～ことになる (it turns out that)

Japanese Grammar Intermediate Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral ことになるkoto ni naru
Reading ことになる
Romaji koto ni naru
Formation Verb (dictionary form / ない-form) + ことになる

Meaning

A phrase indicating that an action or event leads to a certain situation or outcome, often implying that the result was decided by external circumstances rather than the speaker's own will. It conveys 'it turns out that' or 'it has been decided that.'

ことになる expresses a result or decision that is presented as arising from circumstances, group consensus, or institutional decisions rather than the speaker's personal choice. This distinguishes it from ことにする, which emphasizes a deliberate personal decision. ことになる is frequently used in business and formal announcements to soften the directness of a decision. The past tense ことになった is extremely common for reporting outcomes. It can also express logical consequences, as in 'if you think about it, it amounts to this.'

Examples

  1. 来月から大阪の支社で働くことになりました。 It has been decided that I will work at the Osaka branch starting next month.
  2. 会議の結果、このプロジェクトは中止することになった。 As a result of the meeting, it was decided that this project will be cancelled.
  3. 毎日残業すると、健康に悪いことになる。 If you work overtime every day, it will end up being bad for your health.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, business, everyday

Tone: informative

Do Say

  • 来年からアメリカに転勤することになりました。
  • 予算の関係で旅行は来月に延期することになった。
  • 結局、私が発表をすることになったんです。
  • 新しい規則では、全員がIDカードを持つことになる。

Don't Say

  • 明日は早く起きることになる。(Using ことになる for a personal decision; should use ことにする for self-decided actions) → 明日は早く起きることにする。
  • 昨日ケーキを食べることになった。(Using ことになった for a trivial personal action that was clearly self-chosen) → 昨日ケーキを食べることにした。
  • 私は毎日ジョギングすることになります。(Using ことになる for a personal habit/resolution; ことにしています is more appropriate) → 私は毎日ジョギングすることにしています。

Origin & History

Formed from こと (abstract nominalizer meaning 'thing' or 'matter') and なる (to become). Together they express that a situation 'becomes a matter of' doing something, framing the outcome as externally determined.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Related Phrases

～も～も (both ~ and ~ / neither ~ nor ~) A structure presenting two states or actions of someone or something by using the inclusive particle も twice to emphasise that both apply equally. It conveys 'both ~ and ~' or with negation 'neither ~ nor ~.' ～より (more than / comparative) An adverb and particle that forms the comparative degree of adjectives and adverbs, expressing 'more ~ than' or 'rather than.' It establishes a standard of comparison. ～そうになる (to almost / to nearly) A phrase expressing that something almost happens or nearly occurred. It describes a situation that was on the verge of happening but ultimately did not, conveying 'almost' or 'nearly.' ～とする (1) (to assume / to suppose) A phrase indicating that someone assumes, supposes, or tentatively decides something for the sake of argument or planning. It conveys 'let's assume that' or 'supposing that.' ～とする (2) (to feel / to sense) A phrase describing a sensory or psychological experience, where the speaker perceives a physical sensation or emotional state. It conveys 'to feel' or 'to have a sensation of.' ～もの（だ） (it is natural that / used to) A dependent noun construction used to express general truths, natural expectations, nostalgic recollections of the past, or emotional emphasis. It conveys 'it is natural that,' 'one should,' or 'used to.' ～やる (1) (to do for / to give) A verb meaning to cause something or someone to move to a place, or to do, give, eat, or drink something. It is a casual or rough equivalent of あげる for giving to animals, plants, or those of lower status, and also functions as a general verb for 'to do.' ～よう (conjecture / likelihood) An auxiliary verb attached to the volitional stem expressing the speaker's conjecture about some potentiality or likelihood. It conveys 'it seems likely that' or 'it appears that ~ will.'
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