泊まる vs 止まる
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
Both are read とまる, and the kanji separates them: 泊まる means to stay the night somewhere, and 止まる means to come to a stop. The water radical in 泊 is a hint — it is the lodging word, as in 一泊, one night's stay.
When to use each
泊まる
とまる
Use 泊まる for spending the night away from home. The place takes に: ホテルに泊まる, 友達の家に泊まる. Counting nights uses the same kanji: 二泊三日.
今夜はホテルに泊まります。
こんやはホテルにとまります。
Tonight I'll stay at a hotel.
友達の家に一晩泊まりました。
ともだちのいえにひとばんとまりました。
I stayed one night at my friend's house.
止まる
とまる
Use 止まる when motion or operation ceases — a train, a car, a clock, the rain, a machine. It is intransitive: the thing stops by itself, and 止める (とめる) is the transitive partner.
電車が駅に止まりました。
でんしゃがえきにとまりました。
The train stopped at the station.
雨が止まるまで待ちましょう。
あめがとまるまでまちましょう。
Let's wait until the rain stops.
Sentences where only one works
京都では旅館に泊まりました。
きょうとではりょかんにとまりました。
In Kyoto I stayed at a traditional inn.
An overnight stay, so 泊. Writing 止まりました would say you came to a halt at the inn.
この電車は各駅に止まります。
このでんしゃはかくえきにとまります。
This train stops at every station.
Both verbs take に here, so only the kanji tells you the train halts rather than spends the night.
時計が止まっています。
とけいがとまっています。
The clock has stopped.
A machine ceasing to run is always 止まる; 泊まる needs a person as its subject.
叔母の家に三日泊まるつもりです。
おばのいえにみっかとまるつもりです。
I plan to stay at my aunt's house for three days.
A span of days confirms 泊まる — 止まる does not take a duration like this.
Common mistakes
ホテルに止まります。
ホテルに泊まります。
The typing error nearly everyone makes, because 止まる is learned at N5 and comes up first when converting とまる. Written this way it says you halt in front of the hotel.
バスが泊まりました。
バスが止まりました。
A vehicle cannot 泊まる — only people lodge somewhere. The passengers inside could 泊まる; the bus cannot.
車を止まりました。
車を止めました。
Not a kanji problem but the partner verb: 止まる is intransitive and cannot take を. To stop something yourself, use 止める.
Frequently asked questions
Are they really pronounced identically?
Yes, both are とまる with the same pitch in standard Japanese. Context does all the work in speech, which is why the mistake only shows up in writing.
What is 停まる? I have seen it used for trains.
停まる is an alternative writing for vehicles pulling up at a stop, matching 停車 and バス停. It is outside the standard everyday-use kanji readings, so 止まる is what you should write.
How do I say how many nights I stayed?
Use the 泊 counter: 一泊 for one night, 二泊三日 for two nights and three days. Seeing 泊 in these counters is a good memory hook for 泊まる.