他動詞

About

In Japanese, transitive verbs (他動詞たどうし) are characterized by having a direct object, or a "recipient" of their action. They are also generally paired with the を particle (although there are exceptions, and it may be omitted).

E.g. マイクが本ほんを読よんだ。
"Mike read a book."

The transitive verb 読よむ acts upon the direct object 本ほん.

Many transitive verbs are identifiable by ending in える, or す/せる. But this is not always the case.

You can also identify transitive verbs by asking "what" questions. For example, "What did Mike read?". Since this question makes sense, we know that 読よむ, "to read", is a transitive verb.

Summary

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  Transitive verbs have a direct object

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  Transitive verbs are usually paired with the を particle