閉める
shimeru[ɕime̞ɾɯ̟]
To close (a door) in Japanese is 閉める (shimeru).
閉める is a transitive verb, meaning it requires an object (like a door or window) to be acted upon.
Meaning: move (a door) (verb)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
shimeru
Did you know?
- If you tell someone to 'close' their eyes, you would use 閉じる (tojiru) rather than 閉める (shimeru).
- While 閉める (shimeru) is used for objects like doors, if you want to close a business or a shop, you might use 締める (shimeru), which is written with a different kanji meaning to 'tighten' or 'finish'.
- The kanji for 'close' in 閉める (shimeru) contains the radical for 'gate' (門), which visually represents the physical act of a door blocking an opening.
Examples in context
- 窓閉めるの忘れてた。I forgot to close the windows.This sentence shows how to express forgetting to close the windows using 閉める.Tatoeba #10608936 by small_snow, translation #10602345 by sundown
- 窓閉めるの忘れちゃった。I forgot to close a window.This sentence shows how to express forgetting to close a window using 閉める.Tatoeba #10605077 by small_snow, translation #10605065 by Ooneykcall
- カーテン閉めるの忘れてた。I forgot to close the curtains.This sentence shows how to express forgetting to close the curtains using 閉める.Tatoeba #11945932 by small_snow, translation #2569581 by Hybrid
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Inside a house during a windy afternoon.
- 陽葵 Himari風が強いから、ドアを閉める。Kaze ga tsuyoi kara, doa o shimeru.The wind is strong, so I will close the door.
- 蓮 Renお願い、閉めてくれる？Onegai, shimete kureru?Please, can you close it?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、閉めるね。Un, shimeru ne.Yeah, I'll close it.
- 蓮 Renありがとう、助かったよ。Arigatou, tasukatta yo.Thanks, that helped.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “close” translations and entries 閉める, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
