This is a list of Japanese verb and adjective conjugations. Almost all of these are regular, but the conjugations of the very few irregular verbs are also listed. Japanese verb conjugation is the same for all subjects, first person ("I", "we"), second person ("you") and third person ("he/she/it" and "they"), singular and plural. The plain form of all verbs ends in u. In modern Japanese, there are no verbs, at least in the plain form, ending in zu, fu, pu, or yu, and 死ぬ (しぬ, shinu; to die) is the only one ending in nu.
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In Japanese, the basic verb form is an imperfective aspect. It is broadly equivalent to the present and future tenses of English, and is sometimes called the "non-past tense". The imperfective form of a verb is the same as its dictionary form—it is used as the headword, or lemma—and no conjugation needs to be done. For example, using the verb する ("do"):
In most cases, the base form of the imperfective aspect cannot be used to make a progressive statement, such as in the English sentence "I am shopping". Rather, it can only be used to express habit or other actions that are expected to continue into the future, such as in "I shop". To convey the former, the te form with iru must be used.
The perfective aspect, on the other hand, has a specific suffix. The basic pattern is the -ta (or -da) ending, but various phonetic changes are made, depending on the verb's last syllable. The perfective is broadly equivalent to English past tense, and is often called past tense in treatments of Japanese grammar, but it is not restricted to any single tense:
| Type of verb | Perfective | Examples | Perfective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru (do) | した shita | (none others) | |
| 来る kuru (come) | 来た kita | (none others) | |
| 行く iku (go) | 行った itta | (none others) | |
| いらっしゃる irassharu (polite) | いらっしゃった irasshatta いらした irashita[1] |
(none others) | |
| ます masu stem | -ました -mashita | 行きます ikimasu (go) | 行きました ikimashita |
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -った -tta | 使う tsukau (use) | 使った tsukatta |
| う u (See Usage) | -うた -uta, -ota | 問う tou (ask) | 問うた tōta |
| く ku | -いた -ita | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼いた yaita |
| ぐ gu | -いだ -ida | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳いだ oyoida |
| す su | -した -shita | 示す shimesu (show) | 示した shimeshita |
| つ tsu | -った -tta | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待った matta |
| ぬ nu | -んだ -nda | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死んだ shinda |
| ぶ bu | -んだ -nda | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼んだ yonda |
| む mu | -んだ -nda | 読む yomu (read) | 読んだ yonda |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -った -tta | 走る hashiru (run) | 走った hashitta |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いた -ita, -えた -eta | 着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替えた kigaeta |
| Adjectives | |||
| い i adjective | -かった -katta | 安い yasui (cheap) | 安かった yasukatta |
| な na adjective | -だった -datta | 簡単 kantan (easy) | 簡単だった kantan datta |
Usage
Note that the perfective conjugation for verbs ending in -う more commonly follows the second pattern listed above for speakers of Western Japanese. The う in the perfective ending -うた may be pronounced either as an u or as an o depending on the preceding vowel, according to regular Japanese phonological rules. Consequently, in Kansai, one may hear forms such as つかう tsukau → つこうた tsukōta, or いう iu → いうた iuta.[2]
Usage of the perfective aspect follows the same pattern as the imperfective aspect. For example, 日本に行く nihon ni iku (I go to Japan) becomes 日本に行った nihon ni itta (I went to Japan).
The basic pattern is u becomes anai (informal).
| Type | Negative | Examples | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru (do) | しない shinai (さない sanai) |
勉強する benkyō suru (study) 愛する aisuru (love) |
勉強しない benkyō shinai 愛さない aisanai |
| 来る kuru (come) | 来ない konai | ||
| ある aru (be, exist) | ない nai | ||
| だ da | ではない de wa nai じゃない ja nai |
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| ます masu stem | -ません -masen | 行きます ikimasu (go) | 行きません ikimasen |
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -わない -wanai | 使う tsukau (use) | 使わない tsukawanai |
| く ku | -かない -kanai | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼かない yakanai |
| ぐ gu | -がない -ganai | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳がない oyoganai |
| す su | -さない -sanai | 示す shimesu (show) | 示さない shimesanai |
| つ tsu | -たない -tanai | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待たない matanai |
| ぬ nu | -なない -nanai | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死なない shinanai |
| ぶ bu | -ばない -banai | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼ばない yobanai |
| む mu | -まない -manai | 読む yomu (read) | 読まない yomanai |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -らない -ranai | 走る hashiru (run) | 走らない hashiranai |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いない -inai, -えない -enai | 着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替えない kigaenai |
| Adjectives | |||
| i adjectives | -くない -kunai | 痛い itai (painful) | 痛くない itakunai |
| na adjectives | -ではない -de wa nai -じゃない -ja nai |
簡単 kantan (simple) | 簡単ではない kantan de wa nai 簡単じゃない kantan ja nai |
The i form, or ren'yōkei, is very regular, and in almost all cases it is formed by replacing the u with i (and making any necessary phonetic changes: す su to し shi, and つ tsu to ち chi).
| Type | i form | Examples | i form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru (do) | し shi | 勉強する benkyō suru | 勉強し benkyō shi |
| 来る kuru | き ki | ||
| る ru (polite verbs) | -い -i | ござる gozaru | ござい gozai |
| だ da | であり de ari | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -い -i | 使う tsukau (use) | 使い tsukai |
| く ku | -き -ki | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼き yaki |
| ぐ gu | -ぎ -gi | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳ぎ oyogi |
| す su | -し -shi | 示す shimesu (show) | 示し shimeshi |
| つ tsu | -ち -chi | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待ち machi |
| ぬ nu | -に -ni | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死に shini |
| ぶ bu | -び -bi | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼び yobi |
| む mu | -み -mi | 読む yomu (read) | 読み yomi |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -り -ri | 走る hashiru (run) | 走り hashiri |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -い -i, -え -e | 着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替え kigae |
Usage
The i form has many uses, typically as a prefix. These include:
The i form also has some uses on its own, such as:
For some verbs, the i form also forms part of related words in ways that are not governed by any general rules. For example:
The te form of a Japanese verb (sometimes called the "participle") is used when the verb has some kind of connection to the following words. For all verbs, it is formed by changing the -a of the perfective aspect form to -e. Adjectives behave slightly differently.
| Type | Becomes | Examples | Te form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru (do) | して shite | 愛する aisuru (to love) | 愛して aishite |
| 来る kuru (come) | 来て kite | ||
| 行く iku (go) | 行って itte | ||
| 問う tou (ask) | 問うて tōte | 請う kou (request) | 請うて kōte |
| いらっしゃる irassharu (polite) | いらっしゃって irasshatte いらして irashite |
||
| -ます -masu stem | -まして -mashite | 開けます akemasu (open) | 開けまして akemashite |
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -って -tte | 使う tsukau (use) | 使って tsukatte |
| く ku | -いて -ite | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼いて yaite |
| ぐ gu | -いで -ide | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳いで oyoide |
| す su | -して -shite | 示す shimesu (show) | 示して shimeshite |
| つ tsu | -って -tte | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待って matte |
| ぬ nu | -んで -nde | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死んで shinde |
| ぶ bu | -んで -nde | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼んで yonde |
| む mu | -んで -nde | 読む yomu (read) | 読んで yonde |
| る ru | -って -tte | 走る hashiru (run) | 走って hashitte |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いて -ite, -えて -ete | 着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替えて kigaete |
| Adjectives | |||
| い i adjective | -くて -kute | 安い yasui (cheap) | 安くて yasukute |
| な na adjective | -で -de | 簡単 kantan (simple) | 簡単で kantan de |
Usage
The general pattern is u becomes eru.
| Type | Potential | Examples | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru | できる dekiru (せられる serareru) |
勉強する benkyō suru 察する sassuru (guess) |
勉強できる benkyō dekiru 察せられる sasserareru |
| 来る kuru | 来られる korareru
来れる koreru |
||
| ある aru | あり得る ariuru, arieru | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -える -eru | 使う tsukau (use) | 使える tsukaeru |
| く ku | -ける -keru | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼ける yakeru |
| ぐ gu | -げる -geru | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳げる oyogeru |
| す su | -せる -seru | 示す shimesu (show) | 示せる shimeseru |
| つ tsu | -てる -teru | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待てる materu |
| ぬ nu | -ねる -neru | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死ねる shineru |
| ぶ bu | -べる -beru | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼べる yoberu |
| む mu | -める -meru | 読む yomu (read) | 読める yomeru |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -れる -reru | 走る hashiru (run) | 走れる hashireru |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いられる -irareru, えられる -erareru -いれる -ireru, -えれる -ereru |
着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替えられる kigaerareru 着替えれるkigaereru |
Usage
The potential is used to express that one has the ability to do something. Direct objects are marked with the particle が ga instead of を o. For example 日本語が読める nihongo ga yomeru: "I can read Japanese".
It is also used to request some action from someone, in the exact sense of the English "Can you ... ?" For example 「コーヒー買える？」 koohii kaeru?: "Can (you) buy (some) coffee?" However, sometimes in English "Will you...?" and "Can you ... ?" is used interchangeably to make requests. Though it is possible in Japanese, 「コーヒー買う？」 koohii kau?, it is very casual and might also mean simply "Are you buying/Will you buy coffee?" in very dry factual sense.
Unlike in English, the potential is not often used to express permission (as in the sentence "Can I eat this apple?") as it is almost always understood to mean "Do I have the ability to eat this apple?": 「このりんごが食べられる？」 kono ringo ga taberareru?. And since the -reru form is more often used in speech than the more correct passive potential form -rareru, and subjects are often implied in Japanese, it may implicitly be asking (in this case) if the apple is edible. So, to seek permission, a more polite form is used, such as the てもいい te mo ii or more casual ていい "te ii"" usage of the て te form, resulting in something literally more like "Is eating this apple OK?" 「このりんごを食べてもいいですか？」 Kono ringo o tabete mo ii desu ka? or 「このりんごを食べていい？」 Kono ringo o tabete ii?.
The potential ru ending conjugates as a vowel stem verb.
The causative forms are characterized by the final u becoming aseru for consonant stem verbs, and ru becoming saseru for vowel stem verbs.
| Type | Causative | Examples | Causative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru (do) | させる saseru | 勘弁する kanben suru | 勘弁させる kanben saseru |
| 来る kuru (come) | 来させる kosaseru | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -わせる -waseru | 使う tsukau (use) | 使わせる tsukawaseru |
| く ku | -かせる -kaseru | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼かせる yakaseru |
| ぐ gu | -がせる -gaseru | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳がせる oyogaseru |
| す su | -させる -saseru | 示す shimesu (show) | 示させる shimesaseru |
| つ tsu | -たせる -taseru | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待たせる mataseru |
| ぬ nu | -なせる -naseru | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死なせる shinaseru |
| ぶ bu | -ばせる -baseru | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼ばせる yobaseru |
| む mu | -ませる -maseru | 読む yomu (read) | 読ませる yomaseru |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -らせる -raseru | 走る hashiru (run) | 走らせる hashiraseru |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いさせる -isaseru, -えさせる -esaseru | 着替える kigaeru | 着替えさせる kigaesaseru |
| Adjectives and negatives | |||
| い i adjectives | -くさせる -ku saseru | 寒い samui (cold) | 寒くさせる samuku saseru |
| な na adjectives | -にさせる -ni saseru | 静か shizuka (quiet) | 静かにさせる shizuka ni saseru |
Usage
The causative is used for:
The causative passive form is obtained by first conjugating in the causative form and then conjugating the result in the passive form.
Usage
As its rule suggests, the causative passive is used to express causation passively: 両親に勉強させられる ryōshin ni benkyō saserareru: "(I) am made to study by (my) parents".
Because words such as 待たせられる mataserareru are considered to be difficult to pronounce, frequently in colloquial speech, the middle part of the causative passive would contract. That is, 待たせられる mataserareru (I was made to wait), would become 待たされる matasareru. Another example such as "(I) was made to buy (something)" would formally be 買わせられた kawaserareta from the verb 買う kau, but colloquially, it is frequently contracted to 買わされた kawasareta. This abbreviation is not used for vowel-stem verbs, nor for the irregular する suru and くる kuru.
The eba provisional conditional form is characterized by the final -u becoming -eba for all verbs (with the semi-exception of -tsu verbs becoming -teba).
| Type | Conditional | Examples | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru | すれば sureba | 勘弁する kanben suru | 勘弁すれば kanben sureba |
| 来る kuru | くれば kureba | ||
| だ da (copula) | であれば de areba | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -えば -eba | 使う tsukau (use) | 使えば tsukaeba |
| く ku | -けば -keba | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼けば yakeba |
| ぐ gu | -げば -geba | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳げば oyogeba |
| す su | -せば -seba | 示す shimesu (show) | 示せば shimeseba |
| つ tsu | -てば -teba | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待てば mateba |
| ぬ nu | -ねば -neba | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死ねば shineba |
| ぶ bu | -べば -beba | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼べば yobeba |
| む mu | -めば -meba | 読む yomu (read) | 読めば yomeba |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -れば -reba | 走る hashiru (run) | 走れば hashireba |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いれば -ireba, -えれば -ereba | 着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替えれば kigaereba |
| Adjectives and negatives | |||
| い i adjectives | -ければ -kereba | 寒い samui | 寒ければ samukereba |
| な na adjectives | -であれば -de areba | 簡単 kantan | 簡単であれば kantan de areba |
| ない nai (negative) | -なければ -nakereba | 行かない ikanai | 行かなければ ikanakereba |
Usage
The eba provisional conditional form is used in conditionals where the emphasis rests more on the condition than the result. For example:
The nakereba negative conditional form means "if not X" or also "unless X". It is obtained by replacing the final -i of the plain negative form with -kereba. (tabenakereba: "if I don't eat" or "unless I eat")
The conditional is also called the "provisional form" in some grammars, because the implied condition is "provided that X happens" (mireba shiru: "provided that you see, you'll know" = "if you see, you'll know").
The conditional ra form (also called the past conditional) is formed from the past tense (TA form) by simply adding ra. ba can be further added to that, which makes it more formal.
Usage
The conditional ra form can be used in the same way as the provisional eba form. However, it implies more certainty about the condition, and therefore places more emphasis on the result than the condition. It can be used to mean more like "if and when", and is typically preferred over the eba form when this meaning is more accurate. For example:
The conditional ra form can also be used when the main clause is in the past tense. In such situations, it means "when", and carries the additional implication that the result was unexpected. For example:
Most of the imperative forms are characterized by the final u becoming e.
| Type | Becomes | Examples | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru | しろ shiro せよ seyo |
勘弁する kanben suru 愛する aisuru (love) |
勘弁しろ kanben shiro 勘弁せよ kanben seyo |
| 来る kuru | 来い koi | ||
| る ru (polite verbs) | -い -i | いらっしゃる irassharu なさる nasaru |
いらっしゃい irasshai なさい nasai |
| くれる kureru | くれ kure | ||
| masu stem | -ませ -mase | いらっしゃいます irasshaimasu (come, go) | いらっしゃいませ irasshaimase |
| だ da (copula) | であれ de are | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -え -e | 使う tsukau (use) | 使え tsukae |
| く ku | -け -ke | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼け yake |
| ぐ gu | -げ -ge | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳げ oyoge |
| す su | -せ -se | 示す shimesu (show) | 示せ shimese |
| つ tsu | -て -te | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待て mate |
| ぬ nu | ね -ne | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死ね shine |
| ぶ bu | -べ -be | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼べ yobe |
| む mu | め -me | 読む yomu (read) | 読め yome |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -れ -re | 走る hashiru (run) | 走れ hashire |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いろ -iro, -いよ -iyo -えろ -ero, -えよ -eyo |
着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替えろ kigaero 着替えよ kigaeyo |
Usage
The imperative form is used
The general pattern for the passive voice is u becomes areru.
| Type | Passive | Examples | Passive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru | される sareru | 勉強する benkyō suru (study) | 勉強される benkyō sareru |
| 来る kuru (come) | 来られる korareru | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -われる -wareru | 使う tsukau (use) | 使われる tsukawareru |
| く ku | -かれる -kareru | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼かれる yakareru |
| ぐ gu | -がれる -gareru | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳がれる oyogareru |
| す su | -される -sareru | 示す shimesu (show) | 示される shimesareru |
| つ tsu | -たれる -tareru | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待たれる matareru |
| ぬ nu | -なれる -nareru | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死なれる shinareru |
| ぶ bu | ばれる -bareru | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼ばれる yobareru |
| む mu | -まれる -mareru | 読む yomu (read) | 読まれる yomareru |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -られる -rareru | 走る hashiru (run) | 走られる hashirareru |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いられる -irareru, -えられる -erareru | 着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替えられる kigaerareru |
Usage
The passive is used:
| Type | Volitional | Examples | Volitional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| する suru (do) | しよう shiyō (そう sō) |
勉強する benkyō suru (study) 愛する aisuru (love) |
勉強しよう benkyō shiyō 愛そう aisō |
| 来る kuru (come) | 来よう koyō | ||
| だ da (copula) | だろう darō | ||
| です desu (polite copula) | でしょう deshō | ||
| ます masu stem | -ましょう -mashō | 行きます ikimasu (go, polite) | 行きましょう ikimashō |
| Regular verbs | |||
| う u | -おう -ō | 使う tsukau (use) | 使おう tsukaō |
| く ku | -こう -kō | 焼く yaku (grill) | 焼こう yakō |
| ぐ gu | -ごう -gō | 泳ぐ oyogu (swim) | 泳ごう oyogō |
| す su | -そう -sō | 示す shimesu (show) | 示そう shimesō |
| つ tsu | -とう -tō | 待つ matsu (wait) | 待とう matō |
| ぬ nu | -のう -nō | 死ぬ shinu (die) | 死のう shinō |
| ぶ bu | -ぼう -bō | 呼ぶ yobu (call) | 呼ぼう yobō |
| む mu | -もう -mō | 読む yomu (read) | 読もう yomō |
| る ru (consonant stem) | -ろう -rō | 走る hashiru (run) | 走ろう hashirō |
| いる iru, える eru (vowel stem) | -いよう -iyō, -えよう -eyō | 着替える kigaeru (change clothes) | 着替えよう kigaeyō |
| Adjectives and negatives | |||
| い i adjective | -かろう -karō | 近い chikai (near) | 近かろう chikakarō |
| な na adjectives | -だろう -darō | 好き suki (liked) | 好きだろう suki darō |
| ない nai (negative) | -なかろう -nakarō | 見えない mienai (invisible) | 見えなかろう mienakarō |
Usage
In general, the volitional form expresses intention, such as in these cases:
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