rule; regulation; provision; decision
Refers to established rules, laws, or decisions that govern behavior or procedures. Often used in formal or institutional contexts.
We carry out the procedure in accordance with the provisions of the law.
Please act in accordance with the company's rules.
This regulation will come into effect next month.
Refers to an inevitable outcome or predetermined course of events, often with a poetic or philosophical nuance. Can imply a sense of resignation or acceptance.
No one can escape their destiny.
He accepted his fate.
It is every person's fate to die someday.
They live abiding by the village's rules.
He has lived accepting his own fate.
規則 is the plain, standard word for 'rule' or 'regulation', while 定め is more formal and carries a sense of tradition or fixed authority.
宿命 stresses an inescapable, predetermined fate one is born with, whereas 定め has a softer, more poetic tone and can also refer to a rule.
掟 refers to a customary or community rule (often unwritten), while 定め can refer to any established rule, written or fated.
Standard kanji spelling; used for both 'rule' and 'fate' senses.
The noun form of the verb 定める (sadameru, 'to decide, establish'). The kanji 定 carries the meaning of 'determine, fix, settle'.