Introduction
All Japanese verbs belong to one of three groups. Learning to identify which group a verb belongs to is the first step to conjugating it correctly.
Wondering why Group 1 is called "five levels" and Group 2 "one level"? See the naming explanation in the introduction.
Group 1: Godan Verbs (五段動詞)
Also called u-verbs or consonant-stem verbs.
Identification
- End in an う (u) sound: く, ぐ, す, つ, ぬ, む, る, う
- The most common type of verb
Common Examples
| Hiragana | Kanji | Romaji | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| かく | 書く | kaku | to write | verb |
| はなす | 話す | hanasu | to speak | verb |
| よむ | 読む | yomu | to read | verb |
| かう | 買う | kau | to buy | verb |
| つくる | 作る | tsukuru | to make | verb |
| まつ | 待つ | matsu | to wait | verb |
Conjugation Pattern (Masu Form)
The stem changes based on the final syllable:
| Ending | Change | Example |
|---|---|---|
| く → き | + ます | 書く → かきます |
| ぐ → ぎ | + ます | 泳ぐ → およぎます |
| す → し | + ます | 話す → はなします |
| つ → ち | + ます | 待つ → まちます |
| ぬ → に | + ます | 死ぬ → しにます |
| む → み | + ます | 読む → よみます |
| る → り | + ます | 作る → つくります |
| う → い | + ます | 買う → かいます |
Group 2: Ichidan Verbs (一段動詞)
Also called ru-verbs or vowel-stem verbs.
Identification
- End in る (ru)
- The syllable before る contains an い (i) or え (e) sound
Common Examples
| Hiragana | Kanji | Romaji | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| たべる | 食べる | taberu | to eat | verb |
| みる | 見る | miru | to see | verb |
| おきる | 起きる | okiru | to wake up | verb |
| ねる | 寝る | neru | to sleep | verb |
| あける | 開ける | akeru | to open | verb |
| でる | 出る | deru | to exit | verb |
Conjugation Pattern (Masu Form)
Simply remove る and add ます:
| Dictionary | Masu Form |
|---|---|
| 食べる | たべます |
| 見る | みます |
| 起きる | おきます |
| 寝る | ねます |
All Ichidan verbs follow the exact same pattern. Just drop る and add your ending.
Group 3: Irregular Verbs (不規則動詞)
There are only two irregular verbs in Japanese!
する (suru) — to do
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Dictionary | する |
| Masu | します |
| Te | して |
| Ta | した |
| Nai | しない |
Compound verbs with する:
- 勉強する (benkyō suru) — to study
- 運動する (undō suru) — to exercise
- 料理する (ryōri suru) — to cook
来る (kuru) — to come
| Form | Conjugation | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 来る | kuru |
| Masu | きます | kimasu |
| Te | きて | kite |
| Ta | きた | kita |
| Nai | こない | konai |
来る changes pronunciation when conjugated. The kanji stays the same but the reading changes!
How to Tell Groups Apart
る-ending Verbs
Some verbs end in る but are Group 1, not Group 2!
| Verb | Group | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| 食べる | 2 | べ has an え-sound before る |
| 見る | 2 | み has an い-sound before る |
| 作る | 1 | く doesn't have い or え sound |
| 帰る | 1 | え sound, but it's an exception |
| 入る | 1 | い sound, but it's an exception |
Common Exceptions (Group 1 verbs that look like Group 2)
| Hiragana | Kanji | Romaji | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| かえる | 帰る | kaeru | to return | verb |
| はいる | 入る | hairu | to enter | verb |
| はしる | 走る | hashiru | to run | verb |
| しる | 知る | shiru | to know | verb |
| きる | 切る | kiru | to cut | verb |
Next Steps
Once you're comfortable with this lesson, check out: