Grammar › Decision & Outcome
ことになる — “it has been decided that…; it turns out that…”
Describes a decision or outcome that arose from circumstances, not the speaker's own choice
Dictionary/nai-form + ことになる describes an arrangement or result that came about — often by someone else's decision, a rule, or how things simply worked out — rather than the speaker's own will. It's the passive-feeling counterpart to ことにする, and shows up constantly in workplace and school announcements.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Dictionary form + ことになる | 会議は来週に延期することになりました — The meeting has been postponed to next week |
| Nai-form + ことになる | タバコは吸わないことになっています — Smoking isn't allowed here |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 来月、大阪に転勤することになりました。 | らいげつ、おおさかにてんきんすることになりました。 raigetsu、oosakanitenkinsurukotoninarimashita。 | I've been transferred to Osaka, starting next month. |
| この教室では靴を脱ぐことになっています。 | このきょうしつではくつをぬぐことになっています。 konokyoushitsudehakutsuwonugukotoninatteimasu。 | In this classroom, you're supposed to take off your shoes. |
| 結局、旅行は中止することになった。 | けっきょく、りょこうはちゅうしすることになった。 kekkyoku、ryokouhachuushisurukotoninatta。 | In the end, it was decided that the trip would be cancelled. |
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Watch out
Announcing your own decision with ことになりました (来年結婚することになりました) is actually normal and modest-sounding in Japanese — don't over-correct to ことにしました in every sentence just because you chose it yourself.