Japanese Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Transitive Verbs (他動詞) in Japanese

Transitive verbs transfer their action to an object�.

In Japanese a transitive verb (他動詞) always takes a direct object marked by を�.

For example:

わたしはドアをあけます。 – I open the door. (Here ドア is the direct object and あけます is acting on it.)

Another example:

ほんをよみます。 – I read a book. (यसमा ほん (किताब) प्रत्यक्ष वस्तु हो र よみます ले यसलाई पढ्छ।)

Verb pairs (他動詞⇄自動詞): Many Japanese verbs come in transitive–intransitive pairs that share meaning.

For instance, あける (to open something) vs あく (to open by itself)�, or しめる (to close something) vs しまる (to close by itself)�.

Another example is おとす (drop something) vs おちる (fall)�. Notice the endings often differ (e.g. ～める ↔ ～まる).

These pairs must be memorized, since there is no one-to-one rule for converting forms��.

Examples:

わたしはドアをあけます。 — I open the door. (यो वाक्यमा ドア (ढोका) प्रत्यक्ष वस्तु हो र あけます ले त्यसलाई खोल्छ।)

ほんをよみます。 — I read a book. (यहाँ ほん (किताब) प्रत्यक्ष वस्तु हो र よみます ले यसलाई पढ्छ।)

さかなをたべます。 — I eat (fish). (यो वाक्यमा さかな (माछा) प्रत्यक्ष वस्तु हो र たべます ले माछा खाने क्रिया दर्शाउँछ।)

Tips & Tricks:

Look for を: If you see を before the verb, it’s a transitive verb�.

(Example: ケーキをたべます – I eat cake.)

Mnemonic: “Transitive transfers to something else.”

In Japanese, 他動詞 literally means “other-acting verb” (他 = “other”)�, i.e. it acts on something else.

Memorize common verb pairs: Many transitive verbs end in ～える with their intransitive counterparts in ～う

(e.g. しめる↔しまる�). Learning these pairs helps avoid confusion.

Use “what” questions: Try asking “何を…？” (“what [verb]?”).

If the sentence makes sense with を, the verb is transitive (doing something to an object)�.

Intransitive Verbs (自動詞) in Japanese

Intransitive verbs describe actions or changes that occur on their own; they do not take a direct object�.

In Japanese, an intransitive verb (自動詞) indicates the subject is doing something by itself.

The subject is usually marked by が (or は) instead of を.

For example: ドアがあきます。 – The door opens. (यस वाक्यमा ドア 主語 हो र あきます ले कुनै वस्तुमा क्रिया गरेको छैन; ढोका आफैँ खुल्छ।)

Intransitives often describe states or natural processes (e.g. さく “bloom,” しまる “become closed,” わく “come to a boil”).

Verb pairs (自動詞⇄他動詞): Intransitive forms pair with transitive verbs (as above).

For instance あく (to open by itself) vs あける�, and しまる (to close by itself) vs しめる�. To convert, note how the verb endings differ.

For example, ドアがあきます vs ドアをあけます. (Remember: 自動詞 means “self-acting verb” (自 = “self”)�.)

Examples:

ドアがあきます。 — The door opens. (यहाँ ドア (ढोका) 主語 हो र あきます ले ढोका आफैँ खुल्न दर्शाउँछ।)

ほんがおちます。 — The book falls. (यहाँ ほん (पुस्तक) 主語 हो र おちます ले पुस्तक आफैँ झर्छ भन्ने जनाउँछ।)

こどもがないています。 — A child is crying. (यहाँ こども 主語 हो र ないています ले बच्चा आफैँ रोइरहेको छ देखाउँछ।)

Tips & Tricks:

Markers: Intransitives do not use を. If the verb is followed by が or no particle, it’s likely intransitive� (e.g. 学校にいきます – no direct object).

Word roots: Many intransitive verbs end in ～る or ～く. For example, しまる, おちる, はしる.

Meaning of terms: 自動詞 “self-moving verb”�, reminding us the action happens by the subject itself.

The “what” question: Ask 「何を～しましたか？」. If it makes no sense, the verb is probably intransitive (since there’s no object)�.