The Meaning of tomeru [止める] In Japanese

止める
とめる
Romaji: tomeru N5

What does 止める mean?

Translation and Meaning

to stop, to halt, to park, to turn off

Definition

止める (tomeru) means to cause something to cease motion or activity; it is the transitive verb used when an agent brings a movement, process, device, or action to an end.

Type

verb, transitive (他動詞, 一段)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Bring a moving object to a halt (e.g., stop a vehicle or person in motion).
  • Park or bring a vehicle to rest (common in everyday speech for cars and bikes).
  • Turn off or cut the supply to a device, service, or utility.
  • Prevent or stop someone from doing something (intervene or obstruct an action).
  • Detain or arrest in legal or policing contexts.
  • In some contexts (written with other kanji) mean to fasten, fix in place, or retain an item.

Etymology

止める (tomeru) traces to an Old Japanese root *tom- meaning “stop,” with the modern transitive form formed by the verbal ending –eru; the stem has remained phonologically stable from classical forms into modern Japanese.

Composition

The word is written with the kanji 止 meaning “stop” or “cease” followed by the okurigana める which creates the transitive verb form; the kanji conveys the core semantic concept while the okurigana signals verb conjugation and transitivity.

Usage

Used across spoken and written Japanese when an agent stops something; grammatically it commonly appears as Xを止める (X o tomeru) where X is the direct object. It appears in casual and polite registers (e.g., plain tomeru vs polite tomemasu) and pairs with intransitive counterparts for contrast; speakers choose different kanji forms to emphasize nuance (motion vs fastening) and select polite forms in formal situations.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: remember tomeru as “TO Make Everything Rest” — the initial letters (T-O-M-E-R) link to the verb’s meaning to stop something.

Variations

  • 止まる (tomaru) — to stop (intransitive)
  • やめる (yameru) — to quit, cease doing (often used for stopping activities or habits)
  • 留める (tomeru) — to fasten, keep in place (same reading, different nuance)
  • 停める (tomeru) — often used specifically for parking or stopping vehicles
  • 中止する (chuushi suru) — to cancel (formal)
  • 始める (hajimeru) — to begin (antonym)

Example Phrases

  • バスが信号で止まると、私も歩みを止める。
    Basu ga shingou de tomaru to, watashi mo ayumi o tomeru.
    When the bus stops at the traffic light, I also stop walking.
    Lista:
    • バスが (basu ga) – the bus
    • 信号で (shingou de) – at the traffic light
    • 止まると (tomaru to) – when it stops
    • 私も (watashi mo) – me too
    • 歩みを (ayumi o) – my steps
    • 止める (tomeru) – stop
    The verb 止まる is intransitive and means ‘to stop’; in this sentence it combines with と to express a conditional: ‘when the bus stops’. Put 「止まる」 among the Kanji or Japanese Words.
  • 上司の指摘を受け止めるのは大切だ。
    joushi no shiteki o uketomeru no wa taisetsu da.
    It’s important to take your boss’s remarks to heart.
    Lista:
    • 上司 (joushi) – boss
    • の (no) – of
    • 指摘 (shiteki) – remark
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 受け止める (uketomeru) – take/accept (a remark)
    • の (no) – of
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 大切だ (taisetsu da) – is important
    Here, 「受け止める」 means to accept and deal with something, as in 指摘を受け止める.
止める