Differences Among Hiraku, Akeru, Aku (open) and Tojiru, Shimeru, Shimaru (close)

In Japanese, some verbs are quite similar but have slightly different meanings and usages. For example, differentiating “ひらく” (hiraku), “あける” (akeru), “あく” (aku), and “とじる” (tojiru), “しめる” (shimeru), “しまる” (shimaru) can be a bit tricky for Japanese learners. Today, we’ll explain their differences with example sentences!

Differences Between “Akeru,” “Hiraku,” “Aku”

Comparison Table

Verb	Type	Target	Meaning
開く (ひらく)	Transitive / Intransitive	Books, umbrellas, etc.	Opening something that is closed or folded.
開ける (あける)	Transitive	Lids, locks, curtains, etc.	Opening something that is sealed, covered or locked.Sliding to open.
開く (あく)	Intransitive	Stores, doors, etc.	Automatically opening or being opened by some action.

Explanation and Example Sentences

開く – Hiraku 

Examples:

• 本を開いてください。- Please open the book.
• ドアを開いて待っていてください。- Open the door and wait.
• 今朝、花が開きました。- This morning, the flowers bloomed.

開ける – Akeru 

Examples:

• 瓶の蓋を開けてくれますか？- Can you please open the bottle?
• 暑いので窓を開けてください。- Please open the window, it’s hot.
• 朝起きたらカーテンを開けます。- I open the curtains when I wake up.

開く (あく) 

Examples:

• 8時に店が開きます。- The store opens at 8:00.
• 風でドアが開きました。- The door opened because of the wind.
• ボタンを押せば鍵が開きます。- The lock will open if you press the button.

Notes

• Depending on the context, different verbs may be applied. For example, you use “akeru” to open a door by yourself but “aku” or “hiraku” if it’s an automatic door. 
• In some cases, two or more verbs may have nearly the same meaning. For example, “目をひらく” and “目をあける” both mean ‘to open one’s eyes.
• There are also abstract uses that don’t fit into the examples above, such as “会議をひらく” (hold a meeting) or “心をひらく” (open one’s heart).

Differences Between “Tojiru,” “Shimeru,” “Shimaru”

Comparison Table

Verb	Type	Target	Meaning
閉じる (とじる)	Transitive/ Intransitive	Books, eyes, umbrellas, etc.	Closing or folding something that is open.
閉める (しめる)	Transitive	Bags, locks, windows, etc.	Closing something that is unlocked, uncovered or blocking a space. Sliding to close.
閉まる (しまる)	Intransitive	Doors, windows, lids, etc.	Automatically closing or being closed by some action.

Explanation and Example Sentences

閉じる (とじる) 

Examples:

• 本を閉じてください。- Please close the book.
• 雨が止んだので傘を閉じました。- I closed the umbrella when the rain stopped.
• 目を閉じたら寝られますよ。- You can sleep if you close your eyes.

閉める (しめる) 

Examples:

• 家を出るときは鍵を閉めてください。- Please lock the door when you leave.
• 寝る前にカーテンを閉めました。- I closed the curtains before going to bed.
• ゴミ袋は閉めてから外に出しましょう。 Don’t forget to close the rubbish bag before taking it out.

閉まる (しまる)

Examples:

• 自動ドアが閉まるので気を付けてください。- Be careful, the automatic door will close.
• 強い風で窓が閉まりました。- The window closed because of the strong wind.
• お店は10時に閉まります。- The store closes at 10:00.

Notes

• Depending on the context, different verbs may be applied. For instance, you must use “shimeru” if you close the door by hand, but you say  “shimaru” if it’s an automatic door. Some might also use “tojiru” if it’s a hinged door.
• Like with “open,” there are abstract uses that don’t fit the typical examples, such as “話を閉じる” (end a conversation) or “心を閉じる” (close one’s heart).

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As you can see, the verbs “hiraku,” “akeru,” “aku,” and “tojiru” “shimeru,” “shimaru” differ in grammatical classification and the kind of actions they describe. Understanding these differences will help you use Japanese more naturally and effectively!