# Need advice and insight on distinguishing transitive and intransitive verbs **URL:** \ **Category:** Kanji\ **Created:** [March 23, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330 "2022-03-23T15:55:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KuroNeko1313](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/kuroneko1313/32/473231_2.png) [@KuroNeko1313](https://community.wanikani.com/u/KuroNeko1313)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 3:55pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/1 "2022-03-23T15:55:43Z")
Having some difficulties identifying which is transitive and which is intransitive verb. For example, 止める means to stop something (transitive), while 止まる means to stop (intransitive) Are there any ways to remember which is which besides pure memorization? Answers are much appreciated. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![kuchikopi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/kuchikopi/32/412786_2.png) [@kuchikopi](https://community.wanikani.com/u/kuchikopi)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/2 "2022-03-23T15:57:42Z")
[![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/2/1/2/2123465419bb9aad2f1fdbfc9192e3e6267d6112.jpeg "Lesson 15: Transitivity- the 3 facts that make it easy. Transitive/intransitive verbs unlocked") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELk1dqaEmyk) I had a few aha moments watching this… ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/3 "2022-03-23T16:03:32Z")
> [@Do you have a technique to remember transitive vs intransitive verbs?](https://community.wanikani.com/t/do-you-have-a-technique-to-remember-transitive-vs-intransitive-verbs/51536/2): > > There are two pretty consistent rules for transitive/intransitive verb pairs, one of which should help you here. When one verb rhymes with ある and the other verb rhymes with える, the verb rhyming with ある is intransitive and the verb rhyming with える is transitive. When one verb rhymes with える and the other verb ends in す, the verb rhyming with える is intransitive and the verb ending in す is transitive. With your specific example, rule 1 applies. So 集まる is intransitive and 集める is transitive. ---
**Author:** ![Gorbit99](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/gorbit99/32/7307_2.png) [@Gorbit99](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Gorbit99)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 4:25pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/4 "2022-03-23T16:25:28Z")
With すspecifically I remembered it by saying that those move すmthing else. Even the ある える one has exceptions, and there are ones that fit neither pattern. I mostly don’t bother and skip if I’m really not in the mood for them and I hope that actual exposure will help me, as it did with rise and raise ---
**Author:** ![VisitsFromTheIsnt](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/visitsfromtheisnt/32/672173_2.png) [@VisitsFromTheIsnt](https://community.wanikani.com/u/VisitsFromTheIsnt)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/5 "2022-03-23T16:35:37Z")
The way I learned transitive/intransitive in general is like this: is the verb acting up an object, or talking about moving in some direction? 食べる is transitive because you have to eat an object, but 入る、 なる、 these are intransitive because you are entering or becoming _towards_ something. That might not be helpful in your case though. ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 4:39pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/6 "2022-03-23T16:39:11Z")
> [@Gorbit99](#): > > Even the ある える one has exceptions Such as? ---
**Author:** ![Thud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/thud/32/2539_2.png) [@Thud](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Thud)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/7 "2022-03-23T16:40:43Z")
Best to see them in a sentence. In isolation you can miss the point. ---
**Author:** ![Gorbit99](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/gorbit99/32/7307_2.png) [@Gorbit99](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Gorbit99)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/8 "2022-03-23T16:53:14Z")
Not sure about the exact words, just had an article list some exceptions to these rules. ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 5:27pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/9 "2022-03-23T17:27:53Z")
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a _verb **pair** _ where one is ～ある and one is ～える that doesn’t follow this rule. There are verbs ending in ～ある that are transitive, but that doesn’t break the rule unless it’s part of a pair. ---
**Author:** ![Gorbit99](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/gorbit99/32/7307_2.png) [@Gorbit99](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Gorbit99)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 5:29pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/10 "2022-03-23T17:29:13Z")
I might completely be wrong here tbh, way out of my depth here, I just seem to remember it this way. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/6/2/a/62a8b0f4c59ff2c5b6651ffcf43531480b3e5297.png) [@system](https://community.wanikani.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/need-advice-and-insight-on-distinguishing-transitive-and-intransitive-verbs/56330/11 "2023-03-23T17:29:45Z")
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