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Study Resource: List of 100 pairs of transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese

By: Sayumi Suzuki

In Japanese, many verbs come in pairs, with a transitive version and an intransitive version. The transitive version is used when the action is done to something, while the intransitive one is used when something happens or changes by itself.

Below we've listed more than 100 examples of common transitive/intransitive verb pairs in Japanese, along with their meanings. Words are listed in the Japanese alphabetical order. To learn more about the common patterns in these verb pairs or their grammatical differences, check out our post on transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese!

TransitiveIntransitive
開ける
Transcription: akeru

to open (something)

開く
Transcription: aku

(something) opens

上げる
Transcription: ageru

to raise (something)

上がる
Transcription: agaru

(something) rises

温める
Transcription: atatameru

to warm up (something)

温まる
Transcription: atatamaru

(something) warms up

当てる
Transcription: ateru

to hit (something)

当たる
Transcription: ataru

(something) hits

集める
Transcription: atsumeru

to collect (something)

集まる
Transcription: atsumaru

(something) gathers

入れる
Transcription: ireru

to put in (something)

入る
Transcription: hairu

(someone) goes in / enters

植える
Transcription: ueru

to plant (something)

植わる
Transcription: uwaru

(something) is planted

受ける
Transcription: ukeru

to take / receive (something)

受かる
Transcription: ukaru

(someone) passes (e.g. a test)

動かす
Transcription: ugokasu

to move (something)

動く
Transcription: ugoku

(something) moves

移す
Transcription: utsusu

to transport (something)

移る
Transcription: utsuru

(something) moves

生む
Transcription: umu

to produce (something)

生まれる
Transcription: umareru

(someone) is born

埋める
Transcription: umeru

to bury (something)

埋まる
Transcription: umaru

(something) to be buried

売る
Transcription: uru

to sell (something)

売れる
Transcription: ureru

(something) sells

終える・終わる
Transcription: oeru/owaru

to end (something)

終わる
Transcription: owaru

(something) ends

起こす
Transcription: okosu

to wake (someone) up

起きる
Transcription: okiru

(someone) wakes up

落とす
Transcription: otosu

to drop (something)

落ちる
Transcription: ochiru

(something) drops

折る
Transcription: oru

to fold (something)

折れる
Transcription: oreru

(something) folds

降ろす
Transcription: orosu

to take (something) off a vehicle

降りる
Transcription: oriru

(someone) gets off

返す・帰す
Transcription: kaesu

to return (something); to send (someone) home

返る・帰る
Transcription: kaeru

(someone) returns

変える
Transcription: kaeru

to change (something)

変わる
Transcription: kawaru

(something) changes

隠す
Transcription: kakusu

to hide (something)

隠れる
Transcription: kakureru

(something) hides

掛ける
Transcription: kakeru

to hang (something)

掛かる
Transcription: kakaru

(something) hangs

重ねる
Transcription: kasaneru

to pile (something)

重なる
Transcription: kasanaru

(something) piles

傾ける
Transcription: katamukeru

to tilt (something)

傾く
Transcription: katamuku

(something) tilts

枯らす
Transcription: karasu

to kill (plants)

枯れる
Transcription: kareru

(plants) dies

乾かす
Transcription: kawakasu

to dry (something)

乾く
Transcription: kawaku

(something) dries

聞く
Transcription: kiku

to listen (to something)

聞こえる
Transcription: kikoeru

(something) is audible

決める
Transcription: kimeru

to decide (something)

決まる
Transcription: kimaru

(something) is decided

切る
Transcription: kiru

to cut (something)

切れる
Transcription: kireru

(something) is cut

砕く
Transcription: kudaku

to crush (something)

砕ける
Transcription: kudakeru

(something) is crushed

加える
Transcription: kuwaeru

to add (something)

加わる
Transcription: kuwawaru

(something) is added

消す
Transcription: kesu

to delete (something)

消える
Transcription: kieru

(something) disappears

焦がす
Transcription: kogasu

to burn (something)

焦げる
Transcription: kogeru

(something) burns

こぼす
Transcription: kobosu

to spill (something)

こぼれる
Transcription: koboreru

(something) spills

転がす
Transcription: korogasu

to spin (something)

転がる
Transcription: korogaru

(something) spins

壊す
Transcription: kowasu

to break (something)

壊れる
Transcription: kowareru

(something) breaks

下げる
Transcription: sageru

to lower (something)

下がる
Transcription: sagaru

(something) lowers

刺す
Transcription: sasu

to sting (something)

刺さる
Transcription: sasaru

(something) stings

冷ます・醒ます
Transcription: samasu

to chill (something)

冷める・醒める
Transcription: sameru

(something) chills / gets cold

静める
Transcription: shizumeru

to calm (something)

静まる
Transcription: shizumaru

(something) calms

沈める
Transcription: shizumeru

to sink (something)

沈む
Transcription: sizumu

(something) sinks

閉める
Transcription: shimeru

to close (something)

閉まる
Transcription: shimaru

(something) closes

過ごす
Transcription: sugosu

to spend (time)

過ぎる
Transcription: sugiru

(time) passes

進める
Transcription: susumeru

to advance (something)

進む
Transcription: susumu

(something) advances

育てる
Transcription: sodateru

to grow (something)

育つ
Transcription: sodatsu

(something) grows

染める
Transcription: someru

to dye (something)

染まる
Transcription: somaru

(something) changes color via dye

倒す
Transcription: taosu

to pull down (something)

倒れる
Transcription: taoreru

(something) falls

助ける
Transcription: tasukeru

to save (someone)

助かる
Transcription: tasukaru

(someone) is saved

出す
Transcription: dasu

to take out (something)

出る
Transcription: deru

(something) comes out

立てる
Transcription: tateru

to stand (something) up

立つ
Transcription: tatsu

(something) stands (up)

溜める・貯める
Transcription: tameru

to accumulate (something); to save (money)

溜まる・貯まる
Transcription: tamaru

(something) accumulates

縮める
Transcription: chijimeru

to shrink (something)

縮む
Transcription: chijimu

(something) shrinks

捕まえる
Transcription: tsukamaeru

to catch (something)

捕まる
Transcription: tsukamaru

(something) is caught

付ける
Transcription: tsukeru

to attach (something)

付く
Transcription: tsuku

(something) attaches

漬ける
Transcription: tsukeru

to soak (something)

漬かる
Transcription: tsukaru

(something) soaks

繋げる
Transcription: tsunageru

to connect (something)

繋がる
Transcription: tsunagaru

(something) connects

潰す
Transcription: tsubusu

to crush (something)

潰れる
Transcription: tsubureru

(something) becomes crushed

詰める
Transcription: tsumeru

to stuff (something)

詰まる
Transcription: tsumaru

(something) becomes stuffed

強める
Transcription: tsuyomeru

to escalate (something)

強まる
Transcription: tsuyomaru

(something) escalates

通す
Transcription: tōsu

to pass (something)

通る
Transcription: tōru

(something) passes by

溶かす
Transcription: tokasu

to melt (something)

溶ける
Transcription: tokeru

(something) melts

閉ざす
Transcription: tozasu

to close (something)

閉じる
Transcription: tojiru

(something) closes

届ける
Transcription: todokeru

to deliver (something)

届く
Transcription: todoku

(something) gets delivered

飛ばす
Transcription: tobasu

to fly (something)

飛ぶ
Transcription: tobu

(something) flies

止める
Transcription: tomeru

to stop (something)

止まる
Transcription: tomaru

(something) stops

取る
Transcription: toru

to take (something)

取れる
Transcription: toreru

(something) comes off

直す・治す
Transcription: naosu

to fix/to cure (something)

直る・治る
Transcription: naoru

(something) fixes/cures

失くす
Transcription: nakusu

to lose (something)

なくなる
Transcription: nakunaru

(something) goes missing

鳴らす
Transcription: narasu

to ring (something)

鳴る
Transcription: naru

(something) rings / chimes

並べる
Transcription: naraberu

to line up (something)

並ぶ
Transcription: narabu

(something) lines up

逃がす
Transcription: nigasu

to let (something) go

逃げる
Transcription: nigeru

(something) escapes

抜く
Transcription: nuku

to pull (something) out

抜ける
Transcription: nukeru

(something) falls out

残す
Transcription: nokosu

to leave (something)

残る
Transcription: nokoru

(something) remains

乗せる
Transcription: noseru

to put (something) aboard

乗る
Transcription: noru

(someone) boards

伸ばす
Transcription: nobasu

to extend (something)

伸びる
Transcription: nobiru

(something) extends

始める
Transcription: hajimeru

to begin (something)

始まる
Transcription: hajimaru

(something) begins

挟む
Transcription: hasamu

to sandwich (something)

挟まる
Transcription: hasamaru

(something) is stuck

離す
Transcription: hanasu

to separate (something)

離れる
Transcription: hanareru

(something) separates

生やす
Transcription: hayasu

to grow (something)

生える
Transcription: haeru

(something) grows

冷やす
Transcription: hiyasu

to chill (something)

冷える
Transcription: hieru

(something) gets cool

増やす
Transcription: fuyasu

to increase (something)

増える
Transcription: fueru

(something) increases

減らす
Transcription: herasu

to decrease (something)

減る
Transcription: heru

(something) decreases

曲げる
Transcription: mageru

to bend (something)

曲がる
Transcription: magaru

(something) bends

混ぜる
Transcription: mazeru

to mix (something)

混ざる
Transcription: mazaru

(something) mixes

回す
Transcription: mawasu

to spin (something)

回る
Transcription: mawaru

(something) spins

見つける
Transcription: mitsukeru

to find (something)

見つかる
Transcription: mitsukaru

(something) gets found

見る
Transcription: miru

to see (something); to watch (something)

見える
Transcription: mieru

(something) is/becomes visible

向ける
Transcription: mukeru

to face (something)

向く
Transcription: muku

(something) faces

戻す
Transcription: modosu

to return (something)

戻る
Transcription: modoru

(something) returns

燃やす
Transcription: moyasu

to set (something) on fire

燃える
Transcription: moeru

(something) combusts

焼く
Transcription: yaku

to burn (something); to bake (something)

焼ける
Transcription: yakeru

(something) burns; (something) bakes

破る
Transcription: yaburu

to rip (something)

破れる
Transcription: yabureru

(something) rips

止める
Transcription: yameru

to stop (something)

止む
Transcription: yamu

(something) stops

揺らす
Transcription: yurasu

to swing (something)

揺れる
Transcription: yureru

(something) swings

汚す
Transcription: yogosu

to dirty (something)

汚れる
Transcription: yogoreru

(something) gets dirty

寄せる
Transcription: yoseru

to approach (something)

寄る
Transcription: yoru

(something) approaches

分ける
Transcription: wakeru

to divide (something)

分かれる
Transcription: wakareru

(something) divides

沸かす
Transcription: wakasu

to boil (water)

沸く
Transcription: waku

(water) boils

渡す
Transcription: watasu

to pass (something)

渡る
Transcription: wataru

(something) passes

割る
Transcription: waru

to crack (something)

割れる
Transcription: wareru

(something) cracks