JLPT N4ComparisonUpdated 2026-09-25

自動詞 vs 他動詞 jidōshi · tadōshi

自動詞 describe an event without a direct object; 他動詞 act on a direct object. ドアが開く means the door opens, while ドアを開ける means someone opens it. In these pairs が often marks the affected subject and を the affected object. That particle clue is useful, though を can also mark a path with an intransitive verb.

also written jidoushi / tadoushi / intransitive / transitive

自動詞 — it happens; nobody is blamed · 他動詞 — somebody does it to something · ドアが開く vs ドアを開ける

Sentences

6 sentences, word by word

自動詞 · it happened on its own

plain past

。

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ドア

ドア［1］

door

noun · loanword; 戸 is the native word

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が

marks what changed

particle · intransitive verbs take が for the thing affected

がN5with 自動詞

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開いた

あいた

opened

plain past of 開く · intransitive, no one is credited

開くN4自動詞 · it opens

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The door opened.

他動詞 · someone did it

plain past

。

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私

わたし［0］

pronoun · the agent, often dropped in real speech

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が

marks the subject

particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object

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ドア

ドア［1］

door

noun · the thing acted on

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を

marks what is acted on

particle · transitive verbs take を for the object

をN5with 他動詞

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開けた

あけた

opened

plain past of 開ける · transitive, there is a doer

開けるN4他動詞 · to open it

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I opened the door.

自動詞 · the neutral announcement

polite

。

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会議

かいぎ［1,3］

meeting

noun · a formal meeting

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が

marks the subject

particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object

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まもなく

shortly

adverb · slightly formal, common in announcements

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始まります

はじまります

will begin

polite 始まる · intransitive, so nobody is named as starting it

始まるN4自動詞 · it begins

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The meeting will begin shortly.

他動詞 · the chair takes responsibility

polite

、。

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それでは

right then; well then

conjunction · the formal transition into business

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会議

かいぎ［1,3］

meeting

noun · the same meeting, now with someone starting it

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を

marks the direct object

particle · pronounced お

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始めます

はじめます

will begin it

polite 始める · transitive, the speaker is doing the starting

始めるN4他動詞 · to begin it

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Right, let's begin the meeting.

自動詞 · nobody gets blamed

plain past

。

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コップ

コップ［0］

glass; cup

noun · from Dutch kop, a drinking glass

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が

marks the subject

particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object

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割れた

われた

broke

plain past of 割れる · intransitive, no culprit named

割れるN4自動詞 · it breaks

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The glass broke.

他動詞 · owning it

polite

、。

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すみません

sorry

expression · apology, and here a real admission follows

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コップ

コップ［0］

glass

noun · the object being acted on

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を

marks the direct object

particle · pronounced お

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割って

わって

broke and

て-form of 割る · transitive, the speaker did it

割るN4他動詞 · to break it

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しまいました

(regrettably)

polite てしまう · the regret that makes it an apology

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Sorry — I broke the glass.

Structure

The shapes these pairs come in

上がる / 下がる↔上げる / 下げる

The ある side is intransitive, the える side transitive. 決まる／決める, 始まる／始める, 集まる／集める all follow it.

出る / 壊れる↔出す / 壊す

The す side is transitive. 倒れる／倒す, 汚れる／汚す, 落ちる／落とす — the す is the reliable marker.

開く / 付く↔開ける / 付ける

開く(あく)／開ける, 付く／付ける, 続く／続ける. Note 開く also has a ひらく reading that behaves differently.

走る / 死ぬ·食べる / 読む

Plenty of verbs are only one or the other. The pairs are a large, learnable set — not a rule covering every verb.

Meaning

Why the choice matters beyond grammar

The particle tells you which verb you need. が goes with the intransitive, を with the transitive. If you are unsure which verb of a pair to use, work out the particle first and the verb follows.

The intransitive removes the person. コップが割れました — the glass broke. コップを割りました — I broke the glass. Japanese reaches for the first far more readily than English does, and not out of evasiveness: naming a culprit is treated as adding information nobody asked for.

This is why announcements sound agentless. 会議が始まります — the meeting is starting. Nobody started it; it simply begins. 会議を始めます is what the chair says, because they are the one doing it.

Some verbs look paired and are not. 開く read あく is intransitive and pairs with 開ける; read ひらく it can be either, and takes を happily. Check the reading before trusting the kanji.

The transitive plus ている ≠ the intransitive. 窓が開いている describes an open window. 窓を開けている means someone is in the act of opening it. For “someone opened it and left it open” you need 開けてある.

Watch out

Where transitive and intransitive go wrong

ドアが開けた

The particle and the verb have to agree. ドアが開いた or ドアを開けた — mixing が with the transitive verb produces a sentence in which the door opened something.

Using the transitive to avoid blame

It does the opposite. 壊しました names you as the one who broke it. If it genuinely broke on its own, 壊れました is not a dodge — it is accurate.

Assuming every verb has a partner

走る, 死ぬ, 読む and many others have no paired form. The pairs are a large set to learn, not a universal rule.

Also asked

Questions people ask about 自動詞 and 他動詞

Is there a rule for which ending is which?

Strong tendencies rather than a rule. A verb ending in す is almost always transitive; one ending in ある is almost always intransitive. The く／ける pairs run both ways: 開く／開ける and 付く／付ける put the transitive on the ける side, while 焼く／焼ける and 抜く／抜ける put the intransitive there. This shape has to be learned pair by pair.

How do I remember 開く vs 開ける?

Use the particle as the handle. を demands a doer, and the doer verb is 開ける. If you only have が, you want 開く.

Why does Japanese prefer the intransitive?

Because naming who did it adds a claim nobody asked for. 電気が消えている reports the state; 誰かが電気を消した starts an investigation.

What's the difference between 開いている and 開けてある?

開いている says the window is open. 開けてある says someone opened it deliberately and left it that way. The second implies intent and a person.

Does 開く always mean the same thing?

No — the reading matters. あく is intransitive. ひらく can be either and takes を readily: 本を開く.

Can a transitive verb ever take が?

The subject does as a matter of course — 私がドアを開けた. The object normally takes を, but three everyday constructions move it to が: the potential (日本語が話せる), the たい form (水が飲みたい), and てある (名前が書いてある). What does not happen is が on the object of a plain transitive clause.