deru vs. dekiru: The Beginner’s Guide to Use These

2020年6月18日2026年4月22日

0618-2020-deru-vs-dekiru-learn-japanese-online-how-to-speak-japanese-language-for-beginners-basic-study-in-japan

Yuka

出る and 出来る are two very common Japanese verbs — and they look similar! But they have completely different meanings. Let’s sort this out once and for all.

Rei

出る (deru) means to come out, exit, or appear. 出来る (dekiru) means to be able to do something, or for something to be completed/formed. Very different!

	出る (deru)	出来る (dekiru)
Meaning	To come out / exit / appear / leave	To be able to / can / to be completed
Used for	Movement out of somewhere, appearing	Ability, possibility, completion
Example	外に出る。	日本語が出来る。

TOC

出る — Coming Out, Exiting, Appearing

出る (deru) is an intransitive verb meaning to come out, go out, leave, or appear. It describes movement from inside to outside, or something appearing/emerging.

外に出る。— To go outside.
電車が出た。— The train left.
テレビに出た。— I appeared on TV.
お湯が出ない。— Hot water isn’t coming out.
試験に出た問題。— A question that appeared on the exam.

出来る — Ability and Completion

出来る (dekiru) has two main uses: (1) expressing ability (“can do”), and (2) describing something being completed or formed.

日本語が出来ます。— I can speak Japanese. (ability)
料理が出来た！— The food is ready! (completion)
彼女は何でも出来る。— She can do anything. (ability)
新しい店が出来た。— A new shop was created/appeared. (formation)

Side-by-Side

Japanese	Verb	Meaning
外に出る	出る	Go outside (exit)
泳ぎが出来る	出来る	Can swim (ability)
駅を出る	出る	Leave the station
仕事が出来る人	出来る	A capable person
汗が出る	出る	Sweat comes out
計画が出来た	出来る	The plan was made

Common Mistakes for English Speakers

These verbs share the kanji 出 but are completely different. Don’t confuse 出る (physical movement out) with 出来る (ability/completion). A common learner mistake: saying 出た when they mean 出来た — 出た would mean “(something) came out,” while 出来た means “it’s done/finished.”