やめる (止める・辞める): One Sound, Several Verbs (with Examples)
One sound, several kanji
Here's the situation that trips up almost every learner. You hear "yameru," you see 止める, and you think you know it. But three things are quietly going on at once:
- やめる (止める / often just やめる) — to quit an action or habit you were doing. たばこをやめる, ゲームをやめる.
- 辞める (やめる) — same sound, but a different kanji and a narrower meaning: to quit a job or position. 会社を辞める.
- やむ (止む) — looks related, sounds close, but it's a different verb entirely: rain, wind, and noise stopping on their own. 雨が止む.
And one more twist that catches even intermediate learners: the kanji 止める is also read とめる, which is yet another verb meaning to halt or park something (車を止める). Same characters, different reading, different meaning.
So the takeaway up front: don't trust the kanji alone. Let the meaning tell you the reading. The rest of this guide walks through each one so you'll never mix them up.
The meanings, most common first
1. To stop / quit an action or habit (やめる・止める)
ヤッタンはたばこをやめた。
ヤッタンは たばこを やめた。
Yattan quit smoking.
The all-purpose 'give up doing something' verb. Often written in kana.
2. To stop doing a specific activity (やめる)
ヤッタンは夜のゲームをやめることにした。
ヤッタンは よるの ゲームを やめる ことに した。
Yattan decided to quit playing games at night.
やめる is transitive — it takes を. The thing you quit is the object.
3. To call something off / not do it after all (やめる)
雨だから、モチは散歩をやめた。
あめだから、モチは さんぽを やめた。
Because it was raining, Mochi gave up on the walk.
Use it for cancelling a plan you were about to do, too.
4. To quit a job or resign a position (辞める)
ヤッタンの弟は会社を辞めた。
ヤッタンの おとうとは かいしゃを やめた。
Yattan's little brother quit the company.
Same sound (やめる), but the kanji 辞める is specifically for jobs, schools, and positions.
5. To resign from a role (辞める)
先生は来年、仕事を辞めるそうだ。
せんせいは らいねん、しごとを やめる そうだ。
I hear Sensei is going to leave his job next year.
仕事を辞める / 学校を辞める — leaving an institution uses 辞める.
6. (Rain, wind, sound) to stop on its own (やむ・止む)
やっと雨が止んだ。
やっと あめが やんだ。
The rain finally stopped.
Different verb! やむ is a Group 1 う-verb and INTRANSITIVE — it takes が, not を. No one stops the rain; it just stops.
7. (Wind / crying) to die down on its own (やむ・止む)
風が止むのを待っている。
かぜが やむのを まっている。
We are waiting for the wind to die down.
Te-form of やむ is やんで (Group 1 conjugation), not やめて.
8. To halt / stop / park something (とめる・止める)
ヤッタンは家の前に車を止めた。
ヤッタンは いえの まえに くるまを とめた。
Yattan parked the car in front of the house.
Same kanji 止める, but read とめる. It means bring a moving thing to a halt — a car, a clock, your breath.
Notice what's not happening here: やめる (quit an activity) and とめる (halt a thing) are two different verbs hiding behind one kanji, 止める. If you're quitting a habit, it's やめる. If you're bringing a moving object to a stop, it's とめる. Context — and the object — tell you which.
Common collocations worth memorizing
Learn these as fixed chunks and the right verb will come out automatically:
| Collocation | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| たばこをやめる | tabako wo yameru | to quit smoking |
| ゲームをやめる | geemu wo yameru | to stop playing games |
| 会社を辞める | kaisha wo yameru | to quit one's company |
| 仕事を辞める | shigoto wo yameru | to quit one's job |
| 雨が止む | ame ga yamu | (the rain) stops |
| 風が止む | kaze ga yamu | (the wind) dies down |
| 車を止める | kuruma wo tomeru | to park / stop a car |
| 息を止める | iki wo tomeru | to hold one's breath |
Kanji & related verbs
Three kanji are in play, and matching each to the right meaning is the whole game:
- 止める writes two different verbs: やめる (quit an activity) and とめる (halt/park something). The kanji is the same; the reading and meaning differ. Let context decide.
- 辞める (やめる) is reserved for quitting jobs, schools, and positions. The 辞 kanji also appears in 辞書 (dictionary) and 辞典 — think "words / taking your leave."
- 止む (やむ) is the intransitive cousin: things stopping by themselves. It's a Group 1 う-verb, so it conjugates differently (止まない, 止んで).
A handy memory hook: 辞める has the kanji you'd "formally announce" your departure with (it shares 辞 with 辞書, the world of words); plain やめる/止める is the everyday "I'm done with this." And とめる is the only one of the group about a physical thing coming to a stop.
やめる vs 辞める vs とめる vs やむ
This is the comparison the whole guide builds to. Keep this table in your head:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| やめる (止める) | Quit an action or habit (transitive, ru-verb, takes を) | たばこをやめる = to quit smoking |
| 辞める (やめる) | Quit a job or position (transitive, ru-verb, takes を) | 会社を辞める = to quit the company |
| とめる (止める) | Halt / park a thing (transitive, ru-verb, takes を) | 車を止める = to park the car |
| やむ (止む) | It stops on its own (intransitive, u-verb, takes が) | 雨が止む = the rain stops |
The fastest way to feel the difference: look at the particle and the doer. やめる / 辞める / とめる all take を because someone does them to something. やむ takes が because nothing has a doer — the rain just stops. And between やめる and とめる, ask "am I giving up an activity, or stopping a moving object?" Activity → やめる. Object → とめる.
Quick recap
- やめる (止める) — quit an action/habit. Transitive ru-verb, takes を: たばこをやめる.
- 辞める (やめる) — quit a job/position. Same sound, different kanji: 会社を辞める.
- とめる (止める) — halt/park a thing. Same kanji as やめる, different reading: 車を止める.
- やむ (止む) — it stops by itself. Intransitive Group 1 う-verb, takes が: 雨が止む.
- Don't trust the kanji 止 alone — let the meaning pick the reading.
Your turn
Can you pick the right 'stop' verb in context?
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between やめる and 辞める?
Both are read やめる. Plain やめる (止める) means to quit an action or habit, like たばこをやめる (quit smoking). 辞める is specifically for quitting a job, school, or position: 会社を辞める. Same sound, different kanji and scope.
Is やめる the same word as とめる?
No — they only share the kanji 止める. やめる means to quit an activity (transitive ru-verb), while とめる means to halt or park a physical thing, like 車を止める (park a car). Let the meaning tell you the reading.
Why does 雨が止む use が instead of を?
止む (やむ) is intransitive: the rain stops on its own, with no doer. Intransitive verbs take が. やめる and とめる are transitive — someone does them to something — so they take を.
How do I conjugate やむ versus やめる?
やめる is a Group 2 ru-verb: やめて, やめない, やめた. やむ is a Group 1 う-verb: やんで, やまない, やんだ. Watch the te-form — やめて (quit) vs やんで (rain stopped) are easy to confuse.