Translation guide
The English word 'halt' can mean to stop moving, to stop an activity, or to cause something to stop. Japanese uses different words depending on what is stopping and the context.
The car halted.
Halt! (command)
To come to a stop from motion; to cease moving.
General intransitive verb for something stopping or coming to a halt. Used for people, vehicles, machines, etc.
Formal or technical term for halting, often used for machines, systems, or official orders.
The engine suddenly halted.
Specifically for a person halting while walking; to stop in one's tracks.
To cease doing something; to bring an ongoing action to an end.
Common transitive verb meaning to stop doing something. Used for voluntary actions.
To bring a moving object or person to a stop.
Transitive verb meaning to stop something. Used for vehicles, machines, people, etc.
Used as an interjection to order someone or something to halt.
Imperative form of 止まる. Standard command for 'Halt!' or 'Stop!'
止まる is the everyday word for stopping. 停止する is more formal and often used for mechanical or official halts.
The bus halted.
The clock has stopped.
We will halt operations.
He suddenly halted.
He halted smoking.
Let's halt the argument.
To cancel or suspend an event, plan, or ongoing activity. Often used for scheduled things.
The match was halted due to rain.
We had to halt the plan.
To terminate or cut off something abruptly, like a project or program.
The government halted the program.
He halted the car.
The guard halted me.
Causative form of 停止する, meaning to make something halt. Formal.
We halted the system in an emergency.
Halt! Police!
Loanword from English, used in casual commands or signs.
Halt! Don't go any further!
Service will be halted.
止める (とめる) means to physically stop something. やめる means to quit or stop doing an activity. Using the wrong one can cause confusion.
Stop the car.
Quit smoking.