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).

Japanese Transitive and Intransitive Verbs