Grammar Expansion • Verbs

🔧 The Three Types of Japanese Verbs

Verb Types Formality and Conjugation Negatives Practice

Understanding Japanese verb classification is the foundation of proper conjugation. Master these three types and you'll unlock the systematic patterns that make Japanese verbs predictable and manageable.

Quick Identification Guide

Master This First!

Learning to quickly identify verb types is crucial because each type follows different conjugation patterns. This skill will save you time and prevent mistakes.

🔵

る-verbs (いちだん)

End in る with い or え sound before る

たべる

みる

ねる

🟢

う-verbs (ごだん)

End in う-sound syllables

のむ

かく

はなす

🔴

Irregular

Only する and くる

する

くる

べんきょうする

1. る-verbs (いちだん Verbs) - The Predictable Ones

る-verbs are called いちだん (one-step) because they follow the simplest conjugation pattern. They always end with る preceded by an い or え sound.

🔍 Identification Rules:

Dictionary form ends with る
The sound before る is い (like み, き, し) or え (like べ, ね, せ)
No exceptions to conjugation rules
About 60% of commonly used verbs are る-verbs

Verb (Dictionary Form)	Sound Pattern	Meaning	ます Form
たべる	ta-BE-ru (え+る)	to eat	たべます
みる	mi-RU (い+る)	to see/look	みます
おきる	o-KI-ru (い+る)	to wake up	おきます
ねる	ne-RU (え+る)	to sleep	ねます
でる	de-RU (え+る)	to exit	でます
いる	i-RU (い+る)	to exist (living)	います
きる	ki-RU (い+る)	to wear	きます
おしえる	oshi-E-ru (え+る)	to teach	おしえます

💡 Why る-verbs are Easy:

る-verbs follow a simple pattern: remove る and add the appropriate ending. This makes them the most predictable verb type in Japanese. Once you learn one る-verb conjugation, you know them all!

📝

2. う-verbs (ごだん Verbs) - The Shape-Shifters

う-verbs are called ごだん (five-step) because they use all five vowel sounds (a, i, u, e, o) in their conjugations. They end in う-sound syllables and change their endings based on grammar patterns.

🎯 う-verb Endings Guide:

うくぐすつぬぶむる*

*る endings need special attention - many are う-verbs!

Ending	Example	Meaning	ます Form
う	かう	to buy	かいます
く	かく	to write	かきます
ぐ	およぐ	to swim	およぎます
す	はなす	to speak	はなします
つ	まつ	to wait	まちます
ぬ	しぬ	to die	しにます
ぶ	よぶ	to call	よびます
む	のむ	to drink	のみます
る	はしる	to run	はしります
る	ある	to exist (non-living)	あります

⚠️ Tricky る-ending う-verbs:

These verbs end in る but are NOT る-verbs because the sound before る is not い or え:

• はしる (hashiru - to run)

• かえる (kaeru - to return)

• しる (shiru - to know)

• いる (iru - to need)*

• きる (kiru - to cut)*

*Note: いる and きる can be both う-verbs and る-verbs with different meanings!

⚡

3. Irregular Verbs - The Special Two

Good news! Japanese only has two truly irregular verbs. However, these two are extremely common and form compound verbs with nouns, making them essential to master early.

🔥

する (suru) - "to do"

する

ます form: します

Usage: Forms compound verbs with nouns

Common Compounds:

べんきょうする (to study)

しごとする (to work)

りょうりする (to cook)

うんどうする (to exercise)

🚶

くる (kuru) - "to come"

くる

ます form: きます

Usage: Movement toward speaker

Common Compounds:

もってくる (to bring)

つれてくる (to bring someone)

かえってくる (to come back)

でてくる (to come out)

🎯 Why These Two Matter So Much:

する: Creates hundreds of compound verbs by combining with nouns
くる: Essential for expressing movement and direction
Both appear in countless daily expressions and grammar patterns
Learning their irregular conjugations early prevents future confusion

You will learn more about compound verbs in a later phase.

Common Classification Mistakes

❌ Assuming all verbs ending in る are る-verbs

Wrong:

はしる, かえる, しる treated as る-verbs

Correct:

はしる (run), かえる (return), しる (know) are う-verbs

The vowel before る must be い or え for it to be a る-verb

❌ Confusing いる and ある usage

Wrong:

ほんがいる (using いる for inanimate objects)

Correct:

ほんがある (books exist) / ひとがいる (people exist)

いる is for living things, ある is for non-living things

❌ Not recognizing compound verbs with する

Wrong:

べんきょう as a separate word

Correct:

べんきょうする (to study) is する + noun

Many compound verbs use する with nouns

Conjugation Pattern Preview

Here's a quick preview of how each verb type conjugates to ます form. You'll learn the full conjugation patterns in the next lesson!

る-verbs

たべる

↓

たべます

Remove る, add ます

う-verbs

のむ

↓

のみます

Change う to い, add ます

Irregular

する

↓

します

Memorize special forms

Essential Points to Remember

Identification is Key:
Always identify the verb type before conjugating. This prevents 90% of conjugation errors.
る-ending Confusion:
Not all verbs ending in る are る-verbs. Check the vowel sound before る.
Irregular Verbs:
Only する and くる are truly irregular. Master these two early.
Compound Verbs:
Many verbs combine with する (noun + する = verb). Learn to recognize this pattern.

Section Selection Formality & Conjugation