やめる

や

め

る

やめる · ichidan verb

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	やめる	やめない
Polite	やめます	やめません
Past polite	やめました	やめませんでした
Past	やめた	やめなかった
Te-form	やめて	やめないで
Desire	やめたい	やめたくない
Potential	やめられるalso やめれる	やめられないalso やめれない
Passive	やめられる	やめられない
Causative	やめさせる	やめさせない
Causative passive	やめさせられる	やめさせられない
Volitional	やめよう
Polite volitional	やめましょう
Imperative	やめろ	やめるな
Conditional	やめれば	やめなければ
Tara conditional	やめたら	やめなかったら

Pairs with止む

Meanings

ichidan verb, transitive verb

stop; quit; discontinue

usually written using kana alone

Only when written 止める / 已める

Used for voluntarily stopping an ongoing activity, habit, or practice. Often takes a noun or verb in の or こと form.

タバコをやめたい。
I want to quit smoking.
雨あめが降ふってきたので、試し合あいをやめた。
It started raining, so we stopped the game.

ichidan verb, transitive verb

cancel; give up; abstain

usually written using kana alone

Used for canceling plans, abandoning an intention, or refraining from doing something. Often implies a decision not to proceed.

旅りょ行こうをやめることにした。
I decided to cancel the trip.
彼かれは酒さけをやめている。
He is abstaining from alcohol.

See all 987 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈動どう詞し〉のを止やめるto stop doing (something)
毎まい朝あさ走はしるのを止やめることにした。
I decided to stop running every morning.
学がっ校こうを止やめるto quit / drop out of school
彼かれは大だい学がくを止やめて働はたらき始はじめた。
He dropped out of university and started working.
計けい画かくを止やめるto call off / abandon a plan
旅りょ行こうの計けい画かくを止やめることにした。
We decided to call off the travel plans.
〜のは止やめようlet's stop doing ~ (suggestion)
もう遅ち刻こくするのは止やめよう。
Let's stop being late from now on.

Expressions

止やめにするstop; quit; put an end to
止やめになるbe given up; be discontinued; be called off
タバコをやめるquit smoking; give up smoking; stop smoking

Kanji

止stop, halt
廃abolish, obsolete, cessation
已stop, halt, previously

Transitive / intransitive

止やむN4
止む is intransitive for something stopping by itself, while 止める(やめる) is the transitive counterpart meaning someone deliberately stops or quits it.

Related words

中ちゅう止しN4sense 2
中止する is a formal word for canceling a planned event or activity, while 止める is the everyday, more general word for stopping or quitting something.
断たつN1sense 1
断つ implies a forceful, decisive cutting-off of a habit (like drinking or ties with someone), while 止める is a neutral word for simply stopping something.
控ひかえるN2sense 2
控える means to refrain from or hold back on something out of caution or moderation, while 止める means to stop or give it up outright.
よすN3
やめる is the general, all-purpose word for stopping or quitting, while 止す is a more casual, colloquial synonym that often implies abandoning something partway through.
止とめるN5
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.

Opposites

始はじめるN5sense 1
始める means to start something, the direct opposite of 止める meaning to stop or quit it.
し続つづける
し続ける means to keep doing something, while やめる means to stop doing it.
続つづけるN4
やめる means to stop or quit something, the direct opposite of 続ける which means to keep doing it.

Don't confuse with

止とめるN5
止める (とめる) means to physically stop something like a car or person, while 止める (やめる) means to stop an activity, habit, or plan.
辞やめるN4
辞める is used specifically for quitting a job or official position, while 止める covers stopping any activity or habit more broadly.

Word family

取とり止やめ
cancellation; suspension
やめとき
don't; you'd better not; quit it
やめておく
pass on; give a miss; skip · cut it out; knock off; let it drop

Written forms

やめるUsage100%
Usually written in kana; the kanji spellings 止める and 已める are less common.
止やめるUsage<1%
Kanji spelling; may be confused with とめる (to stop something physically).
廃やめるUsage<1%
Rare kanji variant; not commonly used.
已やめるUsage<1%
Rare kanji variant; not commonly used.

Etymology

Derived from classical verb 止む (やむ, to stop, intransitive) with the transitive suffix める. The kanji 止 is used for its meaning 'stop', while 已 and 廃 are less common variants.