Yuka続く vs 続ける — both involve continuation, but one happens BY ITSELF and the other is something you DO. This intransitive/transitive pair is one of the most important grammar concepts in Japanese!
ReiThe 続く/続ける pair is a perfect example of Japanese jidoshi (自動詞) vs tadoshi (他動詞). Mastering this distinction will help you with dozens of similar verb pairs!
At a Glance
| Word | Reading | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 続く | つづく | Intransitive (自動詞) | To continue (by itself); to go on; to last |
| 続ける | つづける | Transitive (他動詞) | To continue (something); to keep doing |
続く (つづく) — Intransitive: Something Continues
続く is an intransitive verb — it describes something that continues on its own, without a direct object. The continuation happens naturally.
- 雨が続く — the rain continues
- 会議が続く — the meeting goes on
- この道はどこまで続く？— Where does this road go on to?
- 幸せが続くように — may the happiness continue
Yuka今年の夏は暑い日が続いている。
Hot days have been continuing throughout this summer.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 試合は延長戦に続いた。 | The match continued into extra time. |
| 彼の話は1時間以上続いた。 | His talk went on for more than an hour. |
| どこまでも続く青い海。 | The blue sea that stretches on forever. |
続ける (つづける) — Transitive: To Keep Doing Something
続ける is a transitive verb — the subject actively continues doing something. It requires an object (what is being continued).
- 勉強を続ける — to keep studying
- 走り続ける — to keep running
- 話し続ける — to keep talking
- 続けてください — please continue
Rei続ける attaches directly to verb stems to make compound verbs: 走り続ける (keep running), 働き続ける (keep working), 歌い続ける (keep singing). This is extremely common and useful!
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 諦めずに続けることが大切だ。 | It's important to keep going without giving up. |
| 彼女は10年間日本語を勉強し続けた。 | She kept studying Japanese for 10 years. |
| どうか続けてください。 | Please, continue. |
Intransitive vs Transitive — The Core Rule
| 続く (intransitive) | 続ける (transitive) | |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | The thing that continues | The person doing the continuing |
| Object? | No direct object | Yes: 〜を続ける |
| Agency | No — it just happens | Yes — someone actively continues it |
| Example | 雨が続く | 勉強を続ける |
| Compound verbs | — | 走り続ける、話し続ける |
Quick Quiz
Choose 続く or 続ける:
- 悪天候が3日間___いた。→ 続 (bad weather continued on its own)
- 目標に向かって努力し___ている。→ 続け (actively keep trying)
- この映画はどこまでも___ような感覚だった。→ 続く
- 練習を___ことが上達の秘訣だ。→ 続ける (transitive — keep doing practice)
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