How to say "arrange" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • 整えるととのえるJLPT N1approx.Common
    ichidan verb, transitive verbThis covers the physical sense of 'arrange': putting objects, a room, or your hair into neat order, or tidying things up. Choose it whenever arranging means ordering concrete things.
    私の姉あねは毎週まいしゅう、髪かみを整ととのえてもらう。↗
    My sister has her hair done each week.
  • 生けるいけるJLPT N1approx.Common
    ichidan verb, transitive verbRestricted to arranging flowers — it is the verb of Japanese flower arrangement — and to planting. It never works for arranging meetings, objects, or plans.
    彼女かのじょは花はなを生いけるのが好すきです。↗
    She likes to arrange flowers.
  • 仕組むしくむCommon
    godan verb, transitive verbArranges in the sense of devising or setting something up in advance, often with a nuance of scheming or plotting. Use it for plans or schemes someone has engineered, not for ordering physical things.
    そのゲームでは初はじめから彼女かのじょに不利ふりになるように仕組しくまれていたことが後あとになってわかった。↗
    It turned out that the cards were stacked against her from the beginning of the game.
  • 決めるきめるJLPT N4approx.Common
    ichidan verb, transitive verbReally means 'to decide' or 'to choose'; it corresponds to 'arrange' only when arranging amounts to settling something, such as fixing a time or date. It is not for physically ordering things.
    そこに行いくことに決きめた。↗
    I made up my mind to go there.
  • 申し合わせるもうしあわせるCommon
    ichidan verb, transitive verbArranges by mutual agreement: two or more parties agreeing on or prearranging something together. Use it when the arrangement is a joint understanding, not something one person does alone.
    We agreed to refrain from smoking while we are at work.

For physical order use 「整える」, for flowers only 「生ける」, for engineered schemes 「仕組む」, when arranging means deciding use 「決める」, and for arrangements made by mutual agreement use 「申し合わせる」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents
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JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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