To become fluent in Japanese in no time, you will need to grasp a really good understanding of Japanese verb conjugation right from the beginning. The very foundations of the language are verbs. Grammatically speaking, a sentence consists only of a verb! It is possible to communicate and get by in Japan even if you only know a few basic verbs.
Is It Difficult to Learn Japanese Verb Conjugation?
As opposed to English, Japanese verbs don’t have subjects attached. When you learn the verb 書く, to write, you can say “I write”, “you write”, “they write” and so on. Similarly, you need not worry about any particular subject’s gender. There is only one form to fill out!
The majority of learners anticipate verbs to be challenging when diving into Japanese grammar. However, Japanese verb conjugation is actually quite straightforward with few exceptions. A few of them are even irregular in their irregularity.
The various tenses and formalities that Japanese verbs have must be memorized in order for them to conjugate properly. As a bonus, there are only 3 verb groups and 14 conjugation forms in the Japanese language.
How does verb conjugation work in Japanese?
You must first determine which group a verb belongs to before you can conjugate it in Japanese. You conjugate verbs within a group in the same way.
Finding the stem of a verb is easier if you know which group it belongs to. To translate, you attach Japanese conjugation inflections to a verb’s base.
The three groups of verbs in Japanese are:
- It can also be called Godan verbs or V1 verbs ending with U
- V2, or Ichidan verbs, are Ru-verbs
- Vocabulary irregularities / V3.
Godan verbs or V1 verbs ending with U
All verbs ending with a /u/ sound belong to this group, such as 話す (to speak), 買う (to buy), 読む (to read), 飛ぶ (to fly) etc.
Upon conjugating a u-verb, the final /u/ vowel in the stem changes to another vowel /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/.
The reason for the term 五段動詞 (ごだんどうし, which literally translates as “five-form verbs”) in Japanese.
V2, or Ichidan verbs, are Ru-verbs
Verbs ending in iru or eru (unless some words fall under group 1) can only be conjugated in one way. That way, you can remember it more easily.
Vocabulary irregularities / V3.
来る (kuru) and する (suru) are words that have no conjugation rules. Memorization, therefore, is the only effective method.
How many Japanese verb conjugations are there?
The masu verb form is the easiest to learn, and once you’ve found the stem of a verb, you’re ready to learn the 14 forms of Japanese verb conjugation.
Starting from the most basic, most frequently used Japanese verbs:
- masu form – the standard Polite form
- plain form – also known as “the dictionary”
- nai form – is the simple negative
- ta form – past tense affirmative
- nakatta form – simple past negative
- te form – a form for naming lists
How to conjugate Japanese masu form verbs like a pro
Formality greatly influences the construction of the Japanese language, without going into advanced explanations. A native Japanese speaker uses the masu form for people they don’t know well or are socially higher than with people they’re not intimate with.
Beginning Japanese language programs teach beginners how to communicate politely with Japanese people early on, mostly because it is easy to memorize and at the same time it is easy for beginner students to remember.
ます (masu) is considered a present tense because it can take both present and future tenses. The polite present affirmative is conveyed through this phrase. If the speaker intends the present or the future by the words and the context, you can determine whether they are speaking about the present.
Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: ます Form
For group 1, change the sound of the u う to the sound of the i い and add ます masu
いく く→き いきます
のむ む→み のみます
あそぶ ぶ→び あそびます
かう う→い かいます
はなす す→し はなします
Group 2 let’s cut ru る and add masu ます.
たべる たべます
ねる ねます
おきる おきます
いる います
あびる あびます
Group 3 has きます coming with します, and the ending します as a noun.
くる きます
する します
べんきょうする べんきょうします
かいものする かいものします
The negative form of Masu ます
A negative form is masen ません, which conveys both the present and the future. Conjugation is simple after you understand the ます-form.
The negative form is conjugated by substituting ません for ます
たべる たべます → たべません。
ねる ねます → ねません。
おきる おきます → おきません。
いる います → いません。
あびる あびます → あびません。
The past tense of Masu ます and ません
There is also a regular and easy way to remember both past affirmative ました and past negative ませんでした
たべます → たべました。
たべません → たべませんでした。
Besides learning the four basic forms, Japanese verb conjugation requires mastering the plain form (present affirmative & future), the nai form (present negative & future), the ta form (past affirmative) and the nakatta form (past negative).
Those basic forms go beyond expressing tenses, and so a good memory of them is essential.
How to conjugate plain form Japanese verbs like a true master.
When you look up a verb in a dictionary, you find the plain form ( (辞書系) ). With this form, you can find the stem and group of a verb. In plain form, hiraganas from the hiragana table’s /u/ row end all Japanese verbs.
Use the plain form to communicate only with more familiar people, such as family members, friends, or colleagues with whom you have a very close relationship. Unless you are addressing a specific reader, such as in an email, you usually write in plain form. Papers written for newspapers, academic journals, and other documents that only give information do not address the reader directly.
Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Plain Form
Group 1 ( ます is a い） row, change it to a う row,
いきます → いく
のみます → のむ
あそびます → あそぶ
かいます → かう
はなします → はなす
Group 2 (page ます in a row え + exception word) cut ます, add る *
たべます → たべる
ねます → ねる
おきます → おきる
います → いる
あびます → あびる
Group 3 has きます coming with します
きます → *くる
します → する
How do you make a nai form a negative verb in Japanese?
～ない (-nai) is a negative form of the verb used in informal contexts. The verbs have the following conjugations:
1.The first group of verbs are: ～ます change from the sound of i い to a あ sound and add ～ない.
**Except い change to わ
| ます-Form | ない-Form | Meaning |
| あ 会います (aimasu) | あ 会わない (awanai) | Don’t meet |
| か 買います (kaimasu) | か 買わない (kawanai) | Don’t buy |
| い 行きます (ikimasu) | い 行かない (ikanai) | Don’t Go |
2. 2nd group of verbs: cut ～ます, discarded and add ～ない,
| ます-Form | ない-Form | Meaning |
| す 捨てます (sutemasu) | す 捨てない (sutenai) | do not throw |
| つか 疲れます (tsukaremasu) | つか 疲れない (tsukarenai) | Do not tired |
| み 見ます (mimasu) | み 見ない (minai) | Do not look |
3. The 3rd group of verbs such as
| ます-Form | ない-Form | Meaning |
| き 来ます (kimasu) | こ 来ない (konai) | Do not come |
| します (shimasu) | しない (shinai) | Do not do |
To conjugate ～ない-form verbs into the past, change ～ない to ～なかった, for example:
| ない-Form | ない-Form Past tense |
| あ 会わない (awanai) | あ 会わなかった (awanakatta) |
| い 行かない (ikanai) | い 行かなかった (ikanakatta) |
How do you change past tense verbs to Japanese?
Past affirmatives are simple forms that indicate that something was done in the past.
U-verbs pose a challenge to the construction of the ta form depending on the last hiragana of their names, but thankfully there are few exceptions
1. The first group of verbs is divided into 4 groups:
1.1 Before ます is き, changed to ～いた / ぎ, changed to ～いだ.
| ます-Form | た-Form | Meaning |
| ある 歩きます (arukimasu) | ある 歩いた (aruita) | walked |
| な 泣きます (nakimasu) | な 泣いた (naita) | cried |
Note: 行きます(ikimasu), meaning to go, is converted to 行った (itta).
1.2. Before ～ます is み、び、に changed to ～んだ.
| ます-Form | た-Form | Meaning |
| す 住みます (sumimasu) | す 住んだ (sunda) | lived |
| と 飛びます (tobimasu) | と 飛んだ (tonda) | flied |
1.3. Before～ます is い、ち、り changed to ～った
| ます-Form | た-Form | Meaning |
| あ 会います (aimasu) | あ 会った (atta) | met |
| た 立ちます (tachimasu) | た 立った (tatta) | stood |
1.4.Before ～ます is し, just add ～た.
| ます-Form | た-Form | Meaning |
| け 消します (keshimasu) | け 消した (keshita) | Turned off |
| さが 探します (sagashimasu) | さが 探した (sagashita) | looked for |
2. Group 2 verbs: cut ～ます, add ～た,
| ます-Form | た-Form | Meaning |
| おぼ 覚えます (oboemasu) | おぼ 覚えた (oboeta) | remembered |
| ね 寝ます (nemasu) | ね 寝た (neta) | slept |
3. Group 3 verbs: cut ～ます, add ～た, such as
| ます-Form | た-Form | Meaning |
| き 来ます (kimasu) | き 来た (kita) | Came |
| します (shimasu) | した (shita) | Did |
Japanese Verb Negative Plain Past なかった Form
For past-negative conjugation, start with the noun’s stem (/a/) and then add “katta” to the verb. This action did not take place, and you may say so casually:
ます-Form | ない-Form | なかった Form |
| あ 会います (aimasu) | あ 会わない (awanai) | 会わなかった |
| か 買います (kaimasu) | か 買わない (kawanai) | 買わなかった |
| い 行きます (ikimasu) | い 行かない (ikanai) | 行かなかった |
How do you conjugate Te form?
This structure is the foundation of Japanese grammar, helping to construct complex sentences by connecting clauses together. Typically, you would use te-forms to show causality among several events or to list success actions:
For example:
1） 昼ごはんを食べて、テレビを見て、寝ました。
I ate lunch, watched TV, and went to bed.
2） デパートに行って、買い物をします。
I go to a department store and do some shopping.
What is the TE form of verbs?
Auxiliary words (te) are auxiliary words (setsuzoku joshi) that are used after verbs or adjectives conjugated in the renyoukei form in order to join words. Depending on the context, to convey meaning. て can be transformed into で depending on the grammatical conjugation of the verb or adjective.
１.This refers to the sequence of events that occurred before. Continuously occurring,
For example:
1） 昼ごはんを食べて、テレビを見て、寝ました。
I ate lunch, watched TV, and went to bed.
2） デパートに行って、買い物をします。
I go to a department store and do some shopping.
2. Describes something that has a logical basis,
For example:
1) 風邪を引いて、学校を休んだ。
I caught a cold and was absent from school.
3. Explains things that have harmony in their meaning
For example:
1) この家が古くて、汚いです。
This house is old and messy.
2）この車が新しくて、高いです。
This car is new and expensive.
When two adjectives have conflicting meanings, the te form should not be used.
4.Refers to procedures or methods such as
For example:
1） 毎日歩いて、会社に行きます。
I walk every day and go to work.
5. Refers to the start of time, or a particular time period in the past,
For example:
1） 会社で働いて、５年間になりました。
I have been working for a company for 5 years.
V. Group 1
Let’s begin with action group 1. The first thing we need to know is that each verb has a last sound or hiragana. Is that what it ends with? Based on the following table, divide into groups. After we have identified each group of verbs, we can convert the word form Dict into て form.
After we separate the verb groups, this method is used to come up with one verb. Follow these steps. (In Japanese, there are three groups of medicinal verbs, so let’s see if they’re from group 1, group 2, or group 3.)
1.1 Before ます is き, changed to ～いた / ぎ, changed to ～いで.
| ます-Form | て-Form |
| ある 歩きます (arukimasu) | ある 歩いて (aruita) |
| な 泣きます (nakimasu) | な 泣いて (naita) |
Note: 行きます(ikimasu), meaning to go, is converted to 行って (itte).
1.2. Before ～ます is み、び、に changed to ～んで.
| ます-Form | て-Form |
| す 住みます (sumimasu) | す 住んで (sunda) |
| と 飛びます (tobimasu) | と 飛んで (tonda) |
1.3. Before～ます is い、ち、り changed to ～って
| ます-Form | て-Form |
| あ 会います (aimasu) | あ 会って (atta) |
| た 立ちます (tachimasu) | た 立って (tatta) |
1.4.Before ～ます is し, just add ～て.
| ます-Form | て-Form |
| け 消します (keshimasu) | け 消して (keshita) |
| さが 探します (sagashimasu) | さが 探して (sagashita) |
V. Group 2
Next, let’s look at the second group of verbs. A hiragana character represents each of these verbs. There will be a repeating pattern of ending words withる ru. Right, in the first group of verbs? Although group 2 verbs have the same る ru, there are only a few in group 2. It’s important to remember what is there. Since the rest of the verbs will be in the first category.
Second group of verbs are those with a sound ending in いる and える (must be a sound, not letters).
For example,
the word 見せる みせる means to see .
This る has a sound ending in る*, so it falls under the second group of verbs, since the る is pronounced as a vowel.
You can easily conjugate the second group of verbs, Minna-san, just cut off the る and replace it with て. The following picture might help you understand (if you still don’t understand, please see the picture below).
| ます-Form | て-Form |
| おぼ 覚えます (oboemasu) | おぼ 覚えて (oboeta) |
| ね 寝ます (nemasu) | ね 寝て (neta) |
V. Group 3
The last group of verbs, the third group of verbs, consists of only two verbs, する and くる so remember how they differ.
する means to do, change the time to change する to して
くる means come, when you change, change くる to きて
We can do a little more than that. There are only a few minutes left. Hehe. Verbs that are nouns will also be included in this third group of verbs. A symptom verb is created by taking a noun and turning it into a verb by adding +する.
勉強 「べんきょう」means to study. When adding する , it becomes 勉強する means to study
テニス means tennis. When adding
する it becomes テニスする means to play tennis,
3. Group 3 verbs: cut ～ます, add ～た, such as
| ます-Form | て-Form |
| き 来ます (kimasu) | き 来て (kita) |
| します (shimasu) | して (shita) |
