続ける vs 続く: How to Use These Common JLPT N3 Verbs Naturally

Introduction

If you are studying for JLPT N3, you have probably seen both 続ける (tsuzukeru / to continue something) and 続く (tsuzuku / something continues).

At first, they may seem almost identical.

Consider these sentences:

日本語の勉強を続けています。
I am continuing to study Japanese.

暑い日が続いています。
The hot days are continuing.

Both describe something that does not stop.

However, you normally cannot say:

日本語の勉強が続けています。

And this sentence sounds strange in an ordinary situation:

暑い日を続けています。

The key is not simply memorizing both verbs as “continue.”

Instead, picture the situation.

Is someone actively continuing an action?

Or is a situation or event continuing on its own?

Once you learn to see that difference, choosing between 続ける and 続く becomes much easier.

Start With a Situation

Imagine a student who studies Japanese every day.

The teacher asks:

「最近も毎日、日本語を勉強していますか。」
“Are you still studying Japanese every day?”

The student answers:

「はい。毎日勉強を続けています。」
“Yes. I continue to study every day.”

Here, 続ける (tsuzukeru / to continue something) is natural.

The student is actively performing the action of studying and chooses not to stop.

Now imagine another situation.

It started raining in the morning. It is still raining at noon, and the rain has not stopped by evening.

You can say:

「朝から雨が続いています。」
“The rain has continued since this morning.”

Here, 続く (tsuzuku / to continue) is natural.

Nobody is intentionally “continuing” the rain. The rainy condition itself remains unchanged.

A useful basic image is:

• 続ける: someone continues an action or activity
• 続く: a situation, event, or condition continues

Grammatically, 続ける is usually a transitive verb, while 続く is an intransitive verb.

Situation 1: Everyday Conversation

Both 続ける and 続く are common in everyday Japanese, but they appear in different kinds of situations.

When Someone Keeps Doing Something: 続ける

Imagine that your friend started a diet three months ago.

「ダイエット、まだやってる？」
“Are you still on your diet?”

「うん。もう3か月続けてるよ。」
“Yeah. I’ve kept it up for three months already.”

The person is actively continuing the diet, so 続ける is natural.

You will often hear expressions such as:

• 日本語の勉強を続ける
  to continue studying Japanese

• 運動を続ける
  to keep exercising

• 仕事を続ける
  to continue working

• 練習を続ける
  to continue practicing

• 話を続ける
  to continue talking

In conversation, these are also very natural:

「これからも続けるつもり？」
“Are you planning to continue?”

「もう少し続けてみる。」
“I’ll try continuing a little longer.”

「無理しないで続けてね。」
“Keep it up, but don’t push yourself too hard.”

Because 続ける often describes a person’s action, it can easily carry a feeling of intention, effort, or determination.

When a Situation Keeps Going: 続く

Now imagine that it has been extremely hot for several days.

「最近、暑いね。」
“It’s been hot lately.”

「本当だね。この暑さ、いつまで続くんだろう。」
“Yeah. I wonder how long this heat will last.”

Here, the heat itself is continuing, so 続く is natural.

Other common combinations include:

• 雨が続く
  the rain continues

• 暑い日が続く
  hot days continue

• 渋滞が続く
  the traffic jam continues

• 不景気が続く
  the economic slump continues

• 沈黙が続く
  the silence continues

In everyday conversation, one useful question is:

“Is someone continuing something, or is something simply continuing?”

That question will often lead you to the right verb.

Situation 2: News, Articles, and Reading Passages

Both verbs frequently appear in newspapers, explanatory texts, and JLPT reading passages.

However, 続く is especially common when describing a situation or trend objectively.

For example:

「全国的に厳しい暑さが続いています。」
“Severe heat continues across the country.”

「原材料価格の高い状態が続いています。」
“High raw-material prices continue.”

「この地域では人口の減少が続いています。」
“The population continues to decline in this region.”

In each sentence, the writer is describing an ongoing condition or trend.

That is why 続く is natural.

By contrast, 続ける is common when a person, company, government, organization, or other actor intentionally continues an activity.

「政府は今後も支援を続ける方針です。」
“The government plans to continue providing support.”

「会社は新しい技術の研究を続けています。」
“The company continues its research into new technology.”

「警察は詳しい調査を続けています。」
“The police are continuing a detailed investigation.”

When you see 続ける in a reading passage, ask:

“Who is continuing what?”

When you see 続く, ask:

“What situation, event, or trend has not ended?”

This is particularly useful in JLPT reading questions.

Situation 3: Intention, Emotion, and Evaluation

The difference between the two verbs can also affect the feeling of a sentence.

Because 続ける often describes a person’s action, it frequently suggests intention, effort, or determination.

For example:

「大変ですが、日本語の勉強を続けます。」
“It is difficult, but I will continue studying Japanese.”

This sentence suggests a decision:

“I won’t give up.”

Similarly:

「彼は失敗しても挑戦を続けた。」
“He continued trying even after failing.”

Here, 続けた highlights his active effort and determination.

In contrast, 続く focuses more on the ongoing state itself.

「厳しい状況が続いている。」
“The difficult situation continues.”

The sentence does not focus on anyone’s intention. It describes the fact that the situation has not changed.

Of course, 続く can still appear in emotional sentences.

「嫌なことばかり続く。」
“Bad things just keep happening.”

「こんな生活がいつまで続くんだろう。」
“I wonder how long this kind of life will continue.”

The speaker clearly has feelings about the situation, but the verb 続く itself describes the situation continuing rather than someone actively maintaining it.

A useful distinction is:

• To focus on someone’s action, intention, or effort: 続ける
• To focus on an ongoing condition, event, or trend: 続く

The Difference Between 続ける and 続く

The two verbs share the basic idea that something does not stop, but they look at the situation from different angles.

• 続ける (tsuzukeru) is generally transitive.
• Think of the question 「何を？」, “What does someone continue?”
• It commonly appears with を.
• It often describes an intentional action.
• It can suggest effort, choice, or determination.

By contrast:

• 続く (tsuzuku) is generally intransitive.
• Think of the question 「何が？」, “What continues?”
• It commonly appears with が.
• It often describes a continuing situation, event, or trend.
• It is very common in objective descriptions and news reports.

One particularly important pair is:

「会議を続ける。」
“We continue the meeting.”

「会議が続く。」
“The meeting continues.”

In the first sentence, someone decides not to end the meeting.

In the second sentence, the focus is simply on the fact that the meeting has not ended.

The same noun can therefore appear with both verbs, but the point of view changes.

Check With Example Sentences

Example 1

「毎日30分、日本語の勉強を続けています。」
“I continue studying Japanese for 30 minutes every day.”

The speaker actively keeps up the habit of studying. Therefore, 続ける is natural.

Example 2

「雨の日が一週間も続いています。」
“The rainy days have continued for an entire week.”

The sentence describes an ongoing weather condition, so 続く is used.

Example 3

「疲れていましたが、最後まで仕事を続けました。」
“I was tired, but I continued working until the end.”

The person actively chose not to stop working. This sentence can also suggest effort or determination.

Example 4

「会議は予定より長く続きました。」
“The meeting lasted longer than planned.”

The focus is on how long the meeting continued, not on someone’s decision to continue it.

Example 5

「少し休んでから、話を続けましょう。」
“Let’s take a short break and then continue our discussion.”

Someone will actively resume the action of talking, so 続ける is natural.

Example 6

「この問題が続くと、生活への影響が大きくなるでしょう。」
“If this problem continues, the impact on daily life will probably become greater.”

This type of expression is common in explanatory writing, news, and JLPT reading passages.

Example 7

「彼は10年以上、この研究を続けています。」
“He has continued this research for more than ten years.”

The sentence focuses on the researcher’s long-term activity and effort.

Example 8

「景気の悪い状態が長く続いた。」
“The poor economic conditions continued for a long time.”

The writer objectively describes an ongoing economic condition, so 続く is natural.

How to Read These Verbs on the JLPT

On the JLPT, do not look at 続ける and 続く in isolation.

Look at the words around them.

First, identify whether there is an active person or organization.

For example:

「企業は環境への取り組みを続けている。」
“Companies are continuing their environmental initiatives.”

The company is performing an activity, so 続ける is used.

Now compare:

「人口の減少が続いている。」
“The population decline is continuing.”

Here, the trend itself is continuing, so 続く is used.

Particles also give you an important clue:

• 支援を続ける
  continue support

• 調査を続ける
  continue an investigation

• 研究を続ける
  continue research

Compare these with:

• 暑さが続く
  the heat continues

• 混乱が続く
  the confusion continues

• 減少が続く
  the decline continues

If you memorize both verbs only as “continue,” JLPT questions can become confusing.

Instead, ask two questions:

「誰が何を続けている？」
“Who is continuing what?”

「何が続いている？」
“What is continuing?”

This small change in perspective makes the difference much easier to recognize.

Summary

続ける (tsuzukeru) and 続く (tsuzuku) both express continuation, but they are not interchangeable.

Remember:

• Someone actively keeps doing something → 続ける
• A situation, event, or condition remains ongoing → 続く
• Think 「何を？」 → 続ける
• Think 「何が？」 → 続く
• Intention and effort are often associated with → 続ける
• Objective descriptions of ongoing situations often use → 続く

Instead of memorizing vocabulary as isolated translations, learn Japanese through situations.

That is especially important at JLPT N3 and N2, where knowing a dictionary meaning is not always enough. You also need to understand which expression sounds natural in context.

RJT (Rapid Japanese Training) helps you build this skill by practicing Japanese vocabulary, grammar, and reading through repeated questions.

If you often think, “I know both words, but I’m not sure which one belongs here,” practice choosing the natural expression in context.

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