とおる (通る): To Pass Through (and 通す・通う)
Why one verb has so many meanings
At first 通る looks like three unrelated ideas — walk down a street, pass a test, get your opinion accepted? But there's a single thread: something travels along a path and comes out the other side.
Walk through a park and your body moves along a route. Pass an exam and you move through the screening to the other side. When your opinion 通る, it travels past everyone's objections and is accepted. Hold that "go along and through" image and the meanings stop feeling random — they're one idea wearing different outfits.
One structural note before the meanings: 通る is intransitive (the subject moves on its own). It has a transitive twin, 通す (とおす, "to let/pass something through"), and a related verb 通う (かよう, "to go back and forth regularly"). All three share the kanji 通 — we compare them at the end.
The meanings, most common first
1. To pass through / go along (通る)
ヤッタンは毎朝この道を通る。
ヤッタンは まいあさ この みちを とおる。
Yattan goes along this road every morning.
The route you travel takes を, even though 通る is intransitive: 道を通る.
2. To pass by / go past (通る)
モチは公園を通って駅に行った。
モチは こうえんを とおって えきに いった。
Mochi went past the park and headed to the station.
公園を通る = pass through / by the park; again を marks the place traversed.
3. To pass an exam or screening (試験に通る)
ヤッタンの弟は試験に通った。
ヤッタンの おとうとは しけんに とおった。
Yattan's little brother passed the exam.
For exams and interviews, the thing you pass takes に: 試験に通る, 面接に通る.
4. To pass an interview (面接に通る)
モチは面接に通って嬉しそうだ。
モチは めんせつに とおって うれしそうだ。
Mochi passed the interview and seems happy.
5. (A request or opinion) to be accepted (意見が通る)
ヤッタンの意見が通った。
ヤッタンの いけんが とおった。
Yattan's opinion was accepted.
An idea, request, or bill 'passes through' objections and gets approved.
6. To be understood / make sense (話が通る)
先生の説明はとても分かりやすくて、話がよく通る。
せんせいの せつめいは とても わかりやすくて、はなしが よく とおる。
Sensei's explanation is very clear, so the point comes across well.
話が通る = the message gets through / makes sense (N4-ish nuance).
The same "go along and through" image powers more advanced uses too: 声が通る (a voice carries / is clear), 風が通る (air passes through), 名前が通る (a name is well known). You don't need these at N5 — but notice they're all the same picture of something passing through.
Common collocations worth memorizing
Some 通る phrases are fixed enough that natives treat them as single units. Watch the particle — を for a route, に for an exam or interview:
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| この道を通る | to go along this road |
| 公園を通る | to pass through / by the park |
| 試験に通る | to pass an exam |
| 面接に通る | to pass an interview |
| 意見が通る | (an opinion) to be accepted |
| 声が通る | (a voice) to carry / be clear |
| 風が通る | (air) to pass through |
Kanji & related verbs
The kanji 通 means "pass through / go along," and it writes all three verbs in this guide — the reading tells you which one you've got:
- 通る (とおる) — intransitive: to pass through, go along, pass an exam.
- 通す (とおす) — transitive twin: to let through / pass something through.
- 通う (かよう) — related: to commute / go regularly back and forth.
The transitive twin 通す is the one you reach for when you send something through a gap or a process:
モチは針に糸を通した。
モチは はりに いとを とおした。
Mochi threaded the needle.
糸を通す = to pass thread through (a needle) — a textbook example of 通す.
先生はお客様を部屋に通した。
せんせいは おきゃくさまを へやに とおした。
Sensei showed the guest into the room.
お客様を部屋に通す = to show a guest in (let them pass through to a room).
And the related 通う (note the different reading, かよう) is about going somewhere regularly, back and forth:
ヤッタンは毎日学校に通っている。
ヤッタンは まいにち がっこうに かよっている。
Yattan goes to school every day.
学校に通う / ジムに通う = to commute to / attend regularly. に marks the destination.
通る vs 通す vs 通う
These three share the kanji 通 but do different jobs. The key questions: Is someone doing it to something? Is it a one-time pass or a regular trip?
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 通る (とおる) — intransitive | The subject passes through / along on its own | この道を通る = go along this road (を marks the route) |
| 通す (とおす) — transitive | Someone passes something through | 針に糸を通す = thread a needle (you push the thread through) |
| 通う (かよう) — related | Go back and forth regularly | 学校に通う = commute to / attend school |
A quick way to feel it: with 通る you move yourself (道を通る); with 通す you push something else through (糸を通す); with 通う you keep going back and forth over time (ジムに通う). Mind the readings — とおる, とおす, but かよう.
Quick recap
- One image powers them all: go along a route and through to the other side.
- 通る is intransitive, a Group 1 う-verb — but the route traversed takes を (道を通る, 公園を通る).
- For exams and interviews use に: 試験に通る, 面接に通る.
- The transitive twin is 通す (とおす): 糸を通す, お客様を部屋に通す.
- The related verb 通う (かよう) means commute / attend regularly: 学校に通う.
Your turn
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Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
Is 通る a ru-verb or u-verb?
通る (とおる) is a Group 1 (う-verb / godan) verb: とお-る → とおり-ます, とおっ-て, とおら-ない. Despite ending in -る, it conjugates like a う-verb, not like 食べる.
Why does 通る take を if it's intransitive?
通る is intransitive, but the route you travel along takes を to mark the path traversed: 道を通る, 公園を通る. The を here marks a place you move through, not a direct object.
What is the difference between 通る and 通す?
通る (とおる) is intransitive — the subject passes through itself (道を通る). 通す (とおす) is transitive — you pass something else through (糸を通す = thread a needle).
How is 通う different from 通る?
通う (かよう) means to go back and forth regularly, like commuting (学校に通う). 通る (とおる) is a one-time passing through a route. Note the different reading: かよう vs とおる.