N5 · Verbs
The three verb groups
う-verbs, る-verbs and the two irregulars
Every verb belongs to one of three groups, and the group decides every form it takes.
Every Japanese verb in its dictionary form ends in a kana from the u row of the syllabary — う, く, ぐ, す, つ, ぬ, ぶ, む or る — and every verb belongs to one of three groups. The group decides how all the other forms are built, so it is the first thing to know about a new verb, in the same way that an English speaker needs to know that "go" is irregular before saying "went".
The う-verbs (also called group 1 or godan verbs) keep a root and change their last kana: 書く becomes 書きます, 書かない, 書こう. The る-verbs (group 2 or ichidan verbs) drop the final る and add an ending to what is left: 食べる becomes 食べます, 食べない. The irregular group has two members, する "to do" and 来る "to come" — plus the hundreds of verbs built on する, such as 勉強する "to study". In the table, the first colour is the part that stays and the second the part that changes or drops; the irregular part has a colour of its own.
Telling them apart takes two questions. A verb that does not end in る is always a う-verb. A verb ending in る after an a, u or o sound — 分かる, 作る, 乗る — is a う-verb too, apart from the two irregulars する and 来る. Only a verb ending in -iru or -eru can be a る-verb: 見る, 起きる, 寝る, 食べる. Most of them are — but not all.
The ones that are not are where English speakers go wrong. 帰る "to go home", 入る "to enter", 走る "to run", 知る "to know" and 切る "to cut" look exactly like る-verbs and are う-verbs, so their ます-form keeps the り: 帰ります. The common ones fit on a single card, and learning them as a list is quicker than meeting them one mistake at a time.
The form
stem (regular) stem (irregular) ending
| to write — う-verb | 書く |
| to speak — う-verb | 話す |
| to wait — う-verb | 待つ |
| to drink — う-verb | 飲む |
| to buy — う-verb | 買う |
| to go home — a う-verb that looks like a る-verb | 帰る |
| to eat — る-verb | 食べる |
| to see — る-verb | 見る |
| to get up — る-verb | 起きる |
| to do — irregular | する |
| to come — irregular | 来る |
| to study — built on する | 勉強する |
The rules one by one
A verb that does not end in る is a う-verb.
駅で友達を待ちます。I will wait for my friend at the station.
Apart from する and 来る, a verb ending in -aru, -uru or -oru is a う-verb.
毎朝バスに乗ります。I take the bus every morning.
A verb ending in -iru or -eru is usually a る-verb, and its ます-form drops る.
毎朝6時に起きます。I get up at six every morning.
A few -iru and -eru verbs are う-verbs and keep り in the ます-form.
今日は早く帰ります。I am going home early today.
する and 来る are irregular, and so is every verb made of a noun and する.
毎晩日本語を勉強します。I study Japanese every evening.
A closer look
Why the ます-form will not tell you the group
It is tempting to learn verbs only in the ます-form, since that is what you say. But 帰ります and 借ります look like the same kind of verb, and they are not: the first is the う-verb 帰る "to go home", the second the る-verb 借りる "to borrow". From the ます-form alone nobody can say whether the り is a changed る or part of the stem.
The form that gives the group away is the plain negative: 帰らない against 借りない. That is why dictionaries list verbs in the dictionary form, and why it pays to learn every new verb in that form together with its group, even while you are still speaking in ます.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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a verb ends in -iru or -eru but is one of a short list — 帰る, 入る, 走る, 知る, 切る, 要る, しゃべる
it is a う-verb and keeps its り: 帰ります, 切ります.
部屋に入ります。I am going into the room.
In these verbs the i or e belongs to the root and る is the changing kana, just as in 作る. The spelling hides the boundary; the other forms show it.
How to spot it
- 〜う
- 〜く
- 〜す
- 〜つ
- 〜む
- 〜る
- する
- 来る
Example sentences
毎朝コーヒーを飲みます。I drink coffee every morning.
父は7時に帰ります。My father comes home at seven.
私は毎晩11時に寝ます。I go to bed at eleven every night.
週末はテニスをします。At the weekend I play tennis.
田中さんは明日来ます。Mr Tanaka is coming tomorrow.
駅まで走ります。I will run to the station.
8 more example sentences
毎日日記を書きます。I write in my diary every day.
電車の中で本を読みます。I read a book on the train.
夜はテレビを見ます。In the evening I watch television.
弟はよく寝ます。My younger brother sleeps a lot.
日曜日に友達が来ます。A friend is coming on Sunday.
この言葉を知っていますか。Do you know this word?
毎週部屋を掃除します。I clean my room every week.
ここで靴を脱ぎます。You take your shoes off here.
Worth knowing (2)
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Same sound, different group
着る "to put on" and 切る "to cut" are both kiru. The first is a る-verb and the second a う-verb, so "I put it on" is 着ます and "I cut it" is 切ります. 変える "to change" and 帰る "to go home" are another such pair. On paper the kanji keeps them apart; in speech the other forms do.
シャツを着ます。紙を切ります。I put on a shirt. I cut the paper.
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A noun and する make a verb
Hundreds of verbs are a noun followed by する: 勉強する, 料理する, 電話する, 掃除する. They all conjugate exactly like する, so learning its forms once covers every one of them. The noun can also take を: 料理をします.
今晩、家族に電話します。I will phone my family this evening.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
帰る ends in -eru and looks like 食べる, so learners drop the る as if it were a る-verb. It is a う-verb: its る is the changing kana, and in the ます-form it becomes り. 入る, 走る and 知る catch people in exactly the same way.
No final る means a う-verb; -iru or -eru usually means a る-verb; the exceptions are worth a list.
Your turn
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