入る vs 入れる
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
入る (はいる) means someone or something goes in by itself — the thing that enters takes が: 水が入る. 入れる (いれる) means you put something in, and that thing takes を: 水を入れる. This is the standard Japanese intransitive/transitive pair: the intransitive verb describes the event with no doer, the transitive verb adds a doer and marks the affected thing with を.
When to use each
入る
はいる
Use 入る when the subject itself moves into a place, or when something ends up inside with nobody named as doing it. The place takes に, and the thing entering takes が (or は as topic) — never を.
子どもが部屋に入りました。
こどもがへやにはいりました。
The child went into the room.
かばんに水が入っています。
かばんにみずがはいっています。
Water has gotten into my bag.
入れる
いれる
Use 入れる when a person puts something into somewhere. The thing put in takes を and the destination takes に. If you can say "put X in" in English, it is 入れる.
かばんに本を入れました。
かばんにほんをいれました。
I put the book in my bag.
コーヒーに砂糖を入れますか。
コーヒーにさとうをいれますか。
Do you take sugar in your coffee?
Sentences where only one works
かばんに水が入りました。
かばんにみずがはいりました。
Water got into my bag.
水 takes が, so this is an accident — nobody put it there. 入る is the only choice.
かばんに水を入れました。
かばんにみずをいれました。
I put water in the bag.
Same bag, same water, but 水 takes を, so there is a doer. Swapping が for を is what forces 入れる.
お風呂に入ります。
おふろにはいります。
I take a bath.
You go into the bath yourself, so it is 入る. お風呂を入れる would mean running a bath for someone else.
先生が教室に入ってきました。
せんせいがきょうしつにはいってきました。
The teacher came into the classroom.
The teacher moves herself, so even with a person as subject it is 入る, not 入れる.
Common mistakes
部屋を入ります。
部屋に入ります。
入る takes に for the place you enter, not を. を here sounds like you are inserting the room somewhere.
かばんに本が入りました。 (meaning "I put the book in my bag")
かばんに本を入れました。
With が the sentence says the book got in by itself. If you did it, the book must take を and the verb must be 入れる.
お茶を入りました。
お茶を入れました。
お茶を入れる (to make tea) has a doer and an を object, so only the transitive 入れる works.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remember which one is which?
Look at the particle in front of the verb, not the English. が before the verb means the intransitive one (入る); を means the transitive one (入れる). The same test works for 開く/開ける, 閉まる/閉める and every other pair like this.
Why is はいる written with the same kanji as いれる?
入 just means "in". Japanese builds a pair on one kanji: 入る for something going in and 入れる for someone putting it in. You have to learn the two readings separately — はいる and いれる.
Is お茶を入れる really the same verb?
Yes. Making tea is literally putting tea into a pot or cup, so it uses 入れる with を, like every other transitive use.