Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs
paired verbs / を vs が
Pair up the verbs that come in transitive / intransitive flavours: an active agent doing something (transitive, marked by を) versus the same change happening on its own (intransitive, marked by が). Particle choice and verb choice always have to agree.
Paired verbs come in transitive and intransitive flavours
Many Japanese verbs travel in pairs. The transitive one describes an active agent doing something to an object — 「アリス が ドア を あける」 ("Alice opens the door"). The intransitive one describes the same change happening on its own — 「ドア が ひらく」 ("the door opens"). Same event, different framing.
Transitive takes を; intransitive takes が (or は)
The particle in front of the verb is the quickest test. A transitive verb almost always has a を-marked object: 「でんき を けす」. An intransitive verb cannot take を for its subject — it uses が or は: 「でんき が きえる」, never 「でんき を きえる」.
Common transitive / intransitive pairs
Pairs share a kanji or root and follow visible patterns. 「あける / ひらく」 (open). 「しめる / しまる」 (close). 「だす / でる」 (take out / come out). 「いれる / はいる」 (put in / enter). 「おとす / おちる」 (drop / fall). 「けす / きえる」 (extinguish / disappear). 「つける / つく」 (attach / be attached).
Motion verbs can take を for path or origin
Even some intransitive verbs allow を — but only to mark the path travelled or the place left, not a true direct object. 「へや を でる」 = "leave the room" (origin). 「みち を あるく」 = "walk along the road" (path). The verb is still intransitive; を here labels the location, not an acted-on object.
Don't mix transitivity with the wrong particle
「でんき を つく」 and 「ドア を ひらく」 are ungrammatical: 「つく」 and 「ひらく」 are intransitive, so their subject takes が/は. Either pick the transitive partner — 「でんき を つける」, 「ドア を あける」 — or swap the particle: 「でんき が つく」, 「ドア が ひらく」.
Vocabulary in this lesson
About transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese
Many Japanese verbs come in transitive / intransitive pairs that share a kanji but describe the situation differently. The transitive verb has an agent doing something to an object and takes を (「ドア を あける」 = "open the door"); the intransitive verb describes the same change happening on its own and takes が or は (「ドア が ひらく」 = "the door opens"). Choosing the wrong partner for your particle is a classic beginner mistake, so the particle in front of the verb is your quickest test. Recognising these pairs is important JLPT N5 grammar and sharpens your feel for how を and が really work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs in Japanese?
A transitive verb has someone actively doing something to an object (「ドア を あける」 = "open the door"). Its intransitive partner describes the same change happening by itself (「ドア が ひらく」 = "the door opens"), with no agent.
How can I tell which one to use?
Look at the particle. A transitive verb almost always has a を-marked object; an intransitive verb takes が (or は) on the thing that changes. So the particle in front of the verb is the fastest test of which partner you need.
What are some common transitive / intransitive pairs?
They share a kanji or root: 「あける / ひらく」 (open), 「しめる / しまる」 (close), 「だす / でる」 (take out / come out), 「つける / つく」 (turn on / come on), 「けす / きえる」 (turn off / go off). The transitive one is the one that takes を.
Can an intransitive verb ever take を?
Yes — some motion verbs use を to mark the path travelled or the place left, not a true object: 「こうえん を あるく」 ("walk through the park"). This is a special use, not the object-marking を of a transitive verb.
Why is 「でんき を つく」 wrong?
「つく」 is intransitive, so its subject takes が or は, not を. To say you turn on the light use the transitive partner: 「でんき を つける」. Matching verb and particle correctly is the whole point of the lesson.
Credit
These lessons follow the structure, sequence, and grammar-first approach of Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese. We are grateful to Tae Kim for making his guide freely available; the explanations here are our own retelling, and the interactive drills are original to this site.