終える

Japanese

Kanji in this term
終
お Grade: 3
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
了える (obsolete)

Etymology

/wopu/ → (attributive) /wopuru/ → /wofuru/ → (grammatical shift) /woferu/ → /oheru/ → /oeru/

From Old Japanese verb wopu,^[1]^[2]^[3] from Proto-Japonic *wopu.

Development

Natural progression from Old and Classical Japanese 下(しも)二(に)段(だん)活(かつ)用(よう) (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) verbs ending in -u to modern Japanese 下(しも)一(いち)段(だん)活(かつ)用(よう) (shimo ichidan katsuyō, “lower monograde conjugation”) verbs ending in -eru.

The root verb was ambitransitive, with both transitive and intransitive senses conjugated using the 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) pattern. Over time, the two senses differentiated as the intransitive evolved into modern 終わる (owaru, also derivable as the spontaneous or passive -aru ending from a putative but unrecorded 四段活用 (yodan katsuyō), the full quadrigrade conjugation pattern), while the transitive evolved into modern 終える (oeru, with the 下一段活用 (shimo ichidan katsuyō, “lower monograde conjugation”) pattern, also known as "type 2", and the expected historical development for shimo nidan verbs).

Probably not related to superficially similar 追う (ou, ancient opu, “to follow”, quadrigrade conjugation in older Japanese), considering the distinct lack of initial /w/ in ancient spellings.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) おえる [òérú] (Heiban – [0])^[2]^[4]^[5]^[6]
IPA^(key): [o̞e̞ɾɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 終える

Plain	終える	おえる	`[òérú]`
Conjunctive	終えて	おえて	`[òété]`
Perfective	終えた	おえた	`[òétá]`
Negative	終えない	おえない	`[òénáí]`
Negative perfective	終えなかった	おえなかった	`[òénáꜜkàttà]`
Hypothetical conditional	終えれば	おえれば	`[òéréꜜbà]`
Past conditional	終えたら	おえたら	`[òétáꜜrà]`
Imperative	終えろ終えよ	おえろおえよ	`[òéró]` `[òéꜜyò]`
Volitional	終えよう	おえよー	`[òéyóꜜò]`
Desiderative	終えたい	おえたい	`[òétáí]`
Formal	終えます	おえます	`[òémáꜜsù]`
Formal negative	終えません	おえません	`[òémáséꜜǹ]`
Formal volitional	終えましょう	おえましょー	`[òémáshóꜜò]`
Formal perfective	終えました	おえました	`[òémáꜜshìtà]`
Continuative	終え終えに	おえおえに	`[òé]` `[òé ní]`
Negative continuative	終えず終えずに	おえずおえずに	`[òézú]` `[òézú ní]`
Passive	終えられる	おえられる	`[òérárérú]`
Causative	終えさせる終えさす	おえさせるおえさす	`[òésásérú]` `[òésású]`
Potential	終えられる終えれる	おえられるおえれる	`[òérárérú]` `[òérérú]`

Verb

終(お)える • (oeru) ^{←をへる (woferu)^?}transitive ichidan (stem 終(お)え (oe), past 終(お)えた (oeta))

Japanese verb pair
active	終える
mediopassive	終わる

to end (something), to conclude (something), to finish (something), to quit (something)

Conjugation

Conjugation of "終える" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	終え	おえ	oe
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	終え	おえ	oe
Shūshikei ("terminal")	終える	おえる	oeru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	終える	おえる	oeru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	終えれ	おえれ	oere
Meireikei ("imperative")	終えよ¹ 終えろ²	おえよ¹ おえろ²	oeyo¹ oero²
Key constructions
Passive	終えられる	おえられる	oerareru
Causative	終えさせる終えさす	おえさせるおえさす	oesaseru oesasu
Potential	終えられる終えれる³	おえられるおえれる³	oerareru oereru³
Volitional	終えよう	おえよう	oeyō
Negative	終えない終えぬ終えん	おえないおえぬおえん	oenai oenu oen
Negative continuative	終えず	おえず	oezu
Formal	終えます	おえます	oemasu
Perfective	終えた	おえた	oeta
Conjunctive	終えて	おえて	oete
Hypothetical conditional	終えれば	おえれば	oereba

¹ Written imperative
² Spoken imperative
³ Colloquial potential

Related terms

終(お)わる (owaru) (intransitive)
終(お)わり (owari, “ending”)

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Hirayama, Teruo, editor (1960), 全国アクセント辞典 (Zenkoku Akusento Jiten, “Nationwide Accent Dictionary”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō, →ISBN

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988), 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJS-3] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[NHK-4] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-5] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[ZAJ-6] Hirayama, Teruo, editor (1960), 全国アクセント辞典 (Zenkoku Akusento Jiten, “Nationwide Accent Dictionary”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō, →ISBN

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