止まる · godan verb (-ru)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 止まる | 止まらない |
| Polite | 止まります | 止まりません |
| Past polite | 止まりました | 止まりませんでした |
| Past | 止まった | 止まらなかった |
| Te-form | 止まって | 止まらないで |
| Desire | 止まりたい | 止まりたくない |
| Potential | 止まれる | 止まれない |
| Passive | 止まられる | 止まられない |
| Causative | 止まらせる | 止まらせない |
| Causative passive | 止まらせられるalso 止まらされる | 止まらせられないalso 止まらされない |
| Volitional | 止まろう | |
| Polite volitional | 止まりましょう | |
| Imperative | 止まれ | 止まるな |
| Conditional | 止まれば | 止まらなければ |
| Tara conditional | 止まったら | 止まらなかったら |
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
Describes staying in a place, not leaving, or continuing to be in a state. Often used in the pattern ～にとどまる.
彼は最後まで会場にとどまった。
He remained at the venue until the end.
The damage was limited to a minimum.
godan verb (-ru), intransitive verb
be limited to; be confined to; only account for
Used when something does not exceed a certain range, amount, or degree. Often appears as ～にとどまる.
See also: 占める
This year's price increase was limited to 2%.
The rumor remains mere speculation.
He remained in the village even though he knew it was dangerous.
This year's sales increase was limited to just 3 percent.
The problem was not limited to the economy but also affected politics.
滞在する is a more formal, travel-oriented word for staying somewhere temporarily, whereas 止まる（とどまる）is broader and covers staying in a state as well as a place.
留まる is a plain verb meaning 'to stay put' in a place or position, while 残留 is a more formal noun/suru-verb often used in reports or technical writing.
去る means to leave or depart, the opposite of 止まる（とどまる）'s sense of staying in a place.
超える means to exceed a certain amount or degree, the opposite of 止まる（とどまる）'s sense of being confined to a limit.
留まる means 'to stay/remain in place', the opposite of 移る's sense of relocating or changing state.
止まる（とまる）means 'to stop' moving or functioning, while 止まる（とどまる）means 'to stay/remain' in a place or state, even though they share the same kanji.
留まる uses a visually similar kanji but means to stay or remain in place, whereas 溜まる means for things to accumulate or pile up.
留まる is the intransitive form meaning to stay or remain, while 留める is transitive and takes the thing being kept, stopped, or limited as its object.
Rare variant; 駐 is typically used for parking vehicles and read とまる.