How to tell them apart
つもり presents an intention as already settled before speaking, while ようと思う presents it as a decision just made and shared now. 明日休むつもりだ sounds like a firm existing plan, while 明日休もうと思う sounds softer and more tentative. Use つもり when the resolve is fixed, and ようと思う when you are announcing your current thinking.
- つもり Use つもり to state an intention or conviction as a fixed and settled plan.
- ようと思う Use ようと思う to share an intention you have just decided on as your current thinking.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| つもり tsumori | Intend to; plan to | N4 |
| ようと思う youto u | am considering doing; have the intention to | N4 |
つもり tsumori
Intend to; plan to
つもりだ expresses a speaker's intention or plan to do something, often for a future action that has already been decided. It follows the plain non-past form of a verb, as in 行くつもりだ for a plan to go and 行かないつもりだ for a plan not to go, with polite つもりです and past つもりでした forms. It is commonly used for personal plans in conversation, and the negative intention uses ないつもり rather than changing つもり itself.
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あなたは来年アメリカへ行くつもりですか。
Will you go to America next year?
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あなたはお父さんに手紙を書くつもりですか。
Are you going to write to your father?
ようと思う youto u
am considering doing; have the intention to
ようと思う expresses the speaker's intention or plan to do something, often with a sense of having decided after consideration. It attaches to the volitional form of a verb, as in 行こうと思う, 食べようと思う, or しようと思う. It is normally used for the speaker's own intentions, not to guess what someone else will do, and the present tense often points to a decision made now.
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明日、東京へ行ってこようと思うの。
Tomorrow, I have plans to go to Tokyo.
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もっとお金をためようと思うんだ。
I'm going to save more money.
つもり and ようと思う are both JLPT N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.