Decide, Determine
きめる (kimeru), きまる (kimaru)
Interesting Fact
If you watch Japanese sports, you'll quickly encounter 決勝 (kesshō), meaning the final match. The first kanji is 決, while 勝 means victory. The idea is wonderfully straightforward: after all the earlier matches, this is where the competition is finally settled—one side wins and the question is decided. You'll also see 決勝戦, literally the “match that decides the winner.” So every time a Japanese tournament reaches its final, 決 is there announcing that the outcome is about to be settled.
Memory Trick
The water(氵) can't decide which way to flow—then it breaks through and says, “This way!” That’s 決!
Readings
Onyomi: ケツ (ketsu)
Kunyomi: きめる (kimeru), きまる (kimaru)
Example Words
Example Sentence
旅行の日程を決めました。
りょこう の にってい を きめました。
ryokou no nittei o kimemashita
We decided the travel schedule.