By name: verb-entry description: Requirements for creating or revising verb entries in je-dict-1. Covers transitivity, aspect/ている behavior, particle patterns, and collocations.
Verb Entry Requirements
Reminder: Write each entry individually by hand. Do not use scripts to mass-produce entries. See entry-guidelines skill.
When creating or revising VERB entries, work from the sections below as an inventory — not a checklist to clear every time. Verb-entry notes typically run 2–3 sections (~400–1,000 chars for single-sense entries; see vocabulary-notes for the full length table). Transitivity is almost always included; aspect/ている is included only when the behavior is non-obvious; medium-priority sections (register, negative usage, keigo) are included only when they add something the gloss and examples don't.
Conjugation Field (REQUIRED)
Every verb entry must include a conjugation field with the full set of conjugated forms. See the verb-conjugations skill for the complete specification.
After creating a verb entry, run python3 build/add_conjugations.py to generate the conjugation data, or include it directly. Also ensure metadata.tags.verb_class is set (e.g., "godan-ku", "ichidan", "suru").
Required Sections (HIGH PRIORITY)
1. Transitivity Information
Every verb MUST specify transitivity and its pair:
TRANSITIVITY:
- Type: Intransitive ({自動詞|じどうし}) / Transitive ({他動詞|たどうし})
- Pair: [pair verb with reading] (if exists)
- Pattern: Xが[verb] / Xを[verb]
Common pairs to know:
- 開く/開ける, 閉まる/閉める, 始まる/始める, 終わる/終える
- 出る/出す, 入る/入れる, 付く/付ける, 消える/消す
- 割れる/割る, 壊れる/壊す, 決まる/決める, 変わる/変える
Pair linking: Use prominent_see_also (NOT cross_references) to link transitive/intransitive pair verbs. The note field should indicate what the target entry is ("transitive" or "intransitive"). Always verify the back-link exists on the pair entry.
2. Aspect/ている Behavior (when non-obvious)
Explicitly state what ている means for this verb only when it's non-obvious — typically for stative/resultative verbs in the reference list below, or verbs where ている produces a state rather than an ongoing action. For ordinary action verbs where ている means "is doing X" in the expected way, this section can be omitted.
ASPECT:
- Type: Telic (has endpoint) / Atelic (ongoing)
- ている meaning: Resulting state / Ongoing action / Both
- Example: [verb]ている = [meaning]
Critical verbs needing aspect notes:
- 知る → 知っている means "know" (state), not "is learning"
- 結婚する → 結婚している means "is married" (state)
- 死ぬ → 死んでいる means "is dead" (state)
- 持つ → 持っている means "have" (state)
Reference list of verbs with non-obvious ている behavior:
Resultative state (ている = "is in the state of having done X"):
- {結婚|けっこん}する → {結婚|けっこん}している = is married
- {死|し}ぬ → {死|し}んでいる = is dead
- {座|すわ}る → {座|すわ}っている = is seated
- {立|た}つ → {立|た}っている = is standing
- {持|も}つ → {持|も}っている = has/possesses
- {着|き}る → {着|き}ている = is wearing
- {住|す}む → {住|す}んでいる = lives (at)
- {太|ふと}る → {太|ふと}っている = is fat/overweight
- {痩|や}せる → {痩|や}せている = is thin
- {開|あ}く → {開|あ}いている = is open
- {閉|し}まる → {閉|し}まっている = is closed
- {壊|こわ}れる → {壊|こわ}れている = is broken
- {決|き}まる → {決|き}まっている = is decided
- {似|に}る → {似|に}ている = resembles
- {慣|な}れる → {慣|な}れている = is accustomed
- {疲|つか}れる → {疲|つか}れている = is tired
- {落|お}ちる → {落|お}ちている = is on the ground (has fallen)
- {並|なら}ぶ → {並|なら}んでいる = is lined up
- {曲|ま}がる → {曲|ま}がっている = is bent/curved
- {混|こ}む → {混|こ}んでいる = is crowded
- {起|お}きる → {起|お}きている = is awake
- {売|う}れる → {売|う}れている = is popular / sells well
- {届|とど}く → {届|とど}いている = has arrived (is there)
- {始|はじ}まる → {始|はじ}まっている = has started (is underway)
- {終|お}わる → {終|お}わっている = is over/finished
Knowledge/cognitive state (ている = current mental state):
- {知|し}る → {知|し}っている = knows (negative: {知|し}らない, NOT {知|し}っていない)
- {覚|おぼ}える → {覚|おぼ}えている = remembers
- {信|しん}じる → {信|しん}じている = believes
- {分|わ}かる → {分|わ}かっている = understands (already)
Habitual (ている = regularly does X):
- {勤|つと}める → {勤|つと}めている = works at / is employed at
- {通|かよ}う → {通|かよ}っている = attends regularly / commutes to
- {付|つ}き{合|あ}う → {付|つ}き{合|あ}っている = is dating / is in a relationship
3. Core Particle Patterns
Show which particles the verb takes:
PARTICLE PATTERNS:
- [noun]が[verb] - [meaning]
- [noun]を[verb] - [meaning]
- [noun]に[verb] - [meaning]
4. Common Collocations
List 2-3 typical noun pairings:
COMMON PATTERNS:
- {時間|じかん}がかかる (takes time)
- {手間|てま}がかかる (takes effort)
- {お金|おかね}がかかる (costs money)
Medium Priority Sections
5. Register Label
Mark as: Casual / Neutral / Formal
6. Negative Usage Notes
State when the verb is NOT used:
WHEN NOT USED:
- {降|ふ}る: Only for precipitation, never for objects falling
- Use {落|お}ちる for objects dropping
7. Keigo Cross-References (for common verbs)
Link to honorific alternatives:
- {食|た}べる → {召|め}し{上|あ}がる / いただく
- {来|く}る → いらっしゃる
Template for Notes Section
Important: Follow the formatting guidelines in the vocabulary-notes skill for proper structure.
[Verb] is [transitivity type]. The transitive/intransitive pair is [pair verb].
ASPECT (ている):
[explanation of aspect behavior]
COMMON PATTERNS:
- [collocation 1]
- [collocation 2]
- [collocation 3]
[Any register notes, negative usage, or keigo references]
Example Sentences
See the example-sentences skill for complete requirements including:
- Minimum counts: 5 examples per sense (basic/core) or 3 (general)
- Progressive length: Examples should get longer from first to last
- Vocabulary restrictions by tier
- Quality standards and formatting
Sense Numbers in Examples
For verbs with multiple senses, each example must include a sense_numbers field:
"examples": [
{
"id": "00001_verb_ex1",
"japanese": "...",
"english": "...",
"sense_numbers": [1]
}
]
Verb-specific guidelines:
- Each example should clearly demonstrate the sense it's tagged with
- Transitivity-related examples typically share the same sense
- Figurative vs. literal uses often require different sense numbers
- Idiomatic expressions may warrant their own sense
- Show particle patterns ({noun}を{verb}, {noun}に{verb}, etc.)
- Demonstrate ている usage where relevant
Required Tags for Verbs
All verb entries must include these tags in metadata.tags:
"metadata": {
"tags": {
"pos": ["verb-godan"], // verb-godan, verb-ichidan, verb-suru, verb-kuru, verb-irregular
"transitivity": "transitive", // REQUIRED for verbs: transitive, intransitive, or both
"formality": "neutral", // formal, neutral, informal, vulgar
"politeness": "plain", // honorific, humble, polite, plain
"semantic": ["movement"] // Choose appropriate category
}
}
Transitivity tag values:
transitive: Takes a direct object (他動詞) - Xを[verb]intransitive: No direct object (自動詞) - Xが[verb]both: Can be used both ways (rare, e.g., 増える/増やす patterns in one verb)
Semantic categories for verbs:
movement: 行く, 来る, 歩く, 走る, 泳ぐcommunication: 話す, 聞く, 言う, 読む, 書くcognition: 思う, 知る, 考える, 覚える, 忘れるexistence: ある, いる, なる, できるconsumption: 食べる, 飲む, 使う, 買うaction: Fallback for verbs not fitting other categories
Quality Checklist for Verbs
- All kanji have furigana (headword, examples, AND notes)
- Verify:
python3 build/verify_furigana.py <entry_id>shows "✓ OK" - Tags complete: pos, transitivity, verb_class, formality, politeness, semantic
- Conjugation field present with full forms (see
verb-conjugationsskill) - Transitivity clearly marked (自動詞/他動詞)
- Pair verb identified (if exists)
- Aspect/ている behavior explained
- Core particle patterns shown
- At least 2 collocations listed
- Examples show the verb in natural contexts
- Irregular conjugations noted (行く→行って, etc.)
- All examples have valid sense_numbers