Japanese has two types of regular verb,
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.u → ka.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 |
| 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 |
| 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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