決まります（きまります、kimariまsu）
- to be decided

The Japanese word 決まります (きまります - *kimarimasu*) means "to be decided," "to be settled," "to be fixed," or "to be determined." It is the polite, present/future tense form of the verb 決まる (*kimaru*). It indicates that something has been decided upon, finalized, or agreed upon. It often implies a sense of completion or a resolution to a matter. The subject of the sentence is typically the thing that is being decided. The word often refers to events, plans, schedules, and various other situations that need to be planned or sorted out. The word can include the nuance of something being automatically settled or set in place as well. The meaning of 決まります depends on the context of the sentence.

⚫︎会議の時間は午後2時に決まりました。 Translation: The time of the meeting has been decided to be 2 PM. ⚫︎旅行の日程が決まりました。 Translation: The itinerary for the trip has been decided. ⚫︎今日は何を着るかまだ決まりません。 Translation: I haven't decided what to wear today yet.

⚫︎You use 決まります when you want to express that something has been decided or finalized. ⚫︎It's suitable for various situations, such as announcing plans, discussing arrangements, or confirming schedules. ⚫︎Use it in both formal and informal settings, although its polite form makes it well-suited to formal conversations. ⚫︎It is often used when the speaker is not the one who made the decision, and the decision came from some other source or process. ⚫︎決まります is often preceded by time, date, place, or other information. ⚫︎決まりました (*kimarimashita*) is the past tense form, indicating that something *was* decided. ⚫︎The potential form 決まれます (*kimaremasu*) does exist, but is not commonly used.

⚫︎The base form, 決まる, is written in kanji as 決まる. ⚫︎The polite form, 決まります, is typically written in hiragana as きまります. The kanji 決 can be used, but this is less common. ⚫︎The okurigana (hiragana attached to the kanji) is まる. ⚫︎The verb conjugation follows standard rules: ⚫︎Present affirmative: 決まります (*kimarimasu*). ⚫︎Past affirmative: 決まりました (*kimarimashita*). ⚫︎Present negative: 決まりません (*kimarimasen*). ⚫︎Past negative: 決まりませんでした (*kimarimasen deshita*). ⚫︎Polite form: 決まりましょう (*kimarimashou*) ⚫︎Plain form: 決まる (*kimaru*)

⚫︎決める (*kimeru*): to decide, to determine (active form, the one making the decision). ⚫︎決定する (*kettei suru*): to decide (more formal). ⚫︎定める (*sadamaru*): to set, to establish (more formal). ⚫︎確定する (*kakutei suru*): to confirm, to finalize.

⚫︎未定 (*mitei*): undecided, not yet decided. ⚫︎保留 (*horyuu*): to postpone, to hold (something) back.

次のプロジェクトのリーダーは田中さんに決まりました。 ・Translation: The leader for the next project has been decided as Mr. Tanaka. ・Explanation: This sentence shows the result of a decision: who will be the leader. The decision itself is highlighted by 決まりました.

出発時間は明日の午前10時に決まります。 ・Translation: The departure time will be decided at 10 AM tomorrow. ・Explanation: This sentence indicates a future decision. The departure time will be finalized by then.

The verb 決まる (*kimaru*) comes from the verb 決める (*kimeru*), which means "to decide" or "to determine." The kanji 決 represents "to decide" or "to fix." The word originated from the need to express the state of a decision being made. Therefore, the word is an intrinsic part of the process of planning and communication.