Notes about Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

Japanese Language
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The え sound is actually a poor indicator, unless you know its verb pair.

When paired with a verb that rhymes with ある, the verb that rhymes with える is transitive.
For example:
始める (はじめる) is transitive
始まる (はじまる) is intransitive

When paired with a verb that ends in す, the verb that rhymes with える is intransitive.
For example:
返す (かえす) is transitive
返る (かえる) is intransitive

So really す and ~ある are the indicators.

If you’re curious by the way, jisho.org has a ton of filters you can use. For example, intransitive verbs ending in える.

5 Likes
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I don’t apply it unless I already know the pair and it actually works, so its more for reinforcing what I already know. I wouldn’t just use it randomly in the wild.

I’ll take a look and see if there’s a better way though.

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Apologies for the reply. When I first read what you wrote it came off as a little bit aggressive, but that’s written communication for you. No harm done, and tbh I did get that part wrong.

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