Japanese verb 開く: a door opening

The idea

開あく is a godan verb. The final く becomes きます in the polite form and いて in the て form. The polite non-past, negative and past forms are 開あきます、開あきません、開あきました. The て form is 開あいて. The thing undergoing the change can be marked by が; an intransitive verb does not imply that there is no cause. Here the ている form can describe the resulting state, not just an action in progress.

Examples

• 自動じどうドアがゆっくり開あきます。The automatic door opens slowly.
• 風かぜで窓まどが開あきました。The wind opened the window.
• 台所だいどころの窓まどが開あいています。The kitchen window is open.
• この店みせは朝あさ九時くじに開あきます。This shop opens at nine in the morning.
• かぎがかかっていて、ドアが開あきません。The door will not open because it is locked.
• ボタンを押おすと、ドアが開あきます。The door opens when you press the button.

Watch out

開あく describes the change; its transitive partner 開あける describes an action on something.

Try it yourself

1. （開あく→ます）＿

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   開きます

   開あきます is the polite non-past form; context can indicate a habit or a future event.

2. （開あく→て）＿

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   開いて

   開あいて is the て form; it can connect clauses.

3. ドア＿開あきます。（が／を）

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   が

   が marks the subject undergoing the change.

Use it today

Make an original sentence, change it to the polite past and identify its particle. Compare your sentence with the examples.