In Japanese, as in English, a transitive verb is a that takes a , while an intransitive verb does not. This means transitive verbs describe actions that you do to something, while intransitive verbs are just things that you do.
I slept. John is crying. We won’t leave. | I caught a fish. John is bringing a casserole. We won’t say anything. |
In Japanese, many verbs come in transitivity pairs, meaning that they have a transitive version and an intransitive version that are very similar, but not identical. For example:
| (something) opens (something) |
| (something) breaks (something) |
In this post, we’ll go over how to use transitive vs. intransitive verbs in Japanese sentences, then we’ll talk a bit about the transitive verbs themselves and how you can tell whether a verb is transitive or intransitive. Finally, we’ll talk a bit about how to choose between using the transitive or intransitive versions of verbs that come in pairs. Ready to have a look? Let’s dive in!
How to use transitive vs. intransitive verbs in a sentence?
In Japanese, a transitive verb is always used with a , while an intransitive verb does not take a direct object. Compare the two sentences below.
Intransitive → no object台所の電気がついた。
Daidokoro no denki ga tsuita.
The light in the kitchen turned on.
Transitive → direct object父が台所の電気をつけた。
Chichi ga daidokoro no denki o tsuketa.
My father turned on the light in the kitchen.
Both transitive verbs and intransitive verbs will have a , but only transitive verbs will take a direct object.
When to use が [ga] vs. を [o]?
You may have noticed, in the examples above, that the subject and object of the sentence are marked by different particles:
が[ga] follows the subject of the sentence.
→ が is called the “subject marker.”
を[o] follows the direct object of the sentence.
→ を is called the “direct object marker.”
Can you see how this works in the two sentences below?
subject
台所の電気がついた。
Daidokoro no denki ga tsuita.
The light in the kitchen turned on.
subjectdirect object
父が台所の電気をつけた。
Chichi ga daidokoro no denki o tsuketa.
My father turned on the light in the kitchen.
Even though “the light in the kitchen” undergoes a change-of-state in each sentence, in one sentence it is the subject while in the other it’s the object. This is why it’s marked with different particles depending on whether the verb is transitive or intransitive.
Because the subject and object in Japanese are marked by different particles, the word order is quite a bit more flexible than in English. You can put the object first or the subject — regardless of what order you use が[ga] and を[o] will make sure the meaning remains clear!
You might sometimes see を[o] used alongside an intransitive verb of motion like 行く[iku](to go), 出る[deru](to go out), 飛ぶ[tobu](to fly), and 走る[hashiru](to run). However, the を[o] used with verbs like these is not the direct object marker. Instead it marks the starting point of movement or sometimes a location you’re traveling through, rather than the direct object.
starting point of movement
お風呂を出て、こっちに来てください。
Ofuro o dete, kocchi ni kitekudasai.
Get out of the bathroom, and come here, please.
starting point of movement
鳥が空を飛ぶ。
Tori ga sora o tobu.
Check out our point on the particle に[ni] to learn more about when to use を[o] this way!
What are transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese?
In Japanese, transitive verbs are those verbs that are used with a direct object while intransitive verbs are those that are not. In this section we’ll look more closely at what that means for the verbs themselves.
In Japanese, as in English, some verbs are always transitive, some verbs are always intransitive, and a few can be both, depending on the context. Here are some examples of each:
Always transitive | ✅ 私は本を読むのが好きです。 Watashi wa hon o yomu no ga suki desu. | ❌ 私は読むのが好きです。 Watashi wa yomu no ga suki desu. |
|---|
Always intransitive | ❌ 父が台所の電気をついた。 Chichi ga daidokoro no denki o tsuita. The light in the kitchen turned on. | ✅ 台所の電気がついた。 Daidokoro no denki ga tsuita. The light in the kitchen turned on. |
|---|
Both | ✅ 妹が扉を開いた。 Imōto ga tobira o hiraita. My little sister opened the door. | |
|---|
Check out this longer list of transitive and intransitive verbs belonging to each of the categories above!
What are transitivity pairs in Japanese?
In Japanese, transitive verbs often have a “sister verb,” with a very similar meaning, pronunciation, and spelling that is intransitive. These pairs of verbs are called transitivity pairs. Here are some common examples.
Want to see more? Check out this list of 100 Japanese transitivity pairs!
As you might have noticed in the list above, the members of a transitivity pair usually use the same kanji and reading.
In some pairs though, the kanji are the same, but they’re read a little differently.
English has some transitivity pairs too, for example “rise” (intransitive) vs. “raise” (transitive). More often though, there’s no difference between the transitive and intransitive versions of English verbs:
“The door opened.” vs. “I opened the door.”
“I woke up.” vs. “I woke Steve up.”
When you’re learning Japanese, it’s important to remember which Japanese verbs are part of a transitivity pair and it’s important to pay attention to the sentence structure so that you can be sure you’re using the verbs correctly!
Transitive vs. intransitive endings
In Japanese, there are certain endings you can use to “spot” a transitive or intransitive verb. Though not all verbs will have one of these endings, it’s still helpful to be able to recognize them, since they can help you remember whether a verb is transitive or intransitive.
Some of these endings also come with a “partner.” These are combinations that you’re likely to see in transitivity pairs. Let’s have a look!
‘-aru’ and ‘-eru’
While there are exceptions, a verb that ends in -aru is usually intransitive.
If an intransitive verb ending in -aru is part of a transitivity pair, there’s about a 60% chance that the transitive “sister word” will end in -eru. For example:
to change → to change (something)
閉まる → 閉める
shimaru → shimeru
to close → to close (something)
However this is not a hard-and-fast rule, and there are many exceptions.
刺さる → 刺す
sasaru → sasu ( ❌saseru)
to sting (feeling) → to sting (something)
なくなる → なくす
nakunaru → nakusu ( ❌nakuneru)
to be lost → to lose (something)
‘-reru’ and ‘-su’
Most verbs that end in -reru are also intransitive.
If a verb ending in -reru is part of a transitivity pair, its transitive partner will usually end in -su.
壊れる → 壊す
kowareru → kowasu
to break → to break (something)
汚れる → 汚す
yogoreru → yogosu
to get dirty → to dirty (something)
However, just like we saw with -aru/-eru, you can’t rely on this rule 100% of the time!
生まれる → 生む
umareru → umu ( ❌umasu)
to be born → to give birth
揺れる → 揺らす
yureru → yurasu ( ❌yusu)
to swing → to swing (something)
The transitive ending ‘-su’
The vast majority of verbs that end in -su are transitive.
However, just knowing that a verb ends in -su really doesn’t help you predict the form of these verbs’ intransitive partners. The intransitive partners of -su verbs can take all sorts of different endings. For example:
to take (something) out → to go out
to return (something) → to come back
to wake (someone) up → to wake up
to delete (something) → to vanish
When to use a transitive vs. intransitive verb in Japanese?
In Japanese, you’ll typically use transitive verbs when the “doer” is the focus, and use intransitive verbs when the change-of-state is the focus. Let’s look at some examples of contexts where you might choose either the transitive or the intransitive.
Transitive: Focus on the “doer”
You are throwing a party later today, and the drinks are out on the counter. When you want to put them in the fridge, you would say,
✅ 飲み物を冷やすよ。
Nomimono o hiyasu yo.
❌ 飲み物が冷えるよ。
Nomimono ga hieru yo.
The drinks will be chilled.
You are talking about your action, and it requires a doer. You’ll naturally choose the transitive verb.
Intransitive: A natural phenomenon
When you are talking about a natural phenomenon or something that happens automatically, you would use the intransitive.
✅ 木からりんごが落ちた。
Ki kara ringo ga ochita.
An apple fell from the tree.
❌ 木からりんごを落とした。
Ki kara ringo o otoshita.
(Someone) dropped an apple from the tree.
In this case, you must use the intransitive version, because there really isn’t a doer.
Intransitive: “Doer” is unimportant
You and your friend are rushing to get into a room. When the door mysteriously opens up in front of you right before you get to it you’ll probably describe its change-of-state using an intransitive verb:
The door might have opened automatically, it might have blown open, or maybe there was even a person behind to open it for you. You’re not sure, and the important information is the fact it opened.
Intransitive: Avoiding naming the “doer”
A little boy has broken his toy by mistake. He may have been playing rough with the toy, but it really was an accident, and the main message he wants to convey is that his toy is now broken. He will generally use an intransitive verb:
✅ おもちゃが壊れた。
Omocha ga kowareta.
❌ 僕がおもちゃを壊した。
Boku ga omocha o kowashita.
Using a transitive verb is allowed, but it would make it sound like the action was intentional. Using an intransitive verb makes it sound more like what it was: an accident.
To sum up
In this post, we discussed the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese, and how to build sentences around each type of verb. Here are the important takeaways:
Transitive verbs take a subject and an object → が[ga] marks the subject (“doer”) and を[o] markes the object (“undergoer”).
Intransitive verbs take only a subject → が[ga] marks the subject, regardless of whether it is a “doer” or “undergoer."
Japanese verbs often come in transitivity pairs: two versions of the same verb, one transitive the other intransitive. It’s important to use the right version of the verb for the context!
Certain endings (-aru, -reru) are associated with intransitive verbs, while others (-su) are associated with transitive ones, but there are no hard-and-fast rules.
Ready to practice? Check out our transitive vs. intransitive verbs activities! Or, if you want to review some vocabulary check out our list of 100 Japanese transitivity pairs, or of common Japanese transitive and intransitive verbs. Happy learning!
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