Expresses a personal decision made by the speaker — an active, deliberate choice by the subject, in contrast to ことになる (a decision by external forces).
[Verb dictionary / plain negative] + ことにする / した
毎朝ジョギングすることにしました。
Maiasa jogingu suru koto ni shimashita.
I decided to go jogging every morning.
Personal decision → ことにした
お酒を飲まないことにした。
Osake wo nomanai koto ni shita.
I decided not to drink alcohol.
飲まない (negative) + ことにした = decided NOT to
毎日日本語を勉強することにしている。
Mainichi nihongo wo benkyou suru koto ni shite iru.
I make it a rule to study Japanese every day.
ことにしている = have made it a standing habit/rule
• ことにする (personal decision) vs ことになる (external / natural outcome). • ことにしている = an ongoing habit or rule you've set for yourself. • Contrast: 来年日本に行くことにした (I decided to go) vs 来年日本に行くことになった (it was decided I'll go — external).
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ことにする is tested against.
ことにする = you actively choose; ことになる = the decision is framed as made by others/circumstances.
The 〜ている form marks a continuing self-imposed habit/policy; ことにした marks the single moment you decided.
つもり states an intention/plan that may still change; ことにする marks a decision already firmly made.
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