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You use this phrase whenever you start something new. It works for big life changes or small habits. You simply place the object mokuhyō before the verb tateru. In casual speech, you might say mokuhyō tateta? to ask a friend if they've set their goals yet. In a work setting, you would use the polite form tatemasu. It is a very stable 'set' of words. They almost always go together like peanut butter and jelly.

New Year’s Day is the ultimate time for this phrase. Everyone in Japan is busy mokuhyō o tateru for the coming year. Use it when you start a new job. Use it when you join a gym. Use it when you start learning Japanese! It is perfect for meetings where you define the next quarter's targets. It feels proactive and organized. Even texting a friend about a diet counts.

Don't use this for tiny, everyday tasks. You don't 'set a goal' to buy milk at the store. That is just a yotei (plan) or a memo. Also, avoid using it for vague dreams that have no plan. If you just want to be rich but have no steps, it's a yume (dream), not a mokuhyō. Using it for something trivial might make you sound a bit too intense. Imagine someone 'setting a goal' to nap for twenty minutes—it's a bit much!

Japanese culture places a high value on the process of planning. There is a famous tradition involving Daruma dolls. When you mokuhyō o tateru, you paint one eye of the doll. You only paint the second eye once you achieve it. This phrase captures that spirit of visual commitment. It’s about making your intentions visible and upright. It reflects the societal respect for diligence and clear direction.

You will often hear keikaku o tateru, which means to make a plan. While mokuhyō is the target, keikaku is the map to get there. Another common one is mokuhyō o kimeru (to decide on a goal). This is similar but feels a bit more like making a choice between options. Tateru sounds more like you are building something from scratch. Both are great, but tateru is the classic collocation.