とまる

§ What Does とまる (tomaru) Mean?

Definition

To stop; to come to a halt; to cease movement.

The Japanese verb とまる (tomaru) is a very common and essential word for beginners. It means 'to stop' or 'to come to a halt.' You'll hear and use it often in everyday conversations, from talking about traffic to describing when something has ceased moving. Think of it as the intransitive form of 'to stop,' meaning the action happens to the subject itself without a direct object being acted upon. For example, a car stops, or rain stops.

§ When Do People Use とまる (tomaru)?

People use とまる in a wide range of situations. Here are some common examples:

• Vehicles: When a car, bus, train, or bicycle stops.
• Motion: When any moving object or person stops.
• Natural Phenomena: When rain, snow, or wind stops.
• Sound/Noise: When a sound or noise ceases.
• Function/Operation: When a machine or device stops working.
• Time/Flow: Metaphorically, when something like a clock or water flow stops.

Let's look at some practical examples to help you understand how to use とまる in context.

Hint

The car suddenly stopped.

Hint

The rain stopped. (Note: For weather, you often hear やむ (yamu) which also means to stop, specifically for rain/snow/wind.)

Hint

The clock has stopped.

Understanding the difference between intransitive (自動詞 - jidoushi) and transitive (他動詞 - tadoushi) verbs is key in Japanese. While とまる (tomaru) means something stops on its own, 止める (tomeru) means to stop something else. Don't worry too much about the grammatical terms now; just focus on the 'something stops' vs. 'I stop something' idea.

For example, if you say: バスが止まった。(Basu ga tomatta.) This means 'The bus stopped.' The bus stopped by itself or due to circumstances not directly controlled by an external agent mentioned in the sentence. If you were driving the bus and stopped it, you would use 止める: バスを止めた。(Basu wo tometa.) 'I stopped the bus.'

Practice using とまる with different subjects to get a feel for it. It's a foundational verb, so mastering it will make many other sentence structures much easier to grasp.

§ とまる: Basic Meaning

Japanese Word

とまる (tomaru)

Definition

To stop, to come to a halt (intransitive verb)

The verb とまる (tomaru) is a fundamental Japanese verb you'll hear and use often. It means 'to stop' or 'to come to a halt.' Think of it as something stopping on its own, or something stopping happening. It's an intransitive verb, which means it doesn't take a direct object. This is important to remember because there's a related transitive verb, とめる (tomeru), which means 'to stop something' or 'to bring something to a halt.' We'll focus on とまる here.

§ Examples in Daily Life

Let's look at some common situations where you'll hear and use とまる.

§ Public Transport

When you're riding a train or bus, you'll often hear about the vehicle stopping.

Hint

The train stops at the station.

Hint

Will the bus stop at the next traffic light?

§ Traffic and Movement

You'll also hear とまる when talking about traffic, cars, or people stopping.

Hint

The car suddenly stopped.

Hint

Please stop when the traffic light turns red.

§ Malfunctions or Pauses

When something breaks down or pauses its function, とまる is the verb you need.

Hint

The clock stopped.

Hint

My computer suddenly stopped (working).

§ In Professional Settings

In a work or school environment, you might hear とまる in these contexts:

• When a meeting or class pauses.

  会議は一時的にとまりました。

  Hint

  The meeting has temporarily stopped/paused.

• When a process or project stops progressing.

  作業が途中でとまっている。

  Hint

  The work has stopped midway.

§ News and Announcements

You might hear とまる in news reports, especially concerning public services or natural disasters.

• Train services stopping due to an incident.

  電車は現在、運転をとめております。

  Hint

  The train service has currently stopped. (This uses とめる in a slightly more formal, passive-like construction often heard in announcements.)

• Power outages.

  電気がとまった。

  Hint

  The power went out. (Literally: The electricity stopped.)

Hello learners! Today, let's talk about a common verb, とまる (tomaru). You might think it's straightforward, but there are a few places where English speakers often trip up. Getting these nuances right will make your Japanese sound much more natural.

The basic meaning of とまる is 'to stop.' But, it specifically refers to something stopping on its own, or coming to a halt. It's an intransitive verb. This is the key distinction to remember.

§ Mistake 1: Using とまる for 'to stop someone/something'

This is the most common mistake. Because とまる means 'to stop,' learners often try to use it when they want to say 'I stopped the car' or 'He stopped the child.' However, とまる can't be used this way. It implies the action happens by itself.

Wrong Usage

私は車をとまった。
(Watashi wa kuruma o tomatta.)

This sentence is grammatically incorrect if you mean 'I stopped the car.' It sounds like 'I, the car, stopped myself,' which doesn't make sense.

Correct Usage

私は車をとめた。
(Watashi wa kuruma o tometa.)

Here, とめる clearly shows that *you* are performing the action of stopping the car.

§ Mistake 2: Confusing 'stop' as in 'cease an activity' with とまる

While とまる can mean 'to stop moving,' it's not always the best choice for 'to cease an activity' or 'to quit.' For example, if you want to say 'I stopped studying,' とまる isn't the natural verb to use.

Wrong Usage

勉強がとまった。
(Benkyō ga tomatta.)

This sounds like your studying *itself* spontaneously stopped, which is quite awkward. You're usually the one controlling your activities.

Correct Usage

私は勉強をやめた。
(Watashi wa benkyō o yameta.)

This correctly conveys that *you* stopped studying.

§ Mistake 3: Overlooking nuanced meanings

While 'to stop' is the core meaning, とまる also has other uses where it implies a halt or cessation of movement or function. For instance, when a clock stops, or when rain stops.

• When a clock stops:

  時計がとまった。
  (Tokei ga tomatta.)

  Meaning: The clock stopped (on its own, maybe the battery died).

• When rain stops:

  雨がとまった。
  (Ame ga tomatta.)

  Meaning: The rain stopped (by itself, naturally).

In these cases, とまる is perfectly natural because the clock or rain stops without direct human intervention to make it stop.

§ Summary of とまる

Key Point

とまる is an intransitive verb meaning 'to stop' or 'to come to a halt' *on its own*.

Always remember the distinction between intransitive とまる (stops by itself) and transitive とめる (someone stops something). Pay attention to the subject of the sentence and whether the action is being performed *to* something or if it's happening *to* the subject itself.