modality N1 uncommon written
〜ものとする — shall ~ / it is stipulated that ~
〜ものとする ・ ものとする
Builds on もの
Meaning
- shall ~ / it is stipulated/established that ~ — lays down a rule, treating something as fixed by decree
The legalistic ものとする declares that something is *established as the rule* — the language of contracts, regulations, and bylaws. 支払いは月末までに行うものとする ('payment shall be made by the end of the month'). It doesn't describe how things are; it *stipulates* how they are to be treated, with the force of 'it is hereby determined that ~'.
Key sentence
本契約は日本の法律に従うものとする。
This contract shall be governed by the laws of Japan.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain), often passive/potential; Noun + である | V(plain) + ものとする | 負担する → 負担するものとする |
When: Contracts, statutes, regulations, formal rules. Sets a binding stipulation, not a description or a wish.
Examples
会員は年会費を納めるものとする。
Members shall pay the annual membership fee.
欠席の場合は、事前に届け出るものとする。
In the event of absence, prior notification shall be submitted.
Easily confused with
〜ものとして ものとする *establishes* a rule ('X shall be the case'); the て-form ものとして *proceeds on the supposition* of something ('treating X as the case') — stipulate vs assume-for-the-sake-of. 〜べきだ べきだ is the speaker's moral 'should ~'; ものとする is an impersonal, binding stipulation in a rule or contract — 'it is hereby determined that ~', no personal judgment.
Notes
- Closely related to こととする ('it is decided that ~'); ものとする leans toward fixed rules and conventions, こととする toward a decision just reached.
See 〜ものとする in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ものとする the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.