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 決める (きめる, transitive, ru-verb) | Someone decides something on purpose | ヤッタンが予定を決める = Yattan decides the schedule |
| 決まる (きまる, intransitive, u-verb) | Something gets decided / turns out settled | 予定が決まった = the schedule got decided / is set |
A quick way to feel it: with 決める you can point to the person doing the deciding, and the thing takes を (予定を決める). With 決まる you're just reporting that things are now settled, and the thing takes が (予定が決まる). So 会議で決まった = "it was decided at the meeting" (the focus is on the outcome, not on who chose it).
If you want to say "decide to do something," you'll also meet the grammar pattern 〜ことにする — see our 〜ことにする guide. 〜ことに決める is the heavier, more deliberate cousin of that pattern.
Quick recap
- One image powers them all: lock the undecided thing into place.
- High-value chunks: 予定を決める, ルールを決める, 〜に決める, 〜ことに決める.
- It's a transitive ru-verb; its partner 決まる is an intransitive う-verb.
- を goes with 決める (you decide it); が goes with 決まる (it gets decided).
Your turn
Ready to test your N5 vocabulary in context?
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Is 決める a ru-verb or u-verb?
決める (きめる) is a Group 2 (ru-verb / ichidan) verb: きめ-る → きめ-ます, きめ-て, きめ-ない. It conjugates just like 食べる. Its partner 決まる is a Group 1 (u-verb).
What is the difference between 決める and 決まる?
決める is transitive — you decide something on purpose: 予定を決める = to fix the schedule. 決まる is intransitive — something gets decided: 予定が決まる = the schedule gets settled. Use を with 決める and が with 決まる.
How do I say 'decide to do something'?
Use plain verb + ことに決める, for example 日本語を習うことに決めた = 'decided to learn Japanese.' The lighter, more everyday version of this is the grammar pattern 〜ことにする.
How do I say 'I've decided on X'?
Use 〜に決めた. For example ラーメンに決めた = 'I've decided on ramen.' The に marks the option you settled on.