Transitive & Intransitive Verbs

Vocabulary

1. 開ける 【あ・ける】 (ru-verb) – to open (something) [transitive]
2. 開く 【あ・く】 (u-verb) – to open (by itself) [intransitive]
3. 落とす 【お・とす】 (u-verb) – to drop [transitive]
4. 落ちる 【お・ちる】 (ru-verb) – to fall [intransitive]
5. 出す 【だ・す】 (u-verb) – to take out [transitive]
6. 出る 【で・る】 (ru-verb) – to come out [intransitive]
7. 入れる 【い・れる】 (ru-verb) – to put in [transitive]
8. 入る 【はい・る】 (u-verb) – to enter [intransitive]
9. 壊す 【こわ・す】 (u-verb) – to break (something) [transitive]
10. 壊れる 【こわ・れる】 (ru-verb) – to be broken [intransitive]
11. ドア – door

In Japanese, verbs often come in pairs: one transitive and one intransitive.

Transitive

Requires an active agent and a direct object (marked by を).

• 開ける - to open something
• 落とす - to drop

Examples

ドアを開ける。 - I open the door.
本を落とした。 - I dropped the book.
水を出す。 - I turn on the water.

Intransitive

The action happens without a direct object. The subject (marked by が) undergoes the change.

• 開く - to open (by itself)
• 落ちる - to fall

Examples

ドアが開く。 - The door opens.
本が落ちた。 - The book fell.
水が出る。 - Water comes out.

Common Pairs

Transitive	Meaning	Intransitive	Meaning
開ける	to open	開く	to open (by itself)
落とす	to drop	落ちる	to fall
出す	to take out	出る	to come out
入れる	to put in	入る	to enter
壊す	to break	壊れる	to be broken
消す	to turn off	消える	to disappear