決まり

What it means

What does 決まり mean? It denotes a settled decision, rule, or arrangement that governs future actions and is expected to be followed; it captures the sense of something agreed upon and fixed within a group or system.

Main meanings

• State of being decided or fixed; a rule or regulation in effect
• An established practice or custom, often summarized as 決まりごと or 決まり事
• A formal or informal decision that determines subsequent behavior or arrangements

How to use it

Used as a noun to refer to a settled decision, rule, or arrangement. It is more formal in writing and common in speech when talking about policies, schedules, or social norms. Common collocations include 決まりごと and 決まり事, and it appears with verbs like 決まる and 決める to express the act or state of deciding.