他動詞（たどうし、tadoushi）
- transitive verb

The Japanese word 他動詞 (たどうし, *tadōshi*) translates to "transitive verb" in English. It refers to verbs that require a direct object to complete their meaning. A direct object is the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb. Basically, it's a verb that "acts upon" something.

⚫︎本を読みます。 Translation: I read a book. Explanation: The verb 読みます (yomimasu, "read") requires an object 本 (hon, "book"). 本 is the direct object that is being read. ⚫︎彼がお金を盗みました。 Translation: He stole money. Explanation: The verb 盗みました (nusumimasu, "stole") needs an object お金 (okane, "money"). お金 is the direct object that was stolen. ⚫︎私はリンゴを食べました。 Translation: I ate an apple. Explanation: The verb 食べました (tabemashita, "ate") requires a direct object リンゴ (ringo, "apple"). リンゴ is the direct object that was eaten.

他動詞 is used in Japanese grammar discussions, textbooks, and when analyzing sentence structure. You would use this term when explaining the function of a verb in a sentence and identifying whether it requires a direct object. It is a fundamental concept in understanding Japanese sentence construction.

⚫︎ The word is typically written in kanji as 他動詞. ⚫︎ The reading is written in hiragana as たどうし. ⚫︎ There are no common alternate ways to write this word. ⚫︎ The okurigana (hiragana suffixes) are standard and do not vary. The kanji 他 means "other" or "another" and 動詞 (dōshi) means "verb".

There aren't direct synonyms for 他動詞 in the same way that you have synonyms for regular nouns or verbs. The concept is defined by its characteristics rather than by alternate words. However, you might use phrases like "verb requiring an object" when explaining the concept.

The antonym of 他動詞 is 自動詞 (じどうし, *jidōshi*), which means "intransitive verb." Intransitive verbs do not require a direct object to complete their meaning.

この文の動詞は他動詞です。 ・Translation: The verb in this sentence is a transitive verb. ・Explanation: This sentence directly uses the word 他動詞 to identify the verb type.

「食べる」は他動詞で、目的語を取ります。 ・Translation: "食べる" (taberu, "to eat") is a transitive verb and takes an object. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the verb "to eat" is 他動詞 and requires an object (e.g., food) to be complete.

The word 他動詞 is a compound word formed from two kanji: 他 (ta), meaning "other" or "another" or “external”, and 動詞 (dōshi), meaning "verb". The name reflects that this type of verb's action affects something outside itself.