Japanese verb 閉まる: something closing

The idea

閉しまる is a godan verb. The final る becomes ります in the polite form and って in the て form. The polite non-past, negative and past forms are 閉しまります、閉しまりません、閉しまりました. The て form is 閉しまって. 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

• この店みせは夜よる八時はちじに閉しまります。This shop closes at eight in the evening.
• 電車でんしゃのドアが閉しまります。The train doors are closing.
• 台風たいふうで門もんが閉しまりました。The gate closed because of the typhoon.
• 教室きょうしつの窓まどは閉しまっています。The classroom windows are closed.
• かばんのファスナーが閉しまりません。The bag’s zip will not close.
• 日曜日にちようびは銀行ぎんこうが閉しまっています。The bank is closed on Sundays.

Watch out

閉しまる describes the change; its transitive partner 閉しめる describes an action on something.

Try it yourself

1. （閉しまる→ます）＿

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   閉まります

   閉しまります is the polite non-past form; context can indicate a habit or a future event.

2. （閉しまる→て）＿

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   閉まって

   閉しまって is the て form; it can connect clauses.

3. ドア＿閉しまります。（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.