出すdasu“start doing; suddenly begin”

〜出す attached to a verb means “to suddenly start doing” or “to burst out doing.” It is a JLPT N4 compound-verb pattern: 雨が降り出した — “it started to rain (all of a sudden).”

On its own, 出す means “to take out” or “to put out.” When it follows another verb’s masu-stem, it usually loses that physical meaning and marks the moment an action breaks out. The typical subjects are things nobody fully controls: weather, crying babies, a crowd that starts running, a machine that starts moving.

〜出す films the start of an action from the outside: one second nothing, the next second it’s happening.

What does 出す mean?

The pattern is verb stem + 出す, and the result means “start ~ing,” usually with a sense of surprise or suddenness. English often translates it with “burst into,” “break into,” or just “start.”

• 泣き出す — burst into tears
• 笑い出す — burst out laughing
• 走り出す — break into a run, start running
• 降り出す — (rain or snow) start to fall

The start is seen from the outside. The speaker is describing something that happened in front of them, often without warning. That is why 〜出す pairs so often with 急に (suddenly) and 突然 (abruptly), and why it is rare with actions someone planned in advance.

A second group of 〜出す compounds keeps the literal meaning of “out”: 取り出す (take out), 飛び出す (jump out), 引き出す (pull out, withdraw money). A few have become vocabulary items with their own meaning, most importantly 思い出す (remember) and 言い出す (bring up, propose). You need to recognise both groups, but on the JLPT the “sudden start” meaning is the one being tested.

How to form 出す

Take the verb’s masu-stem (the form before ます) and add 出す. The new compound then conjugates like the godan verb 出す: 出します, 出した, 出して, 出さない.

Only the 出す part changes. The first verb stays frozen in its stem form, exactly as it does in 〜ながら or 〜たい. In writing, the compound is normally spelled with the kanji 出す, though you will sometimes see it in kana (降りだす) in children’s books and casual writing.

When is 出す used?

• Weather and nature: 雨が降り出した, 風が吹き出した. This is the single most common use.
• Emotional outbursts: 泣き出す, 笑い出す, 怒り出す. Someone’s feelings suddenly spill over.
• Movement starting: 走り出す, 歩き出す, 動き出す. A person, a car, or a train starts moving.
• Someone suddenly saying something: 話し出す (start talking), 言い出す (bring up an idea, often an unexpected one).

Most 〜出す sentences are in the past tense and in narration: you are reporting what happened. It appears in everyday conversation (「子どもが急に泣き出して、大変だったよ」) and in stories and reading passages, where it marks a turning point in the scene.

出す example sentences

The first four show the core meaning: an action breaking out. The last three are fixed compounds. 取り出す is literally “take + out,” while 思い出す and 言い出す are best learned as separate vocabulary words.

Nuance of 出す

The feeling of 〜出す is abrupt and outside the speaker’s control. When you say 赤ちゃんが泣き出した, you are not describing a decision the baby made; you are describing crying that suddenly broke out. Compare 泣き始めた, which simply reports that the crying began.

This has a grammatical consequence. Because 〜出す describes something that “just happens,” it does not fit sentences where someone deliberately starts something:

• Invitations: 〜出しましょう sounds wrong. Use 〜始めましょう.
• Requests: 〜出してください is unnatural for “please start.” Use 〜始めてください.
• Plans and intentions: 来月からジョギングし出すつもりです is odd. You plan to 始める, not to 出す.

💡 Quick test: if you can add 急に or 突然 and the sentence still makes sense, 〜出す is probably fine. If the start was scheduled or chosen, reach for 〜始める.

〜出す also works for habits that kick in suddenly and can’t be stopped. 彼は話し出すと止まらない (“once he starts talking, there’s no stopping him”) uses 出す because the start is the trigger for the whole situation, and nobody, not even him, is really in control of it.

出す vs 始める

Both attach to the masu-stem and both translate as “start ~ing.” The difference is how the action starts and whether someone chose to start it.

Many sentences accept both: 雨が降り始めた and 雨が降り出した are both correct. The first sounds like a weather report; the second sounds like you were caught outside without an umbrella. When the start is gradual, like cherry blossoms opening over several days (桜が咲き始めた), 始める is clearly the better choice.

Common mistakes with 出す

Is 出す on the JLPT?

Expect a sentence with 急に or 突然 and a blank after a masu-stem. If the choices include both 出した and 始めた, look for a request or ましょう in the sentence: that rules out 出す.

Practice questions for 出す

Learning path for 出す

Related grammar to review next

• 始める — the neutral “start ~ing,” and the one to use for invitations, requests, and plans.
• 終わる — the same masu-stem compound, marking the end of an action instead of its start.
• 続ける — stem + 続ける keeps an action going after it has broken out.
• てくる — 降ってきた is another natural way to say “it started raining,” seen from where you stand.
• 急に — the adverb that most often travels with 〜出す.

Learn 出す with Hane

Hane drills masu-stem compounds like 降り出す and 降り始める in short sessions, so you pick the right one by feel. Practise N4 grammar in Hane.