I've been struggling with differentiating verbs with the same root, and struggling even harder to find an answer to this question because I'm not sure how to phrase the distinction between these verb types:
There are verbs where the subject does something:
- つける – to turn on
- 見つける – to find
- 考える – to think about
And there are "to be" verbs where it's implied that an outside actor is acting upon the subject.
- つく – to be turned on
- 見当たる – to be found
- 考えられる – to be thought about
In a "perfect" world for Japanese language learners, "to be found" would be 見つく. and "to be thought about" would be 考えく. Obviously, it's not that way. But are there general memorization guidelines for distinguishing between verbs where the subject is doing something, vs. when the subject is being acted upon?
And a bonus question because Wanikani and my studies so far haven't answered: do the elements of verbs (like the kana け, る, く, or maybe ける or られる combined) have a meaning or reason beyond る and く's use in conjugation? Or are they relatively arbitrary and have more to do with how the word was originally created? Outside of conjugation, I guess I'm looking for a pattern or a deeper understanding of the word construction if there is one.
Thanks!
by QuarterRobot