Japanese consonant and vowel verbs

Japanese has two types of regular verb,

  1. consonant-stem, godan katsuyō (五段活用?), Group I, or u verbs, and
  2. vowel-stem, ichidan katsuyō (一段活用?), Group II, or ru verbs.

All vowel-stem verbs end in either -eru or -iru. However, not all verbs ending in iru or eru are vowel-stem verbs; for example, hashiru, "run", is a consonant-stem verb. Consonant-stem verbs end in -au, -iu, -ou, -uu, -ku, -gu, -su, -tsu, -nu, -bu, -mu or -ru.

Consonant-stem verbs conjugate differently from the vowel-stem verbs. Consonant-stem verbs conjugate after a consonant, and vowel-stem verbs conjugate after a vowel, as can be seen in the following examples:

consonant-stem vowel-stem
Plain form yom.u ("read")
読む
hashir.u ("run")
走る
mi.ru ("see")
見る
tabe.ru ("eat")
食べる
Negative yom.anai
読まない
hashir.anai
走らない
mi.nai
見ない
tabe.nai
食べない
Polite form yom.imasu
読みます
hashir.imasu
走ります
mi.masu
見ます
tabe.masu
食べます

Please see Japanese verb conjugations for all the verb forms. See also Japanese grammar: Verbs.

Consonant-stem verbs ending -au, -iu and -ou may not appear to conjugate "after a consonant"; for example, the polite form of kau (買う, "buy") is kaimasu (ka.uka.imasu). However, the stem is in these cases technically considered to end in the consonant w. The w is normally suppressed, but surfaces in the negative form, as in kaw.anai ("does not buy").

The Japanese names ichidan and godan, literally "one stage" and "five stage", refer to the number of ways that the root of the verb can combine with grammatical endings. Ichidan verbs are considered to combine in one way: ~iru~i- or ~eru~e-, whereas godan verbs are considered to combine in five ways, utilising each of the five Japanese vowels, as, using oyogu (泳ぐ, "swim") as an example, oyoganai (negative), oyogimasu (polite non-past), oyogu (plain non-past; dictionary form), oyogeba (conditional), oyogō (hortative/volitional).

Contents

List of verbs ending in "eru" which are Group 1 Verbs

Verb Kanji English
aseru 焦る to hurry
azakeru 嘲る to ridicule
daberu 駄弁る to chatter
eru 彫る to carve (note that eru (得る) meaning "to get, to obtain" is a vowel-stem verb)
eru 選る to choose (see eru above)
eru 啁る to ridicule (see eru above)
fukeru 耽る to be absorbed in
fuseru 臥せる to hide, lie in ambush
haberu 侍る to attend on
heru 謙る to humble oneself
heru 減る to decrease
hineru 捻る to twist
hirugaeru 翻る to turn over, to wave
hoteru 火照る to flush, to feel hot
kaeru 反る・返る to turn over (note that kaeru (変える) meaning "to alter" and kaeru (替える) meaning "to exchange" are vowel-stem verbs)
kaeru 返る・帰る・還る to return (see kaeru above)
kaeru 孵る to be hatched (see kaeru above)
kageru 陰る to become dark, to be in shadow or shade
kakeru 駆ける to run, to canter or gallop
keru 蹴る to kick
kuneru くねる to be crooked
kutsugaeru 覆る to be overturned
neru 練る to temper, to refine, to knead (note that neru (寝る) meaning "to sleep" is a vowel-stem verb)
nomeru のめる to fall forward
numeru 滑る to be slippery
omoneru 阿る to flatter
seru 競る to compete
seseru 挵る to pick, play with
shaberu 喋る to talk, to chat
shigeru 茂る to grow thick
shikeru 湿気る to become damp
soberu そべる to lie sprawled
suberu 滑る to slip
takeru 猛る to act violently
teru 照る to shine
tsumeru 抓める to pinch
tsuneru 抓る to pinch
uneru うねる to undulate
yomigaeru 蘇る to be brought back to life, to be refreshed

List of verbs ending in "iru" which are Group 1 Verbs

Verb Kanji English
aburagiru 脂ぎる to be greasy
bibiru びびる to be surprised
chigiru 契る to pledge
chiru 散る to scatter
dojiru どじる to mess up
guchiru 愚痴る to grumble
hairu 入る to enter
hashiru 走る to run
hiru 放る to fart
hojiru 穿る to pick, dig out
hotobashiru 迸る to gush, spurt
ibiru いびる to torment, roast
ijiru 弄る to fiddle with
ikiru 熱る to become sultry (note that ikiru (生きる) meaning "to live, to stay alive" is a vowel-stem verb)
iru 炒る to boil down, to roast (note that iru (居る) meaning "to be" is a vowel-stem verb)
iru 入る to go in (see iru above)
iru 要る to need (see iru above)
kagiru 限る to limit
kajiru 齧る to gnaw
kashiru 呪る to curse
kiru 霧る to become misty (note that kiru (着る) meaning "to put on [clothing]" is a vowel-stem verb)
kiru 切る to cut (see kiru above)
kishiru きしる to become misty
kishiru 軋る to squeak, creak
kojiru 抉る to gouge, wrench
kubiru 括る to grip, strangle
kujiru 抉る to gouge, scoop
mairu 参る to come/go - humble
majiru 混じる mingle
meiru 滅入る to feel depressed
mikubiru 見縊る to belittle; to despise
minagiru 漲る to overflow
mogiru 捥る to wrench
mojiru 捩る to parody, to twist
mushiru 毟る to pluck, to pick, to tear
najiru 詰る to rebuke
nejiru 捩じる to twist
nigiru 握る to grasp
nijiru 躙る to edge forward
nonoshiru 罵る to abuse verbally
ochiiru 陥る to fall, sink
omoiiru 思い入る to ponder, to contemplate
omoikiru 思い切る to dare to (usually in the form omoikitte (思い切って) or omoikitta (思い切った).)
sebiru せびる to pester for
shiru 知る to know
soshiru 謗る to slander
sujiru 捩る to wriggle
tagiru 滾る to boil, to seethe
tamagiru 魂消る to be frightened
tobashiru 迸る to gush
tochiru とちる to muff lines
yajiru 弥次る・野次る to jeer at
yogiru 過る to pass by, to drop in
yojiru 捩る to twist, distort
yokogiru 横切る to traverse

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References