終る

This is a great question that many learners ask! The main difference is transitivity. 終る (owaru) is an **intransitive verb**, meaning it describes something ending on its own. Think of it as 'something ends.' On the other hand, 終える (oeru) is a **transitive verb**, meaning someone or something causes something else to end. Think of it as 'to finish something.'

Examples:
授業が終る。(Jugyou ga owaru.) - The class ends. (It ends on its own.)
宿題を終える。(Shukudai o oeru.) - To finish homework. (You finish it.)

Yes, absolutely! You can say 映画が終る (eiga ga owaru) to mean 'the movie ends.' It's a very common and natural way to express it.

終る (owaru) itself is a neutral verb. Its formality depends on the conjugation and the context. For example, 終ります (owarimasu) is polite, while 終る (owaru) in its dictionary form can be used in casual settings or when discussing things generally.

A common mistake is trying to use it transitively, like saying 'I ended the meeting' with 終る. Remember, 終る is intransitive. For 'I ended the meeting,' you'd use a transitive verb like 終える (oeru) or 終わらせる (owaraseru), which means 'to make something end.'

Yes, there are! For example, 終わる (owaru) with the same kanji but different okurigana is very common and essentially the same in meaning and usage. You might also encounter 終了する (shuuryou suru), which is a bit more formal and often used for events, services, or procedures coming to an end. For 'to finish a task,' you could also use 完了する (kanryou suru).

You can say 「いつ終りますか？」(Itsu owarimasu ka?) using the polite form, or 「いつ終るの？」(Itsu owaru no?) for a more casual inquiry. Both are perfectly natural ways to ask.

Yes, you can. For example, 関係が終る (kankei ga owaru) means 'the relationship ends.' It's a natural way to express that. You could also use 別れる (wakareru) for 'to break up.'

Absolutely. You can say 「イベントは午後５時に終ります。」(Ibentu wa gogo go-ji ni owarimasu.) - 'The event ends at 5 PM.' The particle に (ni) indicates the time at which something ends.

While technically you could say 人生が終る (jinsei ga owaru - life ends), it's generally not used for a person's death directly in everyday conversation. For the end of a life, more specific terms like 亡くなる (nakunaru - to pass away) or 死ぬ (shinu - to die) are used.

Yes, it can. For instance, 「私の我慢も終る」 (Watashi no gaman mo owaru) could be understood as 'my patience is also ending.' It conveys that a state or condition is coming to a close.