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Study Resource: List of Japanese verbs by transitivity

By: Sayumi Suzuki

Japanese verbs that are exclusively transitive or exclusively intransitive

While many Japanese verbs have a transitive and an intransitive version, some verbs are only ever transitive or only ever intransitive. Here are some common ones:

Exclusively Transitive
飲む transcribed nomu

to drink

読む transcribed yomu

to read

書く transcribed kaku

to write

話す transcribed hanasu

to speak

忘れる transcribed wasureru

to forget

殴る transcribed naguru

to punch

褒める transcribed homeru

to praise

置く transcribed oku

to place

Exclusively Intransitive
行く transcribed iku

to go

泣く transcribed naku

to cry

泳ぐ transcribed oyogu

to swim

走る transcribed hashiru

to run

死ぬ transcribed shinu

to die

座る transcribed suwaru

to sit

Japanese verbs that are both transitive and intransitive

While many Japanese verbs have a transitive version and an intransitive version, in some cases the same form of the verb can be used as a transitive verb or as an intransitive verb, without any difference in form. Here are a few examples of verbs like this.

Transitive and Intransitive
開く transcribed hiraku

to open

閉じる transcribed tojiru

to close

触れる transcribed fureru

to touch

吹く transcribed fuku

to blow (on)