- The Difference:
- 開く (ひらく) = open (like a flower, open in a spreading motion), transitive and intransitive
- 開ける = open (like a bottle), transitive
- 開く (あく) = open (like a bottle), intransitive
- Ex:
- 手をひらく ＝ open your hand (like a flower)
- When it comes to businesses:
- 開く (ひらく) = open (a new business, business didn’t exist before)
- 開ける = open (for business for the day, from closed to open)
- Ex:
- 店をひらく Open a shop in the sense of establish it and begin trading.
- 店をあける Open the shop for the day. Open the doors.