Open or open up: transitive and intransitive verbs
N を 開ける（transitive）／N が 開く（intransitive）
Transitive + を: someone does the action (窓を 開ける). Intransitive + が: the thing happens (窓が 開く). 〜て いる on an intransitive describes the resulting state.
In short
Many Japanese verbs come in pairs: one says someone does the action (窓を 開ける: I open the window), the other that the thing happens (窓が 開く: the window opens). The first, transitive, takes を; the second, intransitive, takes が. English often uses the same verb for both (“I open the door” / “the door opens”); Japanese switches verbs.
- すみません、窓を 開けても いいですか。すみません、まどを あけても いいですか。Excuse me, may I open the window?
- 風で ドアが 開きました。かぜで ドアが あきました。The door blew open in the wind.
- 寝る 前に 電気を 消して ください。ねる まえに でんきを けして ください。Turn off the light before you go to sleep.
- 会議は 九時に 始まります。かいぎは くじに はじまります。The meeting starts at 9.
The basics
A transitive verb describes an action someone does to something: open the door, turn off the light. The object takes を. An intransitive verb describes what happens to the thing itself: the door opens, the light goes off. The thing becomes the subject, with が.
English often gets by with one verb for both (open / open) or a phrasal verb (turn off / go off). In Japanese, they're two different verbs that look alike.
The door blew open in the wind.
- noun
- verb
- ドアを 開けました。ドアを あけました。I opened the door. (I did it)
- ドアが 開きました。ドアが あきました。The door opened. (it happened)
Pairs to know
Here are the most common pairs. There's no absolute rule, but a few tendencies help: verbs ending in 〜す are almost always transitive (出す, 消す, こわす, 落とす), and when a pair contrasts 〜える with 〜る (or 〜う), the 〜える form is often the transitive one (開ける / 開く).
| Transitive (を) | Intransitive (が) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 開ける | 開く | open (sth) / open |
| 閉める | 閉まる | close (sth) / close |
| つける | つく | turn on / come on |
| 消す | きえる | turn off / go off |
| 入れる | 入る | put in / go in |
| 出す | 出る | take out / go out |
| 始める | 始まる | start (sth) / start |
| 止める | 止まる | stop (sth) / stop |
| 起こす | 起きる | wake (sb) up / wake up |
| こわす | こわれる | break (sth) / break |
| 落とす | 落ちる | drop / fall |
- 母は 毎朝 六時に 私を 起こします。ははは まいあさ ろくじに わたしを おこします。My mother wakes me up at 6 every morning.
- 私は 毎朝 六時に 起きます。わたしは まいあさ ろくじに おきます。I wake up at 6 every morning.
Will or event: the nuance that matters
Choosing the intransitive presents things as an event, with no one to blame. Japanese speakers use it a lot, including to avoid pointing at someone. But the reverse is true too: if you broke something, saying こわしました admits it was you. Saying こわれました means “it broke”.
So for a breakdown that isn't your fault, you say こわれた, never こわした.
- すみません、コップを 割って しまいました。すみません、コップを わって しまいました。Sorry, I've broken a glass. (I own up)
- きのうから パソコンが こわれて いる。きのうから パソコンが こわれて いる。My computer has been broken since yesterday.
〜て いる on an intransitive: a state
With an action verb like 食べる, 〜て いる says you're in the middle of doing it. With an intransitive verb of change (開く, つく, こわれる, 止まる), 〜て いる describes the state that results from the change: 窓が 開いて いる means “the window is open”, not “the window is opening”.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 窓が 開いて いる | the window is open (state) |
| 電気が ついて いる | the light is on |
| 車が 止まって いる | a car is parked / stopped |
| さいふが 落ちて いる | there's a wallet on the ground |
- あ、さいふが 落ちて いますよ。あ、さいふが おちて いますよ。Oh, there's a wallet on the ground.
Common mistakes
- Saying “ドアを 開く” for “I open the door”: the deliberate action is ドアを 開ける.
- Saying こわしました for a breakdown that isn't your fault: it's こわれました.
- Mixing up the two 〜て いる: 食べて いる (in the middle of), but 窓が 開いて いる (state: open).
- Using を with an intransitive: “電気を きえる” is wrong; it's 電気が きえる or 電気を 消す.
8 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N4 point is on the Yotsubashi Line (Shopping) of the Osaka subway.