# 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, from Proto-Japonic *wopu.
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])
* IPA: [o̞e̞ɾɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「終える」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形) | 終える | おえる | [òérú] |
| Imperative (命令形) | 終えろ | おえろ | [òéró] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 終えられる | おえられる | [òérárérú] |
| Causative | 終えさせる | おえさせる | [òésásérú] |
| Potential | 終えられる | おえられる | [òérárérú] |
| Volitional | 終えよう | おえよー | [òéyóꜜò] |
| 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] |
| Formal | 終えます | おえます | [òémáꜜsù] |
| Perfective | 終えた | おえた | [òétá] |
| Conjunctive | 終えて | おえて | [òété] |
| Hypothetical conditional | 終えれば | おえれば | [òéréꜜbà] |

### Verb

終(お)える • (oeru) 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

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 ||||

#### Synonyms

* 終(しま)う (shimau)
* 結(むす)ぶ (musubu)
* 締(し)め括(くく)る (shimekukuru)
* けりを付(つ)ける (keri o tsukeru)

#### Antonyms

* 始(はじ)める (hajimeru)

#### Derived terms

* 終(お)え (oe)

#### 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
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira (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