Difference between 折る and 折れる


What's the difference between `折【お】る` and `折【お】れる`? According to my
dictionary, they both mean `to break` or `to fold`. When would you use one
over the other? These verbs are on the [JLPT N4 vocabulary
list](http://www.tanos.co.uk/jlpt/jlpt4/vocab).




This is an example of a [自他]{じ・た} pair. These pairs are an important concept
to learn in Japanese because there are a _ton_ of them!
[[Here]{LLLL}](http://www.mlcjapanese.co.jp/Download/ViVt.pdf)
[[are]{LLL}](http://nihongo.monash.edu/ti_list.html)
[[several]{LLLLLLL}](http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/in-
transitive)
[[resources]{LLLLLLLLL}](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Japanese/Grammar/Transitivity)
with lots of examples and good explanations.

* * *

折る is a [他動詞]{た・どう・し} which is a transitive verb. This means an external
agent/influence performs the action in question. You can remember this because
他 is also read as 「ほか」, meaning "(an)other"; so something _other_ than the
object itself performs the action on the object. With transitive verbs, you'll
have **を** to show that the external agent performs the action **on**
something. In the case of 折る you might have something like

>   * 花子は左腕の骨 **を** 折った → Hanako broke (the bone of) her left arm
>   * 僕は枝 **を** 踏んで折った → I stepped on the branch and broke it
>   * 手紙 **を** 折る → Fold a letter
>

* * *

折れる is a [自動詞]{じ・どう・し} which is an intransitive verb. This means the action
happens to the thing/object itself, and the object is the focus. You can
remember this by remembering 自 means "itself", like 自分. With intransitive
verbs, since the focus is the thing itself, you'll have **は** or **が** to show
this focus. In case of 折れる:

>   * 枝 **が** 折れた → The branch (itself) broke
>   * 本が落ちて、何枚ものページ **が** 折れた → The book fell, and several pages were
> bent/"folded".
>

* * *

If you want some extra confusion after you learn the basics, check out

  * [自～／他～ペア：逆の形 — Transitive/Intransitive pairs: opposite forms](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/1306/78)
  * [Passive-transitive-verb vs. Intransitive-verb （他動詞の受け身 vs. 自動詞)](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/329/78)
  * [How do 自他 triplets of related verbs work?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/12837/78)




This is an example of a [自他]{じ・た} pair. These pairs are an important concept
to learn in Japanese because there are a _ton_ of them!
[[Here]{LLLL}](http://www.mlcjapanese.co.jp/Download/ViVt.pdf)
[[are]{LLL}](http://nihongo.monash.edu/ti_list.html)
[[several]{LLLLLLL}](http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/in-
transitive)
[[resources]{LLLLLLLLL}](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Japanese/Grammar/Transitivity)
with lots of examples and good explanations.

* * *

折る is a [他動詞]{た・どう・し} which is a transitive verb. This means an external
agent/influence performs the action in question. You can remember this because
他 is also read as 「ほか」, meaning "(an)other"; so something _other_ than the
object itself performs the action on the object. With transitive verbs, you'll
have **を** to show that the external agent performs the action **on**
something. In the case of 折る you might have something like

>   * 花子は左腕の骨 **を** 折った → Hanako broke (the bone of) her left arm
>   * 僕は枝 **を** 踏んで折った → I stepped on the branch and broke it
>   * 手紙 **を** 折る → Fold a letter
>

* * *

折れる is a [自動詞]{じ・どう・し} which is an intransitive verb. This means the action
happens to the thing/object itself, and the object is the focus. You can
remember this by remembering 自 means "itself", like 自分. With intransitive
verbs, since the focus is the thing itself, you'll have **は** or **が** to show
this focus. In case of 折れる:

>   * 枝 **が** 折れた → The branch (itself) broke
>   * 本が落ちて、何枚ものページ **が** 折れた → The book fell, and several pages were
> bent/"folded".
>

* * *

If you want some extra confusion after you learn the basics, check out

  * [自～／他～ペア：逆の形 — Transitive/Intransitive pairs: opposite forms](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/1306/78)
  * [Passive-transitive-verb vs. Intransitive-verb （他動詞の受け身 vs. 自動詞)](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/329/78)
  * [How do 自他 triplets of related verbs work?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/12837/78)

