N4 · Verbs
The volitional form
let's, in plain speech
The plain counterpart of ましょう: let's do it, or I think I will.
The volitional is the plain version of ましょう. Among friends 行こう is "let's go" and 食べよう "let's eat", in exactly the situations where colleagues would say 行きましょう and 食べましょう.
A う-verb moves its last kana to the o row and adds う: 書く → 書こう, 飲む → 飲もう, 待つ → 待とう, 買う → 買おう. A る-verb replaces る with よう: 見よう, 寝よう. する becomes しよう and 来る becomes 来よう. The final う is not a separate syllable but lengthens the vowel before it: 行こう is ikō.
Said to nobody in particular, the volitional is a decision taking shape: そろそろ寝よう "right, time for bed". With か it becomes a casual offer or a question to the group: 手伝おうか "shall I help?", どこで食べようか "where shall we eat?". Followed by と思う it reports an intention — "I am thinking of…" — which has a topic of its own.
English speakers make two mistakes. They attach よう to the ます-stem of a う-verb, producing a form that does not exist; and they use the volitional to talk about other people. 行こう is always the speaker's own will, or an invitation that includes the speaker: at the end of a sentence, "he will go" cannot be said with it.
The form
stem (regular) stem (irregular) ending
| let's write | 書こう |
| let's drink | 飲もう |
| let's buy it | 買おう |
| let's go home | 帰ろう |
| let's eat | 食べよう |
| let's go to bed | 寝よう |
| let's do it | しよう |
| let's come (again) | 来よう |
The rules one by one
A う-verb moves its last kana to the o row and adds う.
疲れたね。ちょっと休もう。We're tired, aren't we? Let's take a break.
A る-verb replaces る with よう; する and 来る become しよう and 来よう.
明日また来よう。Let's come again tomorrow.
On its own the volitional proposes or decides; with か it offers or asks the group.
重そうだね。持とうか。That looks heavy. Shall I carry it?
At the end of a sentence it expresses only the speaker's will, never somebody else's.
よし、今日から毎日走ろう。Right — from today I'm going to run every day.
Followed by と思う, it reports an intention.
夏休みに日本へ行こうと思っています。I am thinking of going to Japan in the summer holidays.
A closer look
From proposal to thought
The volitional sits on a line that runs from speaking to thinking. Said to a friend, 帰ろう proposes going home together. Said under your breath, it is the decision itself. In 帰ろうと思う it becomes a report on that decision — "I think I will go home" — and in 帰ろうとした it describes an attempt or a moment just before: "I tried to go home", "I was about to go home".
All four are the same form doing the same job — marking an intention as the speaker's own — which is why a sentence ending in the volitional never describes what somebody else wants. For other people Japanese reports instead: 帰ると言っています "he says he is going home".
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the verb describes something nobody decides — 分かる, ある, できる, 見える
its volitional is not used to mean "let's"; to aim at such a result, Japanese uses another construction, such as ようにしよう.
毎日少しずつ練習して、話せるようにしよう。Let's practise a little every day so that we can speak.
The volitional expresses a will, and you cannot will yourself to understand or to see. What you can decide is to work towards it.
How to spot it
- 〜おう
- 〜こう
- 〜よう
- しよう
- 〜うか
- 〜ようか
- と思う
Example sentences
雨だから、タクシーで帰ろう。It's raining, so let's take a taxi home.
明日は早いから、もう寝よう。We have an early start tomorrow, so let's go to bed.
週末、一緒に映画を見よう。Let's watch a film together at the weekend.
何を食べようか。What shall we eat?
窓、開けようか。Shall I open the window?
よし、頑張ろう。Right, let's give it our best.
7 more example sentences
駅まで歩こう。Let's walk to the station.
今夜はカレーを作ろう。Let's make curry tonight.
電車が来ないね。バスで行こうか。The train isn't coming. Shall we take the bus?
来年は日本語の試験を受けようと思います。I am thinking of taking a Japanese exam next year.
みんなで写真を撮ろう。Let's take a photo of all of us.
遅れそうだから、急ごう。We're going to be late — let's hurry.
次の日曜日、また会おう。Let's meet again next Sunday.
Worth knowing (1)
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The う you write and do not say
The final う of the volitional is written but heard only as length: 行こう is ikō, two beats on the o, not iko-u. The same is true of よう, pronounced yō. Saying the う as a separate vowel is one of the clearest signs of reading from the page.
もう帰ろう。Let's go home now.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Learners who know 食べよう and the ます-stem 行き put the two together. よう belongs only to る-verbs and the irregulars; a う-verb takes its o-row kana plus う, so 行く becomes 行こう.
The o-row plus う for a う-verb, よう for a る-verb, and only ever for what the speaker means to do.
Your turn
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