つもり expresses an intention, 予定 a plan or schedule, and ようと思う a thought or decision to act. The three overlap: つもり can sound quite settled, while 予定 also covers events beyond anyone’s control. ようと思う can express a decision now or one contemplated for some time; 思っている more clearly presents an ongoing intention.
tsumori · yotei · yō to omou · also written tsumori / yotei / you to omou / つもりだった / 〜たつもり
つもり — what I intend · 予定 — what's planned or scheduled · ようと思う — what I am thinking of doing
Sentences
6 sentences, word by word
つもり — a resolve you're holding
polite
。
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来年
らいねん ［0］
next year
noun used adverbially · relative time, so no particle
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留学
りゅうがく ［0］
studying abroad
noun · 留学する to study abroad
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する
する
do
irregular verb · dictionary form, which つもり attaches to
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つもり
つもり
intend to
noun · a resolve held in the mind, not an arrangement
つもりだN4intend to
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です
です
(polite ending)
copula · politeness on the noun つもり
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I intend to study abroad next year.
予定 — what's on the schedule
polite
。
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電車
でんしゃ ［0］
train
noun · something with no will of its own
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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三時
さんじ ［1］
three o'clock
time noun · a point on the clock
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に
に
to; at; into
particle · a point something reaches — a place, a time, a person, or a state
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着く
つく ［1］
arrive
godan verb · dictionary form before 予定
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予定
よてい ［0］
scheduled
noun · the arrangement itself, no intention involved
予定だN4scheduled to
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です
です
(polite ending)
copula · politeness on the noun 予定
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The train is due to arrive at three.
ようと思う — expressing a contemplated decision
polite
。
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そろそろ
そろそろ
about time; soon
adverb · the moment has nearly come
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帰ろう
かえろう
let's head home
volitional of 帰る · the form ようと思う is built on
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と
と
quotative
particle · marking the decision as the content of the thought
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思います
おもいます
I think
polite 思う · plain 思う means the decision is being made now
ようと思うN4I think I'll
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I think I'll head home soon.
と思っている — held for a while, and about someone else
plain
。
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彼
かれ ［1］
he
pronoun · a third party, which plain 思う could not report
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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会社
かいしゃ ［0］
company
noun · the job being left
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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辞めよう
やめよう
quit
volitional of 辞める · 辞める for jobs, やめる for habits
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と
と
that — quoting
particle · marks the intention as the content of the thought
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思っている
おもっている
has been thinking
ている form · a decision carried for a while, and reportable about others
と思っているN4has been thinking
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He's been thinking about quitting his job.
つもりだった — the plan that failed
plain past
、。
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行く
いく ［0］
to go
godan verb · irregular て-form 行って
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つもり
つもり
intended to
noun · the resolve, about to be placed in the past
つもりだったN4had intended to
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だった
だった
was
plain past copula · which is what signals the plan came to nothing
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けど
けど
but
conjunction · casual contrast, and the excuse follows
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時間
じかん ［0］
time
noun · 時間がない, the standard excuse
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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なかった
なかった
there wasn't
past negative of ある · irregular, inflecting as an い-adjective
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I meant to go, but I ran out of time.
〜たつもり — a belief, not a plan
plain past
。
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その
その
that
demonstrative · the email already under discussion
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メール
メール ［1］
email
noun · loanword, always katakana
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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送った
おくった
sent
plain past of 送る · past form, which is what changes つもり's meaning
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つもり
つもり
was under the impression
noun · after a past verb this is belief, not intention
たつもりN4under the impression that
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だった
だった
was
plain past copula · the speaker had held that belief
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I was sure I'd sent that email.
Structure
How each one attaches
行く / 辞める＋つもりだ
留学するつもりです. The negative is usually 行かないつもり — 行くつもりはない is stronger, closer to “I have no intention of it.”
出発する / 会議＋（の）予定だ
三時に着く予定です. A noun needs の in front — 会議の予定. Works for things with no will at all, which つもり cannot do.
Verb ［よう／おう］＋と思う
行こうと思います. と思っている shifts it to a decision you have been carrying for a while, and lets you use it about someone else.
Verb ［dictionary］＋つもりだった
行くつもりだったけど. I had intended to. Context, often a following けど, may implies the plan came to nothing.
Meaning
Resolve, schedule, and the moment of deciding
つもり is what is in your head. It reports an intention, without itself telling you whether anything has been booked. It can overlap with 予定 when a plan is settled.
予定 is what is in the diary. Because it points at the schedule rather than the will behind it, it works for things that have no will: 電車は三時に着く予定です. A train cannot intend anything, so つもり is impossible there.
ようと思う can present a decision or contemplated intention.そろそろ帰ろうと思います — I think I'll head off. Often softer than つもり because it can present the decision as a thought, and therefore still negotiable.
思っている changes two things. It can present an intention as ongoing, and it lets you report someone else's: 彼は辞めようと思っている. The plain 思う is for your own mind at this instant.
〜たつもり is a different word wearing the same clothes.払ったつもりだった means you were under the impression you had paid. No future intention is implied; the belief need not always turn out to be wrong.
Watch out
Where these three go wrong
つもり for something with no will
電車は三時に着くつもりです gives the train intentions. Anything not deciding for itself takes 予定.
Using つもり about someone else
彼は行くつもりだ is possible when you know his plan. If you are inferring, add ようだ or state the basis for the inference.
Reading 〜たつもり as a plan
送ったつもり is not “intended to send.” The past verb flips it to “was under the impression I had sent it” — a belief about the past, not a plan for the future.
Also asked
Questions people ask about つもり, 予定 and ようと思う
Which is the strongest commitment?
つもり for personal resolve — it says you have made up your mind. 予定 is firmer as an arrangement but says nothing about how you feel about it.
Does 予定 mean other people are involved?
Not necessarily. 明日は勉強する予定です is perfectly natural about your own day. What it points at is the schedule rather than the resolve behind it.
What's the difference between と思う and と思っている?
と思う can express a decision now or an intention under consideration. と思っている often presents an ongoing intention and can report another person’s stated plan.
What does つもりだった mean?
つもりだった means “had intended to.” A following けど often indicates that the plan changed; the past form alone does not prove failure.
つもりはない or ないつもりだ?
〜つもりはない is the strong one — I have no intention of it at all. 〜ないつもりだ is milder: I intend not to. The position of the negative is the whole difference. 〜つもりない is the casual reduction of the first. 〜つもりじゃない is a different negative — it is ではない, denying a characterisation rather than an intention: そんなつもりじゃなかった, I didn't mean it like that.
How do I say a plan politely at work?
〜する予定です is the safe register — it reports the schedule and keeps your own will out of it. つもりです to a superior can sound like you have decided without asking.
References
Sources and usage notes
Japan Foundation: つもり（1） — Explains intention, planned action, and overlap between つもり, 予定, and ようと思う.
