mjhjmtu

While reading naruto's answer to Difference in sentences (と and に）, I realized that although キス is an intransitive verb in Japanese, the English kiss is almost always used as a transitive verb. Some other examples of this are アクセス and リベンジ. My question is thus is there a reason why primarily transitive English words when converted to Japanese could become primarily intransitive words?

My expectation is that primarily transitive English words like to google or to master to become primarily transitive Japanese words and primarily intransitive English words like jump to become primarily intransitive Japanese, which is true for at least those three cases. Is the way words like キス became incorporated into Japanese different from words like マスター?

There should be exceptions, but I suppose this is largely based on the transitivity of the original Japanese verb before it was replaced by the loanword.

• (～に)キスする = (～に)口づけする


• (～に)アクセスする = (～に)進入する/接続する


• (～に)リベンジする = (～に)復讐する


• (～に)コンサルトする = (～に)相談する


• (～に)タッチする = (～に)触れる

When the original Japanese verb is transitive, the loanword version is also transitive.

• (～を)スタートする = (～を)開始する


• (～を)テストする = (～を)試験する

Occasionally, an English intransitive verb can be borrowed as a transitive suru-verb:

• (～を)リタイヤする = (～を)退職する = to retire from ～

Many loaned suru-verbs are not even based on English verbs, so it's not surprising if transitivity is ignored :)

• (～を)マイナスする = (～を)減算する


• (～を)リストラする = (～を)解雇する


• (～を)オンエアする = (～を)放送する