Transitive and intransitive verbs are a key part of Japanese grammar—and one of the most common sources of confusion for learners. While English often uses the same verb for both ideas, Japanese usually distinguishes them with different verbs.
This guide explains the difference clearly, with examples and practical tips you can use right away.
Transitive Verbs（他動詞）
Transitive verbs describe actions that directly affect an object.
They usually take the particle を.
Key Idea
Someone does something to something else.
Examples
運転手はタクシーを止めました。
/untenshu wa takushii o tomemashita./
The driver stopped the taxi.
部屋の窓を閉めました。
/heya no mado o shimemashita./
I closed the window of my room.
オフィスの電気を消しました。
/ofisu no denki o keshimashita./
I turned off the lights in the office.
These sentences clearly show:
– Who performed the action
– What was affected by the action
Actions That Affect Other People
Transitive verbs are also used when an action directly influences another person.
ヤンさんに中国語の通訳を頼みました。
/yan-san ni chuugokugo no tsuuyaku o tanomimashita./
I asked Mr. Yang to do the interpretation of Chinese for me.
先生が生徒を叱りました。
/sensee ga seeto o shikarimashita./
The teacher reprimanded the student.
Intransitive Verbs（自動詞）
Intransitive verbs describe actions or states that do not directly affect an object.
They commonly pair with particles such as が, に, or へ.
Key Idea
Something happens or is in a certain state, without focusing on who caused it.
Changes That Happen (Result-Focused)
バス停にバスが止まりました。
/basutei ni basu ga tomarimashita./
The bus stopped at the bus stop.
風が強くてドアが勝手に閉まりました。
/kaze ga tsuyokute doa ga katte ni shimarimashita./
A strong wind blew, causing the door to close automatically.
人感センサーの電気が消えました。
/jinkan sensaa no denki ga kiemashita./
The motion-sensor light turned off.
The focus here is on what happened, not on who made it happen.
Natural Events and States
Intransitive verbs are commonly used for natural occurrences.
昨夜、大雨が降りました。
/sakuya, ooame ga furimashita./
It rained a lot last night.
去年ショートヘアにしましたが、髪がもう肩まで伸びました。
/kyonen shooto hea ni shimashita ga, kami ga moo kata made nobimashita./
Last year, I had my hair cut short, but it has already grown back to shoulder length.
雲が空に浮かんでいます。
/kumo ga sora ni ukande imasu./
The clouds are floating in the sky.
Actions Without an Object
Intransitive verbs also describe actions that don’t affect anything else.
上司が急に立ち上がりました。
/jooshi ga kyuu ni tachiagari mashita./
My boss suddenly stood up.
飛行機が東京上空を飛んでいます。
/hikooki ga tookyoo jookuu o tonde imasu./
An aeroplane is flying over Tokyo.
How to Tell the Difference: Helpful Tips
Verb Endings
- Verbs ending in -aru are often intransitive
- 止まる (to stop)
- Changing -aru to -eru often makes the verb transitive
- 止める (to stop something)
- Verbs ending in -reru are usually intransitive
- 壊れる (to break)
- Verbs ending in -su are almost always transitive
- 壊す (to break something)
Typical Particle Patterns
- Transitive verbs → を
- ドアを閉める (to close the door)
- ピザを食べる (to eat pizza)
- 日本語を話す (to speak Japanese)
- Intransitive verbs → が / に / へ
- ドアが閉まる (the door closes)
- ソファに座る (to sit on the sofa)
- 風船が空へ飛んでいった (the balloon flew into the sky)
Common Intransitive Verb Types
- Natural phenomena:
咲く (to bloom), 降る (to rain/snow), 光る (to shine) - Non-affecting actions:
座る (to sit), 立つ (to stand), 飛ぶ (to fly)
Final Note: Don’t Be Confused by Verb Endings…
入れる (to put in) may look like it ends in -reru, but it is actually a transitive verb with an -eru ending. It typically takes the particle を:
- 箱に本を入れる (to put a book into a box)
Summary
- Transitive verbs: focus on the action and its object
- Intransitive verbs: focus on the result, state, or occurrence
- Learning verb pairs and particle patterns is the fastest way to master them
I hope this explanation helped you better understand transitive and intransitive verbs!
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