N4 · Verbs
Transitive and intransitive pairs
pairs like あける and あく
Many verbs come in pairs: one for doing something to a thing, one for the thing happening by itself.
English often uses one verb for both: "I opened the door" and "the door opened". Japanese usually has two related verbs. The transitive one takes an object with を and somebody doing it: ドアを開ける. The intransitive one has the thing itself as its subject, with が, and nobody in view: ドアが開く. The two share a kanji and a root and differ in the ending — which is what the colours in the table show.
The endings fall into a few families. 始める / 始まる and 閉める / 閉まる set -eru against -aru; 開ける / 開く set -eru against -u; 壊す / 壊れる and 落とす / 落ちる have the transitive in -su. Notice that -eru turns up on both sides — transitive in 開ける, intransitive in 壊れる — so no ending alone tells you which is which. Each pair is learned as a pair.
Japanese tends to describe events with the intransitive verb, even when the speaker had a hand in them. 皿が割れました "the plate broke" is the ordinary way to report a breakage, where English would often say "I broke a plate". Choosing the transitive, 皿を割りました, puts the doer in focus — right for an admission, heavier than needed for a plain report.
The pairs matter again with ている and てある. 窓が開いている "the window is open" uses the intransitive; 窓が開けてある "the window has been left open, on purpose" uses the transitive. The mistake to watch for is mixing the halves: を with the intransitive verb, or が with the transitive one in an ordinary sentence.
The form
stem (regular) stem (irregular) ending
| open (something) | ドアを開ける |
| open (by itself) | ドアが開く |
| close (something) | カーテンを閉める |
| close (by itself) | カーテンが閉まる |
| start (something) | パーティーを始める |
| start (by itself) | パーティーが始まる |
| switch on | エアコンをつける |
| come on | エアコンがつく |
| switch off | テレビを消す |
| go off | テレビが消える |
| break (something) | カメラを壊す |
| break (by itself) | カメラが壊れる |
| drop | コップを落とす |
| fall | コップが落ちる |
| put in | ボールを入れる |
| go in | ボールが入る |
| make clean (irregular する) | きれいにする |
| become clean | きれいになる |
The rules one by one
The transitive verb takes an object with を; the intransitive takes the thing itself with が.
兄が窓を開けました。窓が開きました。My brother opened the window. The window opened.
The two verbs of a pair share a kanji and differ in their ending.
授業を始めます。授業が始まります。I will start the lesson. The lesson is starting.
The ending -eru appears on both sides, so each pair is learned as a pair.
電気をつけました。時計が壊れました。I turned on the light. The clock broke.
To report what happened, Japanese often prefers the intransitive verb.
すみません、コップが割れてしまいました。I'm sorry — a glass has got broken.
With ている, the intransitive verb describes the resulting state.
電気がついています。The light is on.
A closer look
Why Japanese reports what happened
English reaches for the person: "I lost my key", "somebody left the light on". Japanese is comfortable with the event on its own: 鍵がなくなった "my key has gone", 電気がついている "the light is on". The intransitive half of a pair is what makes this possible, and it is used far more than an English speaker expects.
This is a habit of description, not a way of hiding guilt. When responsibility is the point, Japanese names it without difficulty — 私が壊しました "I broke it" is a clear admission. But an ordinary report of what has changed, at work or at home, is usually told from the side of the thing that changed.
Exceptions and special cases (2)
-
the verb has no partner — 読む, 食べる, 歩く and most others
it is simply transitive or intransitive, and to describe the event without a doer you use the passive or a different verb.
この本は多くの人に読まれています。This book is read by many people.
Pairs exist mainly for changes of state — opening, breaking, starting, falling. Actions that are not about a thing changing have no reason to come in twos.
-
the verb is 開く
it is both transitive and intransitive: 本を開く "open a book", 花が開く "a flower opens".
来月、会議を開きます。We will hold a meeting next month.
A handful of verbs never split into a pair and do both jobs, the way most English verbs do. They are the exception, and a good dictionary marks them.
How to spot it
- 〜を〜ける
- 〜が〜く
- 〜める
- 〜まる
- 〜す
- 〜える
- 〜れる
- 〜ている
Example sentences
店は10時に開きます。The shop opens at ten.
店員が10時に店を開けます。The staff open the shop at ten.
風でドアが閉まりました。The door blew shut.
寝る前に電気を消してください。Please turn off the light before you go to bed.
急に電気が消えました。The lights suddenly went out.
棚から本が落ちました。A book fell off the shelf.
8 more example sentences
会議は何時に始まりますか。What time does the meeting start?
妹が私のカメラを壊しました。My younger sister broke my camera.
財布を落としてしまいました。I have lost my wallet.
お風呂にお湯を入れてください。Please run the bath.
冷蔵庫にビールが入っています。There is beer in the fridge.
部屋がきれいになりました。The room is clean now.
窓が閉まっていますね。開けましょうか。The window is shut. Shall I open it?
ガスの火を消すのを忘れないでください。Please do not forget to turn off the gas.
Worth knowing (1)
-
One kanji, two readings
Some pairs share a kanji but not a reading: 消す and 消える, 入れる and 入る, 出す and 出る. The kana after the kanji decide the reading, which is why they are not decoration: れる tells you to read the kanji i, る on its own tells you to read it hai.
部屋に入って、かばんに本を入れました。I went into the room and put the book in my bag.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English "open" is both verbs, so learners pick one of the two Japanese verbs and give it the other's particle. 開く cannot take an object: if somebody opens the door, it is ドアを開ける; if the door opens, it is ドアが開く. The particle and the verb have to agree.
を with the verb that does it, が with the verb that happens — and every pair learned as a pair.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.