Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 8: 8/13

にするTo decide on, To choose, To make something into, To view something as

Sometimes written as とする, which focuses on the result, rather than the process of 'making'

Structure

Noun + に + する

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Expression

  • Word Type

    Verb

  • Register

    Standard

About にする

にする is a structure that combines the に particle (a location/target), with the verb する. It means to 'make/decide' something in a certain way. The nuance with にする is that the speaker has direct control over the outcome. This is where the strong feeling of 'choice' comes from. The noun that comes before にする is the thing that is being decided.

In this example, although the common translation is 'to decide', it is actually much closer to the slang expression 'to do (A)' in English. This means that the literal translation is actually 'I'll do a beer', or 'I'll make it a beer'.

Sometimes the particle と is used instead of に. Although this has the same meaning, it changes the nuance slightly. When と is used, it takes away the feeling of being a direct decision. とする tends to be used in more formal situations, but this is only because と is less 'definite', so results in the phrase sounding less pushy.

If you were going to compare these two to an English equivalent, it would be similar to the difference between the following sentences.

に - I'll buy a burger. (A burger is the direct target of 'buy')

と - I'll go with a burger. (You aren't 'going' anywhere, it just sounds softer)

This grammar point may be used for more abstract nouns, and does not specifically need to be 'items'.

Related

Examples

--:--

    何(なに)にする？

    What will you decide on?

    今日(きょう)の晩(ばん)ごはんは何(なに)にする？

    What have you decided on for today's dinner?

    このかばんにします。

    To decide on this bag.

    明日(あした)の朝(あさ)ごはんは魚(さかな)にします。

    To decide on fish for breakfast tomorrow.

    このレストランにします。

    To decide on this restaurant.

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

  • Online

      There are no Online resources listed for 「にする」.

      You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

    • Offline

        There are no Offline resources listed for 「にする」.

        You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!

      • Track Resources!

        Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.

      にする – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (12 in total)

      • Jake

        Jake

        to decide on

        Structure

        • Noun + に・する

        View on Bunpro

      • Ambo100

        Ambo100

        Am I right in thinking that the basic difference for describing intent between ~にする and ~つもりだ is that the former only follows a noun and the latter only follows a verb?

      • matt_in_mito

        matt_in_mito

        Yeah that’s fine but I wouldn’t say that these two are particularly similar.

        ～にする is something you would generally use in a restaurant or something like that. Kind of like ‘I’ll go for…’
        ステーキにする - I’ll go for the steak.

        ～つもりだ is used for something you plan to do. It could even be a long way in the future.
        再来年日本に行くつもりだ - I plan to go to Japan the year after next.

        I understand why you’ve said they’re similar but if I were you I’d try to separate them in your mind as they are completely different.

      • Ambo100

        Ambo100

        この赤あかい上着うわぎ~。

        One of the ‘alternate grammar’ for this review lists ‘にしす’ as a possible answer, is this correct?

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        Hey!

        It was a typo, I have fixed it.

        Thank you for the feedback and sorry for the inconvenience

      • deltacat3

        deltacat3

        I am slightly confused with how the tense is inferred with にする. Does にする always represent a decision which has already been made?

        このかばんにします。
        To decide on this bag.
        [the speaker has decided to buy this bag]

        テストは月曜日にするって先生が言った。
        The teacher said, “I have decided on Monday for the test.”

      • Pushindawood

        Pushindawood

        @deltacat3 Hey! にする implies that the speaker has made up their mind about something but the activities related to that something have yet to be carried out.

        For example: このかばんにします。→ “I have decided (to buy) this bag.” In this example, the speaker has decided to buy the bag but has not yet made the purchase. If you were to say このかばんにしました。then the English would be “I decided on this bag” or “This is the bag that I decided on (and now own).”
        @matt_in_mito made a great interpretation above:

        You would use ステーキにした after you made the order and are telling a friend what you ordered or even after you ate and were telling someone your experience at the restaurant. I hope...

      • deltacat3

        deltacat3

        Thank you very much, that was very helpful! ヽ(^o^)丿

      • Jshnaid

        Jshnaid

        is “今日の晩ごはんは何にするの？” incorrect? why?

      • matt_in_mito

        matt_in_mito

        It looks alright to me!

      • Ambo100

        Ambo100

        DBJG has a useful distinction on the difference between にする and に決める which might be worth mentioning.

        image706×153 16.5 KB
      • mielke

        mielke

        hello @Jake!

        I got a review on this together with “shall” (ましょうか), but this item comes after にする, so I was a bit lost on that.
        is this an error? shouldn’t this only show up after I review ましょうか?

        thanks!

      • mrnoone

        mrnoone

        Hey @mielke
        We will likely replace the sentence, by the way, if you tap on the ましょうか it will show the definition

        Cheers!

      Got questions about にする? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

      Join the Discussion