確定 vs 決定 vs 完了 vs 済み: Japanese Confirmed, Decided, Completed, Done, Finalized, and Status Words in Apps, Forms, and Business

You just completed an online booking on a Japanese travel site. Three different screens appear in sequence: 予約決定（よやくけってい）, then 予約確定（よやくかくてい）, then 登録完了（とうろくかんりょう）. Are these all saying the same thing? Not quite — and misreading them can mean the difference between thinking your reservation is secure and realizing it never actually went through.

Japanese apps, booking platforms, business workflows, and government forms use a precise set of status vocabulary. The four core words — 決定（けってい）, 確定（かくてい）, 完了（かんりょう）, and 済み（ずみ）— each describe a different stage or type of completion. They are not interchangeable, and mixing them up in writing or conversation marks you as someone still learning the system.

This guide breaks down each word, compares them head-to-head, and walks you through the status vocabulary you will actually encounter on Japanese screens every day.

Quick Answer: 確定 vs 決定 vs 完了 vs 済み

Here is the short version before we go deeper.

決定 means a decision has been made

決定（けってい）focuses on the act of deciding. A choice has been made — a direction, a policy, a schedule. The decision exists, but the details may not yet be fully locked in. Think of it as “it has been decided.”

確定 means confirmed or finalized

確定（かくてい）means the information is now fixed and will not change. Where 決定 is about making a choice, 確定 is about locking in the specifics so that everyone — including external parties — can rely on them. A booking is 確定 when the hotel has your reservation locked in the system. An order is 確定 when it cannot be edited.

完了 means completed (process finished)

完了（かんりょう）describes the event of finishing a process or task. You see it as a screen title or message: 登録完了（registration completed）, 支払い完了（payment completed）, 送信完了（submission completed）. It announces that something just finished.

済み means already done (status label)

済み（ずみ）is attached to a noun as a suffix meaning already done. It is not an event announcement — it is a state label. 支払い済み（payment already made）, 確認済み（already confirmed）, 対応済み（already handled）. You see this on task trackers, order status pages, and work logs.

Why English speakers mix these up

In English, we often use “confirmed,” “done,” “completed,” and “finalized” loosely and interchangeably. Japanese makes a sharper distinction between the process of deciding (決定), the locking in of specifics (確定), the moment of finishing (完了), and the resulting done-state (済み). Recognizing these distinctions makes Japanese apps and forms much easier to navigate.

Yuka

So 完了 is the screen that pops up saying “done!” and 済み is the little tag next to a task that says “already done”?

Rei

Exactly right. 完了 is an announcement of an event — something just finished. 済み is a label on a record that shows its current state. They answer different questions: 完了 says “this process ended,” 済み says “this item has already been dealt with.”

What Does 決定 Mean?

決定 as decision or resolved outcome

決定（けってい）comes from 決（き）める — to decide — plus 定（さだ）める — to fix or establish. Together they convey that something has been decided and set. But in practice, 決定 emphasizes the decision-making side more than the “locked in forever” side. It is the moment when a choice is made official internally — by a company, a committee, a team leader, or a government body.

You will see 決定 frequently in business announcements, official notices, and internal documents. It does not necessarily mean the external world has been notified, and it does not mean the fine details are all confirmed — that is where 確定 takes over.

日程を決定する / 決定事項

One of the most common uses is 日程を決定する（にっていをけっていする） — to decide on a schedule or date. This often appears in meeting notes, project plans, and business emails. The schedule has been decided, but confirmation to external parties (確定) may come separately.

決定事項（けっていじこう） means “decided matters” or “items already resolved.” In meeting minutes, this section lists everything the group officially decided. Using 決定 here signals finality at the internal level.

人事決定 / 方針を決定する

人事決定（じんじけってい） refers to personnel decisions — promotions, transfers, hiring, or appointments. Companies make 人事決定 internally before announcing them. Similarly, 方針を決定する（ほうしんをけっていする） means “to decide on a policy or direction” and is typical of executive-level communications.

Common example sentences

Example 1:
会議でプロジェクトの日程が決定しました。
Kaigi de purojekuto no nittei ga kettei shimashita.
The project schedule was decided at the meeting.

Example 2:
新しいサービスの方針が決定した。
Atarashii saabisu no houshin ga kettei shita.
The policy for the new service has been decided.

Example 3:
以下は今回の会議における決定事項です。
Ika wa konkai no kaigi ni okeru kettei jikou desu.
The following are the items decided at today’s meeting.

Example 4:
人事異動が決定しましたのでお知らせします。
Jinji idou ga kettei shimashita no de oshirase shimasu.
We are informing you that the personnel transfer has been decided.

What Does 確定 Mean?

確定 as confirmed or finalized

確定（かくてい）carries a stronger sense of external, irreversible finality than 決定. Where 決定 is an internal choice, 確定 means the details are locked in and communicated — to the customer, to the system, to the other party in a contract. Once something is 確定, it cannot or should not be changed without a formal process.

This is why e-commerce and booking platforms use 確定 at the critical step where the order or reservation becomes binding. The system has recorded your request, the details are fixed, and both you and the provider are committed.

予約が確定する / 注文確定

予約が確定する（よやくがかくていする） — “the booking is confirmed” — is the phrase you see after completing a hotel or restaurant reservation online. Until you see this, your booking may still be in a pending state. 注文確定（ちゅうもんかくてい） appears on e-commerce checkout screens to signal that your order is locked in and sent to the seller.

Some platforms also use 確定スケジュール（かくていスケジュール） — a finalized schedule — as opposed to an 予定（よてい） (tentative plan) or 決定日程（けっていにってい） (decided schedule that may not yet be fully confirmed externally).

確定申告（かくていしんこく）— tax filing

One of the most widely known uses of 確定 is 確定申告（かくていしんこく） — Japan’s annual income tax return filing. The name literally means “finalized declaration.” Filing your 確定申告 means you are submitting your finalized income figures to the tax authority. The word 確定 here reflects the idea that you are locking in your reported numbers officially.

Even if you never file taxes in Japan, knowing this term helps you understand financial news, conversations with Japanese colleagues, and the tax-season stress that grips Japan every February and March.

Common example sentences

Example 1:
ご予約が確定しました。確認メールをお送りします。
Go-yoyaku ga kakutei shimashita. Kakunin meeru o oshirase shimasu.
Your reservation has been confirmed. We will send you a confirmation email.

Example 2:
注文確定後はキャンセルできません。
Chuumon kakutei go wa kyanseru dekimasen.
After the order is finalized, cancellations are not possible.

Example 3:
確定申告の締め切りは3月15日です。
Kakutei shinkoku no shimekiri wa sangatsu juugonichi desu.
The deadline for the tax return filing is March 15th.

Example 4:
スケジュールが確定次第、ご連絡いたします。
Sukejuuru ga kakutei shidai, go-renraku itashimasu.
We will contact you as soon as the schedule is finalized.

What Does 完了 Mean?

完了 as completion (the finishing event)

完了（かんりょう）means that a process has reached its end point. It is an event word — it describes the moment or the fact that something finished. The key nuance is that 完了 focuses on the process side: a multi-step task (registration, payment, download, upload) has now gone through all its steps and reached the end.

This is why 完了 is the go-to word for the success screens that appear after you submit a form, pay for something, or finish a setup process. It tells you: the system processed everything and it is done.

登録完了 / 支払い完了 / 送信完了

These are three of the most common 完了 compound words you will encounter:

• 登録完了（とうろくかんりょう） — Registration completed. Appears after you finish creating an account on an app, website, or service.
• 支払い完了（しはらいかんりょう） — Payment completed. Appears after a successful checkout or transfer.
• 送信完了（そうしんかんりょう） — Submission/sending completed. Appears after a form is submitted or a message is sent.

You may also encounter ダウンロード完了 (download completed), インストール完了 (installation completed), 設定完了（せっていかんりょう） (setup completed), and アップロード完了 (upload completed). The pattern is always the same: noun + 完了 = that process has finished.

完了画面 / 完了しました

完了画面（かんりょうがめん） — the “completion screen” — is the dedicated success page that appears after a multi-step process finishes. Knowing this term helps you understand UX writing in Japanese apps and websites. When Japanese developers talk about the 完了画面, they mean the final confirmation page.

完了しました（かんりょうしました） is the polite past-tense statement: “(Process) has been completed.” You see this as a message on-screen or in a notification. It is the app’s equivalent of “All done!”

Common example sentences

Example 1:
会員登録が完了しました。ようこそ！
Kaiin touroku ga kanryou shimashita. Youkoso!
Member registration is complete. Welcome!

Example 2:
お支払いが完了しました。ご利用ありがとうございます。
Oshiharai ga kanryou shimashita. Goriyou arigatou gozaimasu.
Your payment has been completed. Thank you for using our service.

Example 3:
フォームの送信が完了しました。担当者よりご連絡します。
Foomu no soushin ga kanryou shimashita. Tantousha yori go-renraku shimasu.
Your form has been submitted successfully. Our representative will contact you.

Example 4:
タスクが完了したら、次のステップへ進んでください。
Tasuku ga kanryou shitara, tsugi no suteppu e susunde kudasai.
Once the task is completed, please proceed to the next step.

Yuka

I see 完了 everywhere on apps. But then later in my order history it shows 済み instead of 完了. Why the switch?

Rei

Great observation. 完了 is what the app shows you at the moment the process ends — it is a live announcement. 済み is what gets stamped on the record afterward to show its ongoing state. The 完了 screen is temporary; 済み is the permanent label in the data.

What Does 済み Mean?

済み as “already done” status label

済み（ずみ）comes from the verb 済む（すむ）— to be finished, to be settled. Used as a suffix after a noun, it creates a compound meaning “already [noun]-ed.” The critical distinction from 完了 is grammatical and functional: 済み is a noun suffix that labels a state, not a verb or event announcement.

Think of 済み as the equivalent of a rubber stamp on a document — “PAID,” “REVIEWED,” “HANDLED.” It marks the record to show that the relevant action has already been performed. It is static information about status, not a description of something happening now.

支払い済み / 登録済み / 対応済み

The most common 済み compounds in everyday Japanese life:

• 支払い済み（しはらいずみ） — Payment already made. Used on invoices, order histories, and receipts to show the item has been paid for.
• 登録済み（とうろくずみ） — Already registered. Appears when you try to sign up with an email that already has an account, or as a status tag on a registered record.
• 対応済み（たいおうずみ） — Already handled / dealt with. Used heavily in customer support systems, bug trackers, and task management apps to mark tickets that have been resolved.

確認済み / キャンセル済み / 送付済み

More 済み compounds across different contexts:

• 確認済み（かくにんずみ） — Already confirmed / checked. Used when a person or system has reviewed something and marked it as verified. Common in approval workflows and document checklists.
• キャンセル済み — Already cancelled. The status label on a booking or order that has been cancelled.
• 送付済み（そうふずみ） — Already sent. Used in internal records to show that documents, invoices, or goods have been dispatched.
• 承認済み（しょうにんずみ） — Already approved. Common in expense reports, leave requests, and contract workflows.
• 確定済み（かくていずみ） — Already confirmed/finalized. A 済み label applied to something that has gone through the 確定 process — now a permanent done-state record.

Status label examples (app screens, task lists)

In a typical Japanese project management or customer support app, you might see status columns like this:

Note that 完了 can also appear as a status label in some systems — but it still carries its original nuance of a process having reached its endpoint, rather than the “already done” labeling feel of 済み.

Pairwise Comparisons

決定 vs 確定 — internal decision vs locked-in confirmation

The cleanest way to remember this pair: 決定 is for the decision-maker; 確定 is for everyone involved.

When a company decides internally which venue to use for a conference, that is 決定. When they send out the invitations with the date, time, and address that will not change, that is 確定. 決定 can happen before 確定 — you decide first, then lock in and communicate the confirmed details.

完了 vs 済み — finishing event vs done-state label

完了 is a verb/event; 済み is a noun suffix/label. They are grammatically different, and that difference drives when you use each one.

You say 支払いが完了しました (the payment has been completed) at the moment of finishing. Later, the order record shows 支払い済み (payment status: done). The 完了 announcement is temporary — it appears once and disappears. The 済み label is permanent on the record.

確定 vs 完了 — finalizing details vs completing a process

確定 and 完了 are also easy to confuse because both appear on important screens. The distinction is what type of “finishing” is involved.

確定 means the information or commitment is locked in — it is about certainty and irreversibility of a decision or detail. 完了 means a process or task has reached its endpoint — it is about the full execution of steps being done. An order is 確定 the moment the customer commits to it; the order process (picking, packing, shipping, delivering) reaches 完了 when the last step finishes.

Status word flow: 入力中 → 送信完了 → 登録済み → 対応済み

These four words often appear in sequence across a workflow. Here is how they chain together in a real scenario — submitting a support request on a Japanese website:

1. 入力中（にゅうりょくちゅう） — You are filling in the form. The system is in an in-progress state.
2. 送信完了（そうしんかんりょう） — You click Submit. The screen changes to show the submission has completed.
3. 登録済み（とうろくずみ） — Your ticket is now in the system as a registered, existing record with “already filed” status.
4. 対応済み（たいおうずみ） — The support team has dealt with your issue. The ticket is now marked as resolved.

Status Words in Apps, Forms, and E-commerce

入力中 / 下書き保存 — in-progress states

Before any completion happens, Japanese systems use in-progress status vocabulary:

• 入力中（にゅうりょくちゅう） — Currently being entered/filled in. You see this on multi-step forms where the system tracks your progress. 中（ちゅう）is a suffix meaning “in the middle of.”
• 下書き保存（したがきほぞん） — Draft saved. Common on email clients, blog editors, and form systems where your work-in-progress is saved but not submitted.
• 処理中（しょりちゅう） — Currently processing. Appears while a payment, upload, or backend action is running.
• 確認中（かくにんちゅう） — Under review. The system or a human is checking something before it can proceed.

送信完了 / 登録完了 — completion events

These are the 完了 screens you encounter most often:

• 送信完了 — Your form, message, or data has been sent. Common on contact forms, application forms, and messaging apps.
• 登録完了 — Account or record registration is complete. The system has processed your sign-up and everything is in place.
• 支払い完了 — Payment is complete. The charge has gone through.
• 予約完了（よやくかんりょう） — Booking is complete. Sometimes used interchangeably with 予約確定, though strictly 完了 focuses more on the process finishing and 確定 on the details being locked in.

確定済み / 登録済み / 承認待ち — status labels

On order history pages, dashboards, and admin panels, you will typically see status labels rather than event announcements:

• 確定済み — Finalized (the 確定 step has been completed and the record is in that state).
• 登録済み — Already registered in the system.
• 承認待ち（しょうにんまち） — Awaiting approval. This is an important intermediate state in many Japanese workflows — the item exists but has not yet been approved by the next person in the chain.
• 発送済み（はっそうずみ） — Already shipped. Common in e-commerce order tracking.
• 受取済み（うけとりずみ） — Already received. Used when the recipient has confirmed delivery.

キャンセル済み / 返品済み — cancelled/returned status

The 済み suffix is not limited to positive outcomes — it also labels completed negative actions:

• キャンセル済み — Already cancelled. The cancellation process has been completed; the booking or order no longer exists.
• 返品済み（へんぴんずみ） — Already returned. The product has been sent back and the return has been processed.
• 解約済み（かいやくずみ） — Already terminated / contract already cancelled. Used for subscriptions or services that have been formally ended.
• 退会済み（たいかいずみ） — Already withdrawn from membership. Your account has been deleted or you have left the service.

Common Mistakes English Speakers Make

Thinking 確定 means the whole process is complete

When an e-commerce site shows 注文確定, English speakers sometimes think the order has been fully processed and shipped. It has not. 確定 means the order details are locked in — the commitment has been made. The actual execution (packing, shipping, delivering) still lies ahead. To describe a fully executed process, use 完了 or check for 済み status labels on each step.

Using 完了 as a status label (should be 済み)

A common learner error is writing 支払い完了 as a status tag on an invoice or record, when the natural choice is 支払い済み. 完了 sounds like an announcement (“payment just completed!”), not a permanent label. If you are stamping a document or labeling a row in a database to show that payment was made, use 支払い済み.

Confusing 決定 and 確定

In casual Japanese, 決定 and 確定 are sometimes used loosely, but in business writing the distinction matters. Saying 予約が決定した instead of 予約が確定した might make the listener wonder if there are still unconfirmed details, because 決定 suggests an internal choice rather than a finalized, externally-committed booking. In professional contexts, use 確定 when the commitment is binding for all parties.

Missing 確認済み vs 確認完了 distinction

Both 確認済み and 確認完了 relate to something being checked or confirmed, but they differ in nuance. 確認済み is the label you put on a record: “this has been checked.” 確認完了 is the event announcement: “the checking process is now done.” You might see 確認完了 on the screen that appears after a two-factor authentication check, and 確認済み as the tag on a verified document. Using 確認完了 as a static label sounds slightly awkward in writing.

Confusing 完了 and 終了

終了（しゅうりょう） also means “ended” or “finished,” but it tends to describe events or periods coming to a close rather than processes or tasks being accomplished. A concert 終了, a business hours period 終了, a service being discontinued — these are 終了. A registration process, a payment step, a file upload — these are 完了. Using 終了 for task completion sounds slightly odd, as if the task simply stopped rather than being successfully accomplished.

Decision Rule: Which Status Word Should You Use?

Use this flowchart to pick the right word:

Are you describing a decision being made?
 YES ─► Is it an internal choice / direction being set?
           YES ─► 決定（けってい）
         Is it a commitment locked in for all parties (booking, order, contract)?
           YES ─► 確定（かくてい）

Are you describing a process finishing?
 YES ─► Are you announcing that it just finished (screen message, notification)?
           YES ─► 完了（かんりょう）
         Are you labeling a record to show it has already been done?
           YES ─► 済み（ずみ）suffix

Are you describing an event or period coming to an end (concert, service, hours)?
 YES ─► 終了（しゅうりょう）

Summary comparison table:

Quick Quiz

Test yourself. Choose the correct word for each blank.

1. After submitting your contact form, the screen shows: フォームの送信が______しました。
a) 決定　　b) 完了　　c) 済み　　d) 確定
Answer: b) 完了 — this is an event announcement that the submission process just finished.

2. On your order history page, next to a paid order, the label reads: 支払い______
a) 完了　　b) 確定　　c) 済み　　d) 決定
Answer: c) 済み — this is a status label on a record, not an event announcement.

3. A hotel sends you a confirmation email saying: ご予約が______されました。
a) 完了　　b) 決定　　c) 終了　　d) 確定
Answer: d) 確定 — the booking details are now locked in and communicated to both parties.

4. In a meeting, the manager announces: 新しいプロジェクトの方針が______しました。
a) 確定　　b) 完了　　c) 決定　　d) 済み
Answer: c) 決定 — an internal direction/policy has been decided.

5. A customer service ticket in your task tracker shows: 対応______
a) 完了　　b) 済み　　c) 確定　　d) 決定
Answer: b) 済み — 対応済み is the standard label for a resolved support ticket.

6. Japan’s annual income tax return is called: ______申告
a) 完了　　b) 決定　　c) 確定　　d) 済み
Answer: c) 確定 — 確定申告 is the official term for the finalized tax return filing.

If you got 5 or 6 right, you have a solid grasp of Japanese status vocabulary. If you missed a few, re-read the pairwise comparison section above and pay attention to these words next time you use a Japanese app or website.

If you found this guide useful, we would love to hear about it in the comments below. Which of these words do you find most confusing? Let us know — your question might help other learners too.

Keep Learning

Want to get faster at reading Japanese business and e-commerce vocabulary? A structured approach with a tutor can make a real difference. italki connects you with Japanese teachers for one-on-one lessons — perfect for practicing real-world vocabulary in context.

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