留まる
とどまる · todomaru · JLPT N2 · verb-godan
to stay
📌 留 = stop/detain; 留まる = stop and stay put, like a pinned note
Sounds like to-do maru: the task you circled stays on the list. 留 is the 'stop' kanji, so the verb means to stop and remain in one place.
留 — 卯 (top) + 田 (field)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 田 (field) suggests staying on the land, with 卯 hinting at the sound. Over time it came to mean 'remain, stay, keep,' as in keeping someone on the land or holding something in place. Modern uses include 留学 (study abroad) and 保留 (retain).
とまる · tomaru · JLPT N2 · verb-godan
to stay
📌 留 (fasten, hold fast) + まる (become): becomes fastened, so it stays put in one place
It shares its reading with 止まる (tomaru, to stop), but 留 stresses being fastened or held fast. Compare 留守 (rusu), staying home while others are away.
留 — 卯 (top) + 田 (field)
Originally a phono-semantic compound: 田 (field) suggests staying on the land, with 卯 hinting at the sound. Over time it came to mean 'remain, stay, keep,' as in keeping someone on the land or holding something in place. Modern uses include 留学 (study abroad) and 保留 (retain).