Word
止まる
Meaning in Englishto come to a halt
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Sentence
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Word context
What it means
止まる means to come to a stop or to stop moving or operating; it is intransitive, describing that the subject itself ceases motion or operation rather than causing something else to stop.
Main meanings
- to stop moving or to come to rest, for people, vehicles, or machinery
- to stop functioning or to cease operation, as a device or system
- to pause briefly or come to a halt during an activity
- to stop time metaphorically or in expressions describing a momentary standstill
- to come to a standstill in a process or progression
How to use it
Used in intransitive contexts to describe ceasing motion, stopping of devices or natural phenomena, and pauses in ongoing actions; suitable for both casual conversation and formal prose; pattern involves a subject marker followed by 止まる to indicate cessation.
Variants and close terms
- 停止する (teishi suru) — to stop, halt
- 中断する (chuudan suru) — to interrupt or suspend
- 止める (tomeru) — to stop something actively (transitive)
- 動く (ugoku) — opposite: to move
Composition
- 止: stop, halt
- まる: intransitive verb ending
Etymology
止 meaning to stop; まる as a native intransitive verb ending; together they form a basic verb meaning stop
Word class
verb (自動詞, intransitive)
Word
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Kanji