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Activities: "What’s the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese?"

By: Sayumi Suzuki

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These activities are part of our Japanese Grammar series. The skills we are practicing here are covered in our article:

Activity 1: Difficulty Level ★

Fill in the blanks with the matching transitive or intransitive pair. Please type only the Japanese text, not the transcription.

Transitive Verb	Intransitive Verb
開ける akeru to open (something)	(something) opens
to close (something)	閉まる shimaru (something) closes
to turn on (something)	つく tsuku (something) turns on
消す kesu to turn off (something)	(something) turns off
to take out (something)	出る deru (something/someone) goes out
入れる ireru to put (something) in	(something/someone) goes in
壊す kowasu to break (something)	(something) breaks
to start (something)	始まる hajimaru (something) starts
冷やす hiyasu to chill (something)	(something) chills
to wake (something/someone) up	起きる okiru (something/someone) wakes up

Activity 2: Difficulty Level: ★★

You are writing some texts to your roommate, Arisa. Choose the right Japanese verb in [brackets] to complete each message.

ありさ、おはよう！
Arisa, ohayō!
Good morning, Arisa!
昨日の夜、電気を [!つけて／!ついて]、ありさを [!起こして／!起きて] ごめんね😭🙏
Kinō no yoru, denki o [tsukete/tsuite], arisa o [okoshite/okite] gomen ne.
I’m sorry for waking you up by turning the light on last night.
自転車の鍵が [!なくなった／!なくした] から、探してたんだ！その後、よく寝られたかな？
Jitensha no kagi ga [nakunatta/nakushita] kara, sagashitetanda! Sono ato, yoku nerareta kana?
I lost my bike key and was looking for it. Did you sleep okay after that?
今日のありさのバイトは17時から [!始める／!始まる] んだっけ？
Kyō no arisa no baito wa jūshichi ji kara [hajimeru/hajimaru] ndakke?
Am I right to say that your part-time job starts at 17 o’clock today?
その前にちょっと会える？
Sono mae ni chotto aeru?
Can we see each other a little bit before that?
私のパソコンが [!壊した／!壊れた] みたいだから、（今は学校のパソコンを使って書いています！）返事は携帯にお願いします。
Watashi no pasokon ga [kowashita/kowareta] mitai dakara, (ima wa gakkō no pasokon o tsukatte kaiteimasu!) henji wa kētai ni onegai shimasu.
My computer seems to be broken, (I’m writing this with the school computer now!) so reply to my phone, please.

Activity 3: Difficulty Level: ★★★

Fill in the blanks with a particle and a verb, according to the English provided. Conjugate the verb appropriately, and use masu-form for sentence-ending.

中村さんがドア。
Nakamura san ga doa ___.
Ms. Nakamura opened the door.
The doer (Ms. Nakamura) opened the door, so use the transitive verb for “to open”, and use the direct object marker を[o]. Make sure you have the masu-form and past tense, 開けました[akemashita].
牛乳をこぼして、シャツしまいました。
Gyūnyū o koboshite, shatsu ___ shimaimashita.
I spilled milk and dirtied my shirt, to my regret.
The doer (I) spilled milk, so use the transitive verb for “to dirty”, and use the direct object marker を[o]. The grammatical pattern 〜しまう requires te-form of verbs in front, so you should have よごして(yogosite).
エレベーター前に、乗りましょう！
Erebētā ___ mae ni, norimashō!
Let’s get into the elevator before it closes!
The elevator door closes, which focuses on the change rather than the doer, so use intransitive. Use the particle が[ga] to mark the subject: エレベーター[erebētā].
毎朝八時にごみなくてはいけません。
Maiasa hachiji ni gomi ___ nakutewa ikemasen.
You have to take our garbage at 8 every morning.
“You” take out garbage. The doer is focused, and the transitive verb should be used. Don’t forget the direct object marker を[o] as well! The grammatical pattern 〜なくてはいけません requires nai-form (plain, negative from) minus ない[nai] of verbs in front, so you should have 出さ[dasa].
引っ越したので、住所。
Hikkoshita node, jūsho ___.
I moved, and my address has changed.
“My address has changed,” and the change is the focus. Use intransitive, and the particle が[ga] to mark the subject: 住所[jūsho].

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