How to Conjugate Verbs in Japanese

Learning Japanese can feel like an uphill battle. Not only do you need to memorize thousands of new characters and perfect your pronunciation, but you also need to learn how to string characters together to form a sentence and conjugate verbs. While the first step in language learning starts with the alphabet, one of the key elements in gaining fluency in Japanese is learning how to conjugate verbs. Even after mastering only a few basic verb conjugations, you’ll be able to form sentences and even express yourself.

Luckily, in comparison to other languages, Japanese verb conjugation is fairly straightforward. There are very few exceptions to the rules and even irregular verbs follow a pattern of sorts. In this article, we’ll give you some key information on how to conjugate verbs in Japanese, along with a few examples to help you along the way.

Japanese Verbs List

Japanese verbs are used in the same way that English verbs are used—to describe an action. They’re formed by combining different characters of the Japanese alphabet. Some of the most common Japanese verbs used in language are as follows:

• 言う (lu) — to say
• 行く (iku) — to go
• する (saru) — to do
• くる (kuru) — to come
• です (desu) — to be
• 出来る (dekiru) — to be able to do
• 持つ (motsu) — to have/hold
• 見る (miru) — to see
• 待つ (matsu) — to wait
• 作る (tsukuru) — to make
• 着く (tsuku) — to arrive
• 出る (saru) — to leave
• 会う (au) — to meet
• 置く (oku) — to put
• 学ぶ (manabu) — to learn
• 受ける (uketoru) — to receive
• 食べる (taberu) — to eat
• 飲む (nomu) — to drink
• 使う (tsukau) — to use
• 呼ぶ (yobu) — to call
• 買う (kau) — to buy
• 聞く (kiku) — to hear
• 話す (hanasu) — to speak
• 死ぬ (shinu) — to die
• 要る (iru) — to need
• 寝る (neru) — to sleep
• 喋る (shaberu)— to chat

There are hundreds of different verbs that are used in language, but this is a basic list that can help you get started understanding how to conjugate Japanese verbs. The more you study, the more verbs you can add to your vocabulary.

Different Ways to Conjugate Japanese Verbs

Unlike other languages, Japanese verbs aren’t conjugated based on the subject’s gender or number. Instead, you will conjugate verbs in Japanese based on their group, tense, and formality. While this can be a little intimidating at first, working with a Japanese native speaker can help you gain more confidence. Download Tandem today to practice your Japanese verb conjugation in real conversations.

In Japanese, there are only three verb groups and 14 different conjugation forms, which can make the learning process a little more straightforward. There are also two different ways to conjugate Japanese verbs, either formally (masu-form) or casually (plain form).

As an added bonus, the future tense doesn’t exist in Japanese, so you don’t have to worry about learning that either. In the following text, we’ll go over how to conjugate Japanese verbs in the present and past tense to get you started on your journey to fluency. To get started, let’s explore the three verb groups: U-verbs, Ru-verbs, and irregular verbs.

How to Conjugate U-Verbs in Japanese

U-verbs are also referred to as Godan verbs (五段動詞) or V1 verbs. This group includes every verb that ends with an a or u vowel sound. When conjugated, the u (う) vowel will change to another vowel that’s in the Hiragana alphabet—either a (あ), e (え), i (い), or o(お). Some examples of U-verbs include:

• 買う(kau)— to buy
• 死ぬ(shinu) — to die
• 話す(hanasu) — to speak
• 待つ (matsu) — to wait
• 飲む (nomu) — to drink

To conjugate U-verbs in the present polite form, you will change the う ending to the い row and add an additional ます. If you want to say someone is drinking, you will therefore change the characters from 飲む (nomu) to 飲みます (nomimasu).

You may want to have your Hiragana and Katakana Japanese alphabets handy for these conjugations as it will make the process much easier until their tables are memorized. Present tense plain form is pretty easy, because it’s just how it’s conjugated in the dictionary form.

To conjugate U-verbs in the past polite form, you will chante the う ending to the い row and add the ending ました. Therefore, if you want to say someone drank something, you will change 飲む (nomu) to 飲みました (nomimashita).

However, there are a few extra rules for the U-verbs in past plain form. This will require a little more memorization, but they’re the only exceptions to the rules. You can view them in the chart below:

Japanese Conjugation for Ru-Verbs

Ru-verbs are also referred to as Ichidan verbs (一段動詞) or V2 verbs. These verbs can be identified by their ending. They will end in any kana that is in the i (い) or e (え) column in addition to ru (る)—therefore the ending will always be iru/eru. The verb base will always stay the same, which is why their Japanese spelling of Ichidan includes the — symbol. They are considered one-form verbs. Some examples of Ru-verbs include:

• 食べる (taberu) — to eat
• 寝る (neru) — to sleep
• 見る (miru) — to see
• 起きる (okiru) — to wake up/get up
• 出る (deru) — to leave

To conjugate Ru-verbs in the present polite form, you will need to drop the る and add ます. Therefore, if you want to say someone eats, you will change the characters 食べる (taberu) to 食べます (tabemasu). Present tense plain form remains as it is in the dictionary.

To conjugate Ru-verbs in the past polite form, you will need to drop the る and add ました. Therefore, if you want to say someone ate, you will change the characters 食べる (taberu) to 食べました (tabemashita).

To conjugate Ru-verbs in the past plain form, you will need to drop the る and add た. In this instance, ate would change from 食べる (taberu) to 食べた (tabeta).

How to Conjugate Irregular Japanese Verbs

Irregular verbs (変格動詞) are also sometimes referred to as V3 verbs. Unlike other languages, conjugating irregular Japanese verbs is the easiest of the three, as there are only two verbs that are considered irregular: to do (する or suru) and to come (来る or kuru). Although their conjugation varies from the U-verbs and Ru-verbs, it’s easy to memorize the various forms of these two verbs. These two Japanese verbs are often paired with other Japanese noun cases to create other verbs, such as to study (勉強する or benkyō suru). This can also help clarify adjectives in Japanese.

• To conjugate the Japanese irregular verb “to do” in the present tense you will change する (suru) to します (shimasu). To conjugate the Japanese verb “to come” you will change 来る (kuru) to 来ます (kimasu). Those are the only irregular verbs, so just try to memorize them and you’re all set!

• To conjugate the Japanese irregular verb “to do” in the past polite form, you’ll change する (suru) to しました (shimashita). To conjugate the same verb in the past plain form, you’ll change する (suru) to した (shita).

• To conjugate the Japanese irregular verb “to come” in the past polite form, you’ll change 来る (kuru) to 来ました (kimashita). To conjugate the same verb in the past plain form, you’ll change 来る (kuru) to 来た (kita).

When you know which group the Japanese verb belongs to, you can easily identify its stem and therefore, finalize your verb conjugation. Although it may seem a bit overwhelming at first, the more you practice, the better you’ll get. Another great way to help you solidify your knowledge on how to conjugate verbs in Japanese is to communicate with a native speaker within the Tandem community.

Tandem is a one-of-a-kind language learning platform that’s powered by millions of native speakers around the world. Rather than working through AI-generated content, Tandem allows you to match with a native Japanese speaker and communicate using real conversations. All you need to do is sign up, download the app, match with a native speaker of your target language, and introduce yourself! You can then work together to teach each other your native tongue. Our relationship-driven model is what makes Tandem unique, and many of our members even develop long-lasting friendships during their journey towards fluency. To join our community and work on your Japanese skills, sign up for Tandem today.