つもり (tsumori) is used to talk about an intention or a plan that the person already has in mind. The most common structure is verb in simple form + tsumori desu: I intend to work in Japan means “I intend to work in Japan.”.
The form placed before つもり completely changes the interpretation. I intend to go expresses intention to go; I intend not to go, intention not to go; I intended to go, an intention that existed in the past. On the other hand, I intended to go (but didn't) does not mean “I planned to go”: it usually indicates that the person believes they went or considers the action as done.
Quick answer: how to use tsumori in Japanese?
| Structure | Main usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vる + tsumori desu | I intend to do | I intend to study |
| Vない + tsumori desu | I intend not to do | I intend not to go |
| Vる + tsumori deshita | I intended to do | I intended to buy |
| Vた + つもりです | I believe I did / I act as if I did | 送ったつもりです |
The verb comes in the simple form, affirmative or negative. The form is not placed ます directly before つもり. Say I intend to go, and not 行きますつもりです.
What does tsumori mean?
つもり It is a formal noun that can represent intention, purpose, conviction, or the way a person understands a situation. In basic use with a non-past verb, it presents an intention that already existed before the moment of speaking.
Therefore, つもり it is not usually the best choice for a decision made at that exact moment. If someone asks “Are you going too?” and you decide on the spot, a response like 私も行きます (“I'm going too”) is more natural. 私も行くつもりです suggests that you already had that intention.
In grammar texts, the hiragana spelling つもり is the clearest and most common form. Avoid automatically replacing it with 積もり, especially in examples for beginners.
Vるつもりです: intention to do something
Use the dictionary form of the verb before tsumori desu:
- 来年、日本へ行くつもりです。
Rainen, Nihon e iku tsumori desu.
I intend to go to Japan next year. - 卒業したら、日本で働くつもりです。
Sotsugyou shitara, Nihon de hataraku tsumori desu.
When I graduate, I intend to work in Japan. - 今週末、新しいパソコンを買うつもりです。
Konshuumatsu, atarashii pasokon o kau tsumori desu.
I intend to buy a new computer this weekend.
です makes the sentence polite. In casual conversation, one uses つもりだ or, when the context is already clear, just つもり. To review the difference between these endings, see です In japanese.
Vないつもりです: intention not to do
The basic negation goes on the verb:
- 今日はお酒を飲まないつもりです。
Kyou wa osake o nomanai tsumori desu.
I intend not to drink alcohol today. - しばらく国に帰らないつもりです。
Shibaraku kuni ni kaeranai tsumori desu.
I don't intend to go back to my country for a while.
There is also Vるつもりはありません, literally “I have no intention of doing”. This construction tends to deny the intention more strongly:
その仕事を辞めるつもりはありません。
Sono shigoto o yameru tsumori wa arimasen.
I have no intention of quitting that job.
Compare the nuance: I intend not to go presents the plan of not going; I do not intend to go clearly rejects the possibility or intention of going.
How to put tsumori in the past?
To say that the intention existed in the past, keep the verb in the non-past form and put です in the past:
Vる + tsumori deshita
- Yesterday I intended to go to bed early.
Kinou wa hayaku neru tsumori deshita.
Yesterday I intended to go to bed early. - I intended to buy that book, but it was sold out.
Sono hon o kau tsumori deshita ga, urikirete imashita.
I intended to buy that book, but it was sold out.
The structure speaks of the prior intention; it does not state that the action happened. In the first sentence, the person may have gone to bed late. In the second, we know from the context that the purchase did not occur.
Vたつもり is not the past of an intention
This is the point that causes the most confusion. When the verb is in the た before つもり, form, the meaning is usually “believe you did”, “consider that you did” or “act as if you had done”.
- I thought I had sent the email, but it remained in the drafts.
Meeru o okutta tsumori deshita ga, shitagaki ni nokotte imashita.
I thought I had sent the email, but it remained in the drafts. - I believed I had explained, but it seems the message was not understood.
Setsumei shita tsumori desu ga, tsutawatte inakatta you desu.
I believed I had explained, but it seems the message was not understood.
In both examples, there is a difference between the speaker's perception and the observed result. Therefore:
- 説明するつもりでした: I intended to explain.
- 説明したつもりでした: I believed I had explained.
Vたつもりで can also mean “as if I had done”:
旅行したつもりで、そのお金を貯金します。
Ryokou shita tsumori de, sono okane o chokin shimasu.
I'll save that money as if I had taken the trip.
Tsumori, tai e yotei: what's the difference?
| Expression | Central idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vたい | desire to do | 日本へ行きたいです |
| Vるつもり | intention or personal plan already considered | 日本へ行くつもりです |
| Vる予定 | more objective schedule or forecast | 日本へ行く予定です |
THE form たい says what you want to do, even when there isn't a concrete plan yet. つもり communicates intention. 予定 presents something as a schedule or commitment, which may even have been set by someone else.
Compare:
- 日本で勉強したいです。 — I want to study in Japan.
- 来年、日本で勉強するつもりです。 — I intend to study in Japan next year.
- 授業は四月に始まる予定です。 — Classes are scheduled to start in April.
Is it possible to use tsumori to talk about another person?
Yes, when their intention is known. For example:
田中さんは来年会社を辞めるつもりです。
Tanaka-san wa rainen kaisha o yameru tsumori desu.
Tanaka intends to leave the company next year.
Since we don't have direct access to another person's thoughts, many situations call for a source or a marker of uncertainty:
- 田中さんは会社を辞めるつもりだと言っています。
Tanaka says he intends to leave the company. - 田中さんは会社を辞めるつもりのようです。
It seems Tanaka intends to leave the company.
The choice depends on how you obtained the information. This care also helps form more natural sentences in Japanese.
Other uses: Nのつもり and な-adjective + つもり
つもり doesn't only appear after verbs. With nouns, use Nのつもり; with な-adjectives, Aなつもり. In these cases, the idea is often “as”, “with the conviction of”, or “thinking that”.
- 旅行のつもりで準備していました。
Ryokou no tsumori de junbi shite imashita.
I was preparing thinking it would be a trip. - 簡単なつもりでしたが、意外に難しかったです。
Kantan na tsumori deshita ga, igai ni muzukashikatta desu.
I thought it would be simple, but it was surprisingly difficult.
For beginners, it's better to master first Vるつもり and Vないつもり. The other uses become clearer after the basic structure is already automatic.
Common mistakes with tsumori
- Put ます before つもり. Use I intend to go, not 行きますつもりです. Politeness appears at the end; see also form ます.
- To use Vたつもり as a simple past of intention. “Intended to do” is Vるつもりでした.
- Confusing intention not to do with action not taken. I intend not to go is a plan; 行きませんでした reports that the person didn't go.
- To use つもり for a desire without a plan. When there is only desire, たい is usually more appropriate.
- To use つもり for an instant decision. The expression usually indicates an already formed intention.
- Assuming the thoughts of others. When necessary, add と言っています, ようです or another indication of the source.
Mini dialogue
A: 夏休みは何をするつもりですか。
Natsuyasumi wa nani o suru tsumori desu ka.
What do you intend to do during summer vacation?
B: I intend to go to Hokkaido. But I haven't booked a hotel yet.
Hokkaidou e iku tsumori desu. Demo, mada hoteru o yoyaku shite imasen.
I intend to go to Hokkaido. But I haven't booked the hotel yet.
The answer communicates an already formed intention, but the second statement shows that the planning is not yet complete. つもり does not guarantee that the action will happen.
Quick exercise
Complete with the appropriate form:
- I intend to study Japanese every day.
- I don't intend to buy a car this year.
- I intended to call yesterday, but I forgot.
- I thought I had closed the door.
Answers:
- 毎日、日本語を勉強するつもりです。
- 今年は車を買わないつもりです。
- 昨日、電話するつもりでしたが、忘れました。
- ドアを閉めたつもりでした。
Keep this distinction in mind: Vるつもり = intention to do, Vないつもり = intention not to do, Vるつもりでした = past intention and Vたつもり = conviction of having done or “as if one had done”.
Common questions
What does tsumori mean in Japanese?
つもり indicates an intention, a plan already considered or, in other patterns, the person's conviction about an action. Vるつもりです usually means ‘I intend to do’.
Which form of the verb comes before tsumori?
The verb comes in the simple form. Use the dictionary form for affirmative intention, like 行くつもりです, and the ない form for negative intention, like 行かないつもりです.
Can I use the masu form before tsumori?
No. Say 行くつもりです, not 行きますつもりです. The plain form comes before つもり, while です makes the end of the sentence polite.
How to say you don't intend to do something?
Use Vないつもりです to express the intention of not doing something. Vるつもりはありません is also possible and usually denies the intention more strongly.
How to put tsumori in the past?
For an intention that existed in the past, use Vるつもりでした or Vるつもりだった. For example, 買うつもりでした means ‘I intended to buy’.
What does Vたつもり mean?
Vたつもり generally indicates that the person believes they have done something or acts as if they had done it. 送ったつもりでした means ‘I thought I had sent it’, not ‘I intended to send it’.
What is the difference between tsumori, tai, and yotei?
Vたい expresses desire; Vるつもり presents a personal intention or plan; Vる予定 presents a more objective schedule or forecast.
Can Tsumori talk about someone else's plan?
Yes, when the intention is known. If the information is not direct, indicate the source or uncertainty with forms like つもりだと言っています or つもりのようです.
Sources for further study
The distinction between intention, conviction, past, and negation was confirmed in the Japan Foundation articles on つもり, part 1 and つもり, part 2. The contrast between たい, つもり and （よ）うと思う was reviewed in the material Irodori — plans and hopes for the future.