akeru-vs-shitaru

Every day in Japan you will need to open and close things — doors, windows, shops, umbrellas, bottles, and more. The verbs あける (akeru) and しめる (shimeru) are the core pair for this, but Japanese has a rich vocabulary around these actions that goes beyond simple open/close. Understanding the nuance between transitive and intransitive forms, and knowing when to use あく (aku) vs. あける (akeru), will take your Japanese from textbook to natural. This guide covers it all.

Yuka

Quick question, Rei — when should I use あける versus しめる?

Rei

Ah, a classic mix-up! They’re related but definitely not interchangeable. I’ll explain with examples and it’ll make perfect sense.

At a Glance: あける vs. しめる

あける (開ける) — To Open Something

あける is a transitive verb, meaning someone intentionally opens something. The object (what is being opened) is marked with the particle を (wo). The kanji 開 also appears in 開店 (kaiten — store opening), 開始 (kaishi — start/beginning), and 公開 (koukai — public release).

Example 1 — window:

窓を開けてください。
Mado wo akete kudasai.
Please open the window.

Example 2 — door:

ドアを開けた。
Doa wo aketa.
I opened the door.

Example 3 — bottle / container:

このビンを開けてくれない？
Kono bin wo akete kurenai?
Can you open this jar/bottle for me?

Yuka

Oh interesting! So あける can mean that too? I only knew the basic meaning.

Rei

Yes! あける is more versatile than most learners realize. Native speakers use it in all sorts of situations — not just the obvious ones.

しめる (閉める) — To Close Something

しめる is the transitive counterpart meaning to close or shut something intentionally. It is also used for closing a shop or business for the day. The kanji 閉 appears in 閉店 (heiten — store closing / closed), 閉会 (heikai — closing of a meeting), and 閉鎖 (heisa — shutdown / closure).

Example 1 — door:

ドアを閉めてください。
Doa wo shimete kudasai.
Please close the door.

Example 2 — window:

寒いから窓を閉めた。
Samui kara mado wo shimeta.
It was cold, so I closed the window.

Example 3 — shop closing time:

このお店は何時に閉めますか？
Kono omise wa nanji ni shimemasu ka?
What time does this shop close?

Yuka

What about しめる? Is it used as often as あける in daily conversation?

Rei

しめる is super common too! The two words actually complement each other really well once you understand both.

The Critical Distinction: Transitive vs. Intransitive

Japanese distinguishes carefully between actions done by a person (transitive) and things that happen on their own (intransitive). This is one of the most important grammatical concepts for intermediate learners. For あける/しめる, the intransitive partners are あく and しまる.

Contrast example — transitive vs. intransitive:

私はドアを開けた。 (Watashi wa doa wo aketa.) — I opened the door. [transitive — I did the action]
vs.
ドアが開いた。 (Doa ga aita.) — The door opened. [intransitive — the door opened on its own]

Common Objects Used with あける and しめる

Decision Flowchart: あける or しめる?

Are you talking about opening or closing?
              |
              v
Is a PERSON doing the action?
        |              |
       YES             NO (it happens on its own)
        |              |
        v              v
Is it OPENING?     Use intransitive:
   |        |      あく (opens by itself)
  YES       NO     しまる (closes by itself)
   |        |
   v        v
あける    しめる
(open it) (close it)

Pattern: [object]を + あける / しめる

Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

Yuka

Alright, I think I understand both now. Time for a quiz to check!

Rei

That’s the spirit! Testing yourself is one of the best study techniques. Ready?

Choose the correct verb form for each sentence.

Q1. Please open the window.
窓を＿＿＿ください。
Mado wo ___ kudasai.

Answer: あけて (akete) — 開けて
Reason: A person is performing the action (opening the window), so transitive あける → て-form あけて is correct.

Q2. The store closes at 9 PM.
お店は9時に＿＿＿。
Omise wa kuji ni ___.

Answer: しまります (shimarimasu) — 閉まります
Reason: The store closes on its own (as a scheduled event), not because someone is closing it at that moment, so intransitive しまる is most natural here. (しめます is also acceptable if emphasizing that staff are closing it.)

Q3. He opened his mouth to speak.
彼は話すために口を＿＿＿。
Kare wa hanasu tame ni kuchi wo ___.

Answer: あけた (aketa) — 開けた
Reason: He intentionally opened his mouth, so transitive あける in past form is correct.

Q4. The door suddenly opened on its own.
ドアが突然＿＿＿。
Doa ga totsuzen ___.

Answer: あいた (aita) — 開いた
Reason: The door opened by itself (no person doing it), so intransitive あく in past form あいた is correct. Note: あく → past tense is あいた.

Q5. Can you close the window? It is cold.
寒いから窓を＿＿＿くれない？
Samui kara mado wo ___ kurenai?

Answer: しめて (shimete) — 閉めて
Reason: Asking someone to perform the action of closing the window, so transitive しめる → て-form しめて is correct.

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