Chapter 12 — Experience, Decision, Habituality

Japanese uses the word こと — literally "thing" or "matter" — as a grammatical tool to turn verbs into abstract concepts. You have already seen this in ことができる (Chapter 1: "can do"). Now you will learn four more こと patterns that are among the most commonly tested and most practically useful structures at this level.

Two of them describe experience and occasional events: ことがある. Two of them describe decisions: ことにする and ことになる. These four patterns share a common backbone — verb plain form + こと — but each produces a distinct meaning. The differences are precise and important.

This chapter also introduces a concept that will recur throughout your study of Japanese: the preference for agentless expression. Japanese often frames events as "things that happen" rather than "things that someone decided." Understanding why requires understanding how Japanese speakers think about responsibility, politeness, and social harmony.

12.1 ことがある (Past) — Experience

Formation

[た-form of verb] + ことがある

This pattern means "have the experience of doing" — what English expresses with "have (ever) done."

Examples

日本に行ったことがある。 I have been to Japan.

富士山に登ったことがあります。 I have climbed Mt. Fuji.

納豆を食べたことがありますか。 Have you ever eaten natto?

いいえ、一度も食べたことがありません。 No, I have never eaten it. (not even once)

歌舞伎を見たことがある？ Have you ever seen kabuki?

What this pattern does

ことがある with the た-form frames the verb as a past experience — something that happened at least once in the speaker's life. It does not specify when. It does not describe a habit. It answers the question: "Is this something you have ever done?"

Negative: ことがない

To say "have never done," replace ある with ない:

外国に行ったことがない。 I have never been abroad.

お酒を飲んだことがありません。 I have never drunk alcohol.

Common time expressions

ことがある often appears with frequency expressions:

京都に三回行ったことがある。 I have been to Kyoto three times.

一度も遅刻したことがありません。 I have never been late. (not even once)

A common mistake

Do not use the dictionary form before ことがある to express experience. The verb must be in the た-form:

✗ 日本に行くことがある。 (This means something different — see Section 12.2) ✓ 日本に行ったことがある。

12.2 ことがある (Present) — Occasional Occurrence

Formation

[dictionary form of verb] + ことがある

When the verb before ことがある is in the dictionary form (not the た-form), the meaning changes entirely. Instead of past experience, it describes something that occasionally happens.

Examples

朝ご飯を食べないことがある。 I sometimes skip breakfast. (It occasionally happens that I don't eat breakfast.)

電車が遅れることがあります。 Trains are sometimes late. (It occasionally happens that trains are delayed.)

日本語で夢を見ることがある。 I sometimes dream in Japanese.

道で有名人に会うことがありますか。 Do you ever run into celebrities on the street?

疲れている時、料理をしないことがある。 When I'm tired, I sometimes don't cook.

How this differs from 時々

時々 (ときどき) means "sometimes" and describes general frequency. ことがある emphasizes the occasional, somewhat irregular nature of the occurrence — it is not a regular pattern but something that happens from time to time.

時々遅刻する。 I'm sometimes late. (a somewhat regular occurrence)

遅刻することがある。 It happens that I'm late sometimes. (occasional, not a pattern I'd claim as regular)

The difference is subtle. In many contexts, either works. But ことがある has a slightly more "it occasionally happens" feel — the speaker is acknowledging an irregular occurrence rather than describing a habit.

The critical distinction: た-form vs dictionary form

These two patterns look similar but mean completely different things. The verb form before こと is what determines the meaning. Keep this distinction sharp.

12.3 ことにする — "Decide to"

Formation

[dictionary form / ない-form of verb] + ことにする

This pattern means "decide to do" something. The subject makes a personal, active decision.

Examples

来年、日本に留学することにした。 I decided to study abroad in Japan next year.

毎朝走ることにしました。 I decided to run every morning.

今日は早く寝ることにする。 I'll decide to go to bed early today.

お酒をやめることにした。 I decided to quit drinking.

Negative decisions: ないことにする

To express a decision not to do something, use the ない-form before ことにする:

今回は旅行に行かないことにしました。 I decided not to go on a trip this time.

その話は誰にも言わないことにする。 I'll decide not to tell anyone about that matter.

What ことにする conveys

ことにする emphasizes the speaker's agency. The decision was made by a person — specifically, the subject of the sentence. This is important because Japanese has another pattern (ことになる, Section 12.4) that presents decisions as if no one made them.

転職することにした。 I decided to change jobs.

The speaker is taking responsibility for this decision. They made a choice. This is a statement of personal will.

ことにする vs ようと思う

In Chapter 2, you learned ようと思う ("I'm thinking of doing"). Both express intention, but they differ in firmness:

日本に行こうと思う。 I'm thinking of going to Japan. (still considering)

日本に行くことにした。 I decided to go to Japan. (decision made)

ようと思う is softer — a plan being considered. ことにした is firmer — a decision that has been reached.

12.4 ことになる — "It Has Been Decided"

Formation

[dictionary form / ない-form of verb] + ことになる

This pattern means "it has been decided that" or "it turns out that." The decision is presented without identifying who made it.

Examples

来月、大阪に転勤することになった。 It has been decided that I will transfer to Osaka next month.

会議は三時に始まることになりました。 It has been decided that the meeting will start at three.

来年から制服を着ることになった。 Starting next year, (it has been decided that) we will wear uniforms.

その計画は中止することになった。 It has been decided that the plan will be canceled.

Negative: ないことになる

今年はボーナスが出ないことになった。 It has been decided that there will be no bonus this year.

パーティーはしないことになりました。 It has been decided that there will be no party.

What ことになる conveys

ことになる removes the agent. No one in the sentence made the decision — it simply "became" the case that this will happen. The decision exists, but the person or group responsible is absent from the sentence.

Compare:

転職することにした。 I decided to change jobs. (I made this decision.)

転勤することになった。 It has been decided that I will transfer. (Someone — my company, my boss — decided, but I am presenting it as something that happened to me.)

The first sentence claims agency. The second presents the outcome as a fait accompli, something the speaker did not control.

12.5 ことになっている — "It Is the Rule"

Formation

[dictionary form / ない-form of verb] + ことになっている

When ことになる appears in the ている form, the meaning shifts from a single decision to an ongoing rule, regulation, or established arrangement.

Examples

この会社では六時に終わることになっている。 In this company, it is the rule that work ends at six.

日本では車は左側を走ることになっています。 In Japan, cars are supposed to drive on the left side.

学生は制服を着ることになっている。 Students are supposed to wear uniforms.

ここでは写真を撮らないことになっています。 It is the rule here that you do not take photos.

会議は毎週月曜日にあることになっている。 The meeting is scheduled to take place every Monday.

What ことになっている conveys

This pattern describes a state that has been established — a rule, custom, schedule, or arrangement that is currently in effect. It is the ている (ongoing state) form of ことになる (something was decided). The combination produces "it is the established state that..."

ことになっている is useful for describing:

• Company rules
• Social customs
• Laws and regulations
• Scheduled arrangements
• Standing agreements

ことになっている vs なければならない

Both can describe obligations, but they differ:

学生は制服を着ることになっている。 Students are supposed to wear uniforms. (It's the established rule.)

学生は制服を着なければならない。 Students must wear uniforms. (There is an obligation.)

ことになっている presents the rule as an external fact — "this is how things are." なければならない presents it as a personal obligation — "you must." The first is softer and more common when describing institutional rules.

12.6 Why Japanese Prefers Agentless ことになる

This section discusses a cultural pattern that extends far beyond grammar. Understanding it will help you interpret not just ことになる sentences, but much of how Japanese communicates about decisions, changes, and institutional actions.

The pattern

In English, decisions usually have agents:

• "The company decided to cancel the project."
• "My boss transferred me to Osaka."
• "The school changed the uniform policy."

In Japanese, the same events are very often expressed without identifying the decision-maker:

プロジェクトは中止することになった。 It has been decided that the project will be canceled.

大阪に転勤することになった。 It has been decided that I will transfer to Osaka.

制服が変わることになった。 It has been decided that the uniform will change.

No one "decided" in any of these sentences. The events simply "became" the case.

Why this happens

Several factors drive this preference:

Diffusing responsibility. If no one is named as the decision-maker, no one can be blamed. This is useful in workplaces and institutions where decisions are made collectively or by authority figures whom it would be awkward to name directly.

Maintaining harmony. Naming the person who made an unpopular decision can create conflict. Presenting it as a fait accompli — something that simply happened — reduces the potential for direct confrontation.

Respecting hierarchy. If your boss decided something, explicitly saying 部長が決めた ("the department head decided") can sound like you are pointing a finger. ことになった presents the decision respectfully, without dragging the superior into the narrative.

Accepting circumstances. Japanese culture places value on accepting what cannot be changed. ことになった aligns the speaker with this attitude — "this is how it turned out, and I accept it."

ことにした vs ことになった in practice

Even when the speaker made the decision themselves, they sometimes use ことになった to soften it:

来月会社をやめることになりました。 It has been decided that I will leave the company next month.

The speaker almost certainly decided this themselves. But by using ことになった instead of ことにした, they present the departure as something inevitable or circumstantial rather than a personal choice. This is especially common in formal or social contexts where claiming agency might seem abrupt or confrontational.

This is not deception. It is a different way of framing events — one that prioritizes social smoothness over individual attribution. As you progress in Japanese, you will notice this pattern everywhere: in news reports, in business communication, in daily conversation. Events "happen." Situations "become." Decisions "are decided." The agent fades into the background, and the outcome takes center stage.

12.7 Reading Passage

新しい生活

山本さんは今年、大学を卒業した。子供の時から日本語に興味があったので、大学では日本語を勉強することにした。四年間、毎日日本語を勉強した。

大学の時、一度日本に行ったことがある。三週間、東京でホームステイをした。日本語がまだ上手ではなかったが、ホストファミリーがとても親切にしてくれた。毎日新しいことを経験して、とても楽しかった。

卒業の後、日本で働くことにした。就職活動は大変だった。何度も面接を受けたことがあるが、なかなか結果が出なかった。でも、あきらめないで続けた。

先月、やっと東京のIT会社に就職することになった。来月から働くことになっている。月曜日から金曜日まで、朝九時から夕方六時まで働くことになっている。最初の三ヶ月は研修があることになっている。

山本さんは友達に「日本に引っ越すことになったよ」と言った。友達は驚いて「本当に？すごいね。日本で納豆を食べたことある？」と聞いた。山本さんは「一度だけ食べたことがある。あまり好きではなかった」と笑った。

新しい生活が始まる。心配なこともあるが、楽しみなこともたくさんある。日本語がもっと上手になるように、毎日頑張ることにしている。

Translation

A New Life

Yamamoto graduated from university this year. Since childhood, she had been interested in Japanese, so she decided to study Japanese at university. For four years, she studied Japanese every day.

During university, she once went to Japan. She did a homestay in Tokyo for three weeks. Her Japanese was not yet good, but the host family treated her very kindly. She experienced new things every day, and it was very enjoyable.

After graduation, she decided to work in Japan. Job hunting was difficult. She had many interviews, but the results did not come easily. But she did not give up and kept going.

Last month, she was finally hired at an IT company in Tokyo. She is scheduled to start working next month. She is supposed to work Monday through Friday, from nine in the morning to six in the evening. For the first three months, there is supposed to be training.

Yamamoto told her friend, "It's been decided that I'm moving to Japan." Her friend was surprised and said, "Really? That's amazing. Have you ever eaten natto in Japan?" Yamamoto laughed and said, "I've eaten it just once. I didn't really like it."

A new life is about to begin. There are things she is worried about, but there are also many things she is looking forward to. She has decided to do her best every day so that her Japanese will improve.

Passage Notes

• 日本語を勉強することにした — ことにした: a personal decision to study Japanese.
• 一度日本に行ったことがある — ことがある with た-form: past experience. She has been to Japan once.
• 何度も面接を受けたことがある — ことがある: the experience of having had many interviews.
• 就職することになった — ことになった: the job was secured — presented as something that "became decided" rather than something she herself decided. The company hired her; she is reporting the outcome.
• 働くことになっている — ことになっている: an established schedule or arrangement.
• 研修があることになっている — ことになっている: it is the arrangement that training exists.
• 引っ越すことになった — ことになった: even though moving is her choice, she presents it with ことになった — a softer, less assertive framing.
• 食べたことがある — ことがある: experience of eating natto.
• 頑張ることにしている — ことにしている: this is ことにする in the ている form, meaning "I make it my policy to" or "I have decided to (and am continuing)." This form describes an ongoing personal resolution.

12.8 Vocabulary List