止める · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 止める | 止めない |
| Polite | 止めます | 止めません |
| Past polite | 止めました | 止めませんでした |
| Past | 止めた | 止めなかった |
| Te-form | 止めて | 止めないで |
| Desire | 止めたい | 止めたくない |
| Potential | 止められるalso 止めれる | 止められないalso 止めれない |
| Passive | 止められる | 止められない |
| Causative | 止めさせる | 止めさせない |
| Causative passive | 止めさせられる | 止めさせられない |
| Volitional | 止めよう | |
| Polite volitional | 止めましょう | |
| Imperative | 止めろ | 止めるな |
| Conditional | 止めれば | 止めなければ |
| Tara conditional | 止めたら | 止めなかったら |
ichidan verb, transitive verb
General stopping of movement, operation, or flow. 止める is the default kanji; 停める is used for vehicles.
Please turn off the air conditioner.
彼は話すのを止めた。
He stopped talking.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Specifically for parking a vehicle. 停める is the most precise kanji, but 止める is also common.
駅の前に車を停めた。
I parked the car in front of the station.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Stopping an action or bodily function: suppressing a cough, holding back tears, stopping pain, etc. Often used with body-related nouns.
彼は咳を止めようとした。
He tried to suppress his cough.
痛み止めの薬を飲んだ。
I took pain-relief medicine.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
stop (someone from doing); dissuade; forbid
Stopping a person from doing something, often through persuasion or prohibition. Commonly used with ～ようとする or ～のを.
母は私が留学するのを止めた。
My mother stopped me from studying abroad.
彼を止めようとしたが、聞かなかった。
I tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn't listen.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
notice; keep in mind; pay attention to
Only when written 留める
Used almost exclusively in set phrases like 気に留める (to keep in mind) and 目に留める (to notice). The kanji 留める is standard here.
彼の言葉を気に留めておいてください。
Please keep his words in mind.
その名前を記憶に留めておいた。
I kept that name in my memory.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Only when written 留める
Physically securing something in place: pinning, nailing, buttoning, stapling, etc. 留める is the standard kanji.
書類をクリップで留めた。
I fastened the documents with a clip.
ボタンを留めるのを忘れた。
I forgot to button up.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
detain; keep in custody
Only when written 留める
Holding someone in a place, often by authority. 留める is the standard kanji. Somewhat formal.
警察は容疑者を署に留めた。
The police detained the suspect at the station.
I turned off the car's engine.
I parked the car in the parking lot.
I took medicine to stop my cough.
I stopped my friend from going out.
I didn't pay attention to what he said.
I buttoned up my shirt.
The police detained the suspect in a holding cell.
やめる means to quit or give up one's own action, while 止める focuses on stopping someone else's action or an ongoing process.
阻止する is a more formal synonym for 止める meaning to block or prevent someone from doing something.
固定する means to fix something firmly in place in a general sense, while 止める（留める）often refers to fastening with a specific tool like a pin, button, or staple.
止める is a general verb for stopping any action or movement, while 引き止める specifically means stopping a person from leaving by persuading or holding them back.
止める is the standalone verb 'to stop', while 止め is a suffix attached to nouns to form compounds meaning 'a preventer of that thing'.
止める is the everyday verb for stopping or turning something off, while 留める is a more formal or deliberate way to stop or halt something at a point.
止める is the native Japanese transitive verb for stopping something, while ストップ is a loanword often used with する in casual or technical announcements.
止める is the everyday verb for stopping someone or something, while 制止 is a more formal noun-verb used especially for authoritative or forceful intervention.
止める means to stop or halt something already in motion, the opposite of 仕掛ける's sense of initiating an action.
brake; drag; skid; pawl · brake; check; restraint; limit
prohibition; ban; suspension; injunction
hold back; keep at bay; stem; curb; halt
gagging; silencing; hushing up · hush money
end; closing; finish · closing a pachinko machine
wheel stop; parking block; parking curb · buffer stop; bumper; bumping post · wheel chock · bollard; vehicle barrier
detain; stop from leaving; hold back
cough medicine; cough syrup; cough lozenge
endlessly; ceaselessly; nonstop
shoot dead; bring down (an animal) · win; gain; capture (heart, prize, etc.)
stop; prohibit; forbid
end; stopping point; limit
retaining wall; sheathing
determine; pin down; ascertain; locate; identify · stab to death
call out to stop; hail
temporary fastening; tacking; provisional fixing
full house; sold out; no more customers accepted
stopping just before; pulling a punch
suspension of ferry service; river crossing closure
obi clip; sash fastener; ornamental obi accessory
full house; sold out · putting up a sign forbidding entry; posting a no-entry notice
kanji character commonly used at the end of given names
still image (in animation)