Two Verbs for One Event
English uses the same verb whether a door opens by itself or somebody opens it. Japanese uses two:
้ใ is a ่ชๅ่ฉ, an intransitive verb: its subject, marked with ใ, is the thing that changes. ้ใใ is a ไปๅ่ฉ, a transitive verb: its subject acts on an object marked with ใ. The two verbs share a root and differ only in the ending, and Japanese has hundreds of such pairs. Learning them as pairs, together with their particles, is one of the best investments an intermediate learner can make.
Why the Choice Matters
The intransitive verb presents the change itself, with no doer in view; the transitive verb presents somebody causing it.
Japanese often prefers the intransitive verb when the doer is unimportant or when the speaker would rather not point at anyone. Announcements say ้ป่ปใๆญขใพใใพใใ (the train has stopped) and ไผ่ญฐใๅงใพใใพใ (the meeting will begin). After an accident, ใณใใใๅฒใใ (the glass broke) reports what happened, while ใณใใใๅฒใฃใ (I broke the glass) admits responsibility.
The most common learner error is mixing the two halves of a pair: ใใขใ้ใ and ้ปๆฐใๆถใใ are wrong, because ้ใ and ๆถใใ cannot take an object. Keep the particle attached to the verb when you memorize it: ใใขใ้ใ, ใใขใ้ใใ.
Patterns in the Endings
The pairs are not random. Most follow one of a few patterns, and once you know the patterns you can often guess the partner of a verb you meet for the first time.
Three rules of thumb fall out of the table:
- An ending in ใ (ๆถใ, ๅขใใ, ๅใใ, ่ฝใจใ) is almost always transitive. The ใ is the same causative idea found in ใใใ.
- An ending in ใใ (้ใพใ, ้ใพใ) is almost always intransitive.
- An ending in ใใ can go either way. ้ใใ is transitive, but ๅฒใใ and ๅฃฒใใ are intransitive. This is the one pattern you cannot guess: learn each pair.
One Form, Both Uses
A few common verbs work both ways without changing shape:
- ้ใ โ ใใขใ้ใ (the door opens) / ๆฌใ้ใ (to open a book)
- ้ใใ โ ็ฎใ้ใใ (the eyes close) / ็ฎใ้ใใ (to close one's eyes)
- ๅนใ โ ้ขจใๅนใ (the wind blows) / ็ฌใๅนใ (to blow a whistle)
- ๅขใ โ ๆฐดใๅขใ (the water rises) / ้ๅบฆใๅขใ (to increase speed)
Verbs Without a Partner
Not every verb has a pair. ้ฃในใ, ่ชญใ, ๆธใ, and ่ฒทใ are transitive only; ่กใ, ๆฅใ, ๆณณใ, ๆญปใฌ, ๅฒใ, and ๆณฃใ are intransitive only. To make someone do these things, Japanese uses the causative form instead of a separate verb: ๅญไพใซ้่ใ้ฃในใใใ (to make a child eat vegetables), ๅฆนใๆณฃใใใ (to make my sister cry).
Watch out for ใ after an intransitive verb of movement. In ้ใๆญฉใ (to walk along the road), ๅ ฌๅใ่ตฐใ (to run through the park), and ๅฎถใๅบใ (to leave the house), ใ marks the route or the point of departure, not an object being acted on. ๆญฉใ and ่ตฐใ stay intransitive.
Which State Are You Describing?
The pair also decides what ใใฆใใ means. With an intransitive verb of change, ใใฆใใ describes the resulting state; with a transitive verb, it describes an action in progress; and a transitive verb with ใใฆใใ describes a state that someone created on purpose.
- ใใขใ้ใใฆใใ โ The door is open.
- ใใขใ้ใใฆใใ โ (Someone) is opening the door, or keeps it open.
- ใใขใ้ใใฆใใ โ The door has been left open (by someone, for a reason).
The helper verbs behind these forms are explained in The Te-Form Helper Verbs.
Tips for Learners
- Learn verbs in pairs, with their particles. ใใขใ้ใ๏ผใใขใ้ใใ is one item of vocabulary, not two.
- Use the endings as hints. ใ means transitive; ใใ means intransitive; ใใ means look it up.
- Prefer the intransitive verb when nobody needs to be blamed or credited. ้ปๆฐใๆถใใ is what you say when the lights go out; ้ปๆฐใๆถใใ is what you say when you turned them off.
- Listen to announcements and shop staff. Trains, stores, and offices use intransitive verbs constantly (้ใใชใใใขใ้ใพใใพใ โ the doors are about to close), and they are a good model for natural usage.
- Check the dictionary entry. Every verb entry in this dictionary states whether it is transitive or intransitive and names its partner.