N3 Grammar ⑲　ことになっている

JLPT N3 Japanese self-study　·　~12 min　·　External rule vs personal habit — crucial distinction

'Phones are banned on campus.' (school rule) vs 'I've decided to exercise every day.' (personal choice) — same surface structure, completely different meaning.

What you'll learn

• ことになっている: external rule/arrangement — school policy, company rules, scheduled plans
• ことにしている: your own personal rule or habit you've set for yourself
• Key question: WHO decided it? External → ことになっている. Self → ことにしている.
• Test pair: 禁煙することになっている (no-smoking rule) vs ことにしている (personal choice)

How to study “N3 Grammar ⑲　ことになっている”

“N3 Grammar ⑲　ことになっている” (External rule vs personal habit — crucial distinction) is a JLPT N3 chapter of our free Japanese self-study course, about 12 min. You learn by doing — flashcard drills and fill-in-the-blank quizzes graded on the spot — completely free, with no sign-up and no ad wall. Once it clicks, read the matching in-depth explainer over in Grammar.