閉める vs 閉まる: How to Use These Easily Confused N3 Japanese Verbs

Introduction

「ドアを閉める」 and 「ドアが閉まる」 may look almost identical to Japanese learners.

Both describe something going from an open state to a closed state, so it is easy to wonder which verb you should use.

Compare these two sentences:

「寒いから、窓を閉めてください。」
Please close the window because it is cold.

「この窓は自動で閉まります。」
This window closes automatically.

The same object, 窓 (mado / window), appears in both sentences. However, the focus is different.

「閉める」 (shimeru / to close something) focuses on a person intentionally closing something.

「閉まる」 (shimaru / to close, to become closed) focuses on something becoming closed.

Instead of memorizing only dictionary definitions, it is much easier to remember these verbs through situations.

Ask yourself:

“Is someone closing something?”

or

“Is something becoming closed?”

That simple question will help you choose the right verb naturally.

First, Imagine the Situation

Imagine a classroom on a cold winter day.

A window is open, so the teacher says:

「寒いですね。窓を閉めてください。」
It’s cold, isn’t it? Please close the window.

Here, 「閉める」 is natural because the teacher is asking a student to perform the action of closing the window.

Now imagine you are on a train.

You hear this announcement:

「ドアが閉まります。ご注意ください。」
The doors are closing. Please be careful.

Here, 「閉まる」 is used because the announcement describes what is going to happen to the doors. Nobody is being asked to close them.

A useful basic rule is:

• A person closes something → 「閉める」 (shimeru)
• Something closes or becomes closed → 「閉まる」 (shimaru)

This distinction works in many everyday situations.

Situation 1: Everyday Conversation

Both 「閉める」 and 「閉まる」 are very common in spoken Japanese.

The difference is not that one sounds more conversational than the other. The key is whether you are focusing on a person’s action or a change in the object itself.

For example:

A：「ちょっと寒くない？」
Isn’t it a little cold?

B：「うん。窓、閉めようか。」
Yeah. Shall I close the window?

A：「お願い。」
Please.

Here, B is offering to close the window, so 「閉める」 is natural.

Now imagine an automatic door.

A：「このドア、ずっと開いているね。」
This door has been open for a while.

B：「大丈夫。少し待てば自動で閉まるよ。」
It’s fine. If you wait a little, it’ll close automatically.

In this case, the focus is on the door itself becoming closed, so 「閉まる」 is the natural choice.

You can see the same difference when talking about stores.

「今日は店を早く閉めます。」
We are going to close the store early today.

Here, someone who operates the store is intentionally ending business for the day.

「この店は夜9時に閉まります。」
This store closes at 9 p.m.

Here, the sentence simply describes the store’s business hours.

When speaking Japanese, think about whether the important point is “who does it” or “what happens.”

Situation 2: In Writing, News, and Explanatory Texts

The same basic distinction applies in written Japanese, news reports, explanations, and JLPT reading passages.

「閉める」 often focuses on an action performed by a person or organization.

「閉まる」 focuses more on the resulting change or state.

Compare:

「大雪のため、店主は午後5時に店を閉めた。」
Because of the heavy snow, the shop owner closed the store at 5 p.m.

The focus is on the shop owner’s action.

Now compare:

「大雪のため、店は午後5時に閉まった。」
Because of the heavy snow, the store closed at 5 p.m.

Here, the focus is on the fact that the store stopped operating.

Another example:

「強風のため、係員が門を閉めた。」
Because of the strong wind, a staff member closed the gate.

The staff member’s action is important.

「午後6時になると、門が自動的に閉まる。」
The gate closes automatically at 6 p.m.

Here, the sentence describes what happens to the gate.

This distinction can be important in JLPT reading questions because the verb often tells you where the writer’s focus is.

Also pay attention to the particles:

「人が＋物を＋閉める」
A person closes something.

「物が＋閉まる」
Something closes.

Particles such as 「を」 and 「が」 can give you a strong clue.

Situation 3: When Intention, Emotion, or Judgment Matters

Neither 「閉める」 nor 「閉まる」 is inherently emotional.

However, 「閉める」 often appears when someone’s intention, decision, or judgment is important because it describes an intentional action.

For example:

「もう遅いから、今日は店を閉めよう。」
It’s already late, so let’s close the store for today.

This sentence includes the speaker’s decision to stop operating the store.

Compare that with:

「この店はもう閉まっている。」
This store is already closed.

This simply describes the current state of the store.

Consider another pair:

「彼は怒って、強くドアを閉めた。」
He angrily shut the door hard.

The sentence focuses on his deliberate action, and his emotion affects how he closes the door.

「風で突然ドアが閉まった。」
The door suddenly closed because of the wind.

No human intention is involved. The sentence simply describes what happened to the door.

When reading Japanese, ask:

“Is someone’s intention or action important?”

or

“Is the sentence simply describing a change or state?”

This will often tell you which verb is appropriate.

The Difference Between 閉める and 閉まる

The main differences can be summarized like this:

• 「閉める」 describes someone closing a door, window, store, gate, or similar object.
• 「閉まる」 describes something becoming closed.
• With 「閉める」, the person performing the action is often important.
• With 「閉まる」, the change or resulting state is often more important.
• 「ドアを閉める」 means someone closes the door.
• 「ドアが閉まる」 means the door closes.
• 「店を閉める」 focuses on someone ending the store’s business.
• 「店が閉まる」 focuses on the store becoming closed.

This is not a difference between formal and casual Japanese.

Both verbs are common in conversation and writing.

The essential difference is:

human action → 「閉める」

change or state → 「閉まる」

Check with Example Sentences

Example 1

「寒いので、窓を閉めてください。」
It is cold, so please close the window.

This is a natural expression when asking someone to perform an action. You may hear it at home, at school, or at work.

Example 2

「ボタンを押すと、窓が自動で閉まります。」
When you press the button, the window closes automatically.

Here, the sentence explains what happens to the window, so 「閉まる」 is appropriate.

Example 3

「出かける前に、全部のドアを閉めました。」
I closed all the doors before going out.

The speaker is describing an action they performed.

Example 4

「電車のドアが閉まります。ご注意ください。」
The train doors are closing. Please be careful.

This is a familiar announcement at Japanese train stations. The focus is on what is happening to the doors.

Example 5

「この店は午後8時に閉まります。」
This store closes at 8 p.m.

This describes the store’s operating hours rather than a particular person’s action.

Example 6

「今日はお客さんが少ないので、店を早く閉めることにしました。」
There are not many customers today, so we decided to close the store early.

The sentence contains a deliberate decision, so 「閉める」 is natural.

Example 7

「図書館に着いたときには、もう入り口が閉まっていました。」
By the time I arrived at the library, the entrance was already closed.

The sentence describes the condition of the entrance when the speaker arrived.

Example 8

「風が強くて、ドアが急に閉まった。」
The wind was strong, and the door suddenly closed.

The door closed because of the wind, not because someone deliberately closed it.

Example 9

「会議が始まるので、ドアを閉めてもらえますか。」
The meeting is about to start, so could you close the door?

The speaker is asking another person to perform an action.

Example 10

「この時間になると、正門はすでに閉まっている。」
By this time, the main gate is already closed.

The sentence describes the state of the gate and is also a type of expression you may encounter in written Japanese.

How to Read 閉める and 閉まる on the JLPT

When 「閉める」 or 「閉まる」 appears in an N3 or N2 reading passage, do not look only at the dictionary meaning.

Look at the entire sentence and ask:

“Who did something?”

“What changed?”

For example:

「係員は安全を確認してから門を閉めた。」
After checking that it was safe, the staff member closed the gate.

The staff member’s action is central.

Compare:

「午後6時になると門が閉まる。」
The gate closes at 6 p.m.

Here, the important information is when the gate becomes closed.

You should also notice the difference between:

「店を閉める」
to close a store

and

「店が閉まる」
a store closes

For example:

「経営者は売り上げが減ったため、店を閉めることにした。」
Because sales had fallen, the owner decided to close the store.

This sentence is about the owner’s decision.

「駅前の店は去年閉まった。」
The store in front of the station closed last year.

This sentence describes what happened to the store.

In JLPT reading, pay attention to the subject, particles, causes, and results around the verb.

Remembering only “閉める and 閉まる both mean close” is not enough.

Read them in context.

Summary

「閉める」 (shimeru) and 「閉まる」 (shimaru) both relate to something becoming closed, but they present the situation from different viewpoints.

• Someone closes something → 「閉める」
• Something closes → 「閉まる」
• 「窓を閉める」 focuses on a person’s action.
• 「窓が閉まる」 focuses on the window’s change.
• 「店を閉める」 focuses on someone deciding or acting to close the business.
• 「店が閉まる」 focuses on the store becoming closed.

To use Japanese naturally, it is important to learn vocabulary not only through definitions but also through real situations and sentence patterns.

At RJT (Rapid Japanese Training), you can practice JLPT vocabulary and grammar through questions designed to help you understand Japanese in context.

If you often think, “I know this word, but I still hesitate when I see it in a question,” practicing with real sentence patterns can help you build the instinct to choose the right expression.

https://rapid-jt.com/