Japanese conjugation
This page is a comprehensive list of Japanese verb and adjective conjugations. Since these are almost all regular, they can all be included on one page. Japanese verb conjugation is fairly simple. The plain form of all verbs ends in u. There are very few irregular verbs, and this page contains a comprehensive list of their conjugations. In modern Japanese, there are no verbs ending in zu, fu, pu, or yu. There is only one verb ending in nu, shinu, to die.
Causative
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 | |||
| suru | saseru | kanben suru | kanben saseru |
| kuru | kisaseru | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| u | waseru | tsukau (use) | tsukawaseru |
| ku | kaseru | kawaku (dry) | kawakaseru |
| gu | gaseru | oyogu (swim) | oyogaseru |
| su | saseru | shimesu (show) | shimesaseru |
| tsu | taseru | matsu (wait) | mataseru |
| nu | naseru | shinu (die) | shinaseru |
| bu | baseru | yobu (call) | yobaseru |
| mu | maseru | yomu (read) | yomaseru |
| ru (consonant stem) | raseru | hashiru (run) | hashiraseru |
| iru, eru (vowel stem) | isaseru, esaseru | kigaeru (change clothes) | kigaesaseru |
- Negatives are not normally made into causatives. Instead, a negative ending is added to the causative of the verb.
- Adjectives are made causative by using the adverb form plus saseru.
Conditional eba form
The eba conditional form is characterized by the final u becoming eba for consonant stem verbs, and ru becoming reba for vowel stem verbs.
| Type | Causative | Examples | Causative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| suru | sureba | kanben suru | kanben sureba |
| kuru | koreba | ||
| da (copula) | de areba | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| u | eba | tsukau (use) | tsukaeba |
| ku | keba | kawaku (dry) | kawakeba |
| gu | geba | oyogu (swim) | oyogeba |
| su | seba | shimesu (show) | shimeseba |
| tsu | teba | matsu (wait) | mateba |
| nu | neba | shinu (die) | shineba |
| bu | beba | yobu (call) | yobeba |
| mu | meba | yomu (read) | yomeba |
| ru (consonant stem) | raseru | hashiru (run) | hashireba |
| iru, eru (vowel stem) | ireba, ereba | kigaeru (change clothes) | kigaereba |
| Adjectives and negatives | |||
| i adjectives | kereba | samui | samukereba |
| na adjectives | de areba | kantan | kantan de areba |
| nai (negative) | nakereba | ikanai | ikanakereba |
- Na adjectives are usually used with the nara conditional, but they can be used with de areba.
- The nakereba form used for the negative form can be colloquially contracted to nakya. Thus ikanakereba can become ikanakya.
Imperative
Most of the imperative forms are characterized by the final u becoming e.
| Type | Becomes | Examples | Imperative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| suru | shiro seyo |
kanben suru | kanben shiro kanben seyo |
| kuru | koi | ||
| ru polite verbs | i | irassharu nasaru |
irasshai nasai |
| kureru | kure | ||
| masu stem | mase | irasshaimasu (come, go) | irasshaimase |
| Regular verbs | |||
| u | e | tsukau (use) | tsukae |
| ku | ke | yaku (burn) | yake |
| gu | ge | oyogu (swim) | oyoge |
| su | se | shimesu (show) | shimese |
| tsu | te | matsu (wait) | mate |
| nu | ne | shinu (die) | shine |
| bu | be | yobu (call) | yobe |
| mu | me | yomu (read) | yome |
| ru (consonant stem) | re | hashiru (run) | hashire |
| iru, eru (vowel stem) | iro, iyo, ero, eyo | kigaeru (change clothes) | kigaero kigaeyo |
Negative
The basic pattern is u becomes anai.
| Type | Negative | Examples | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| suru | shinai | benkyō suru | benkyō shinai |
| kuru | konai | ||
| da | de wa nai ja nai |
||
| masu stem | masen | ikimasu (go, polite) | ikimasen |
| Regular verbs | |||
| u | wanai | tsukau (use) | tsukawanai |
| ku | kanai | yaku (burn) | yakanai |
| gu | ganai | oyogu (swim) | oyoganai |
| su | sanai | shimesu (show) | shimesanai |
| tsu | tanai | matsu (wait) | matanai |
| nu | nanai | shinu (die) | shinanai |
| bu | banai | yobu (call) | yobanai |
| mu | manai | yomu (read) | yomanai |
| ru (consonant stem) | ranai | hashiru (run) | hashiranai |
| iru, eru (vowel stem) | inai, enai | kigaeru (change clothes) | kigaenai |
- The nai ending conjugates in two ways.
- As an i adjective. For example the past tense of tabenai is tabenakatta and the te form is tabenakute.
- There is a special te form made by adding de. For example, tabenaide. This is used, for example, in tabenaide kudasai: "Please don't eat (this)".
Potential
The general pattern is u becomes eru.
| Type | Potential | Examples | Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| suru | dekiru seru (in compounds) |
benkyō suru aisuru |
benkyō dekiru aiseru |
| kuru | korareru | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| u | eru | tsukau (use) | tsukaeru |
| ku | keru | yaku (burn) | yakeru |
| gu | geru | oyogu (swim) | oyogeru |
| su | seru | shimesu (show) | shimeseru |
| tsu | tareru | matsu (wait) | materu |
| nu | neru | shinu (die) | shineru |
| bu | beru | yobu (call) | yoberu |
| mu | meru | yomu (read) | yomeru |
| ru (consonant stem) | reru | hashiru (run) | hashireru |
| iru, eru (vowel stem) | irareru, erareru ireru, ereru (*) |
kigaeru (change clothes) | kigaerareru kigaereru (*) |
(*) The shorter reru form is common but not considered standard.
Passive
The general pattern is u becomes areru.
| Type | Passive | Examples | Passive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| suru | sareru | benkyō suru | benkyō sareru |
| kuru | korareru | ||
| Regular verbs | |||
| u | wareru | tsukau (use) | tsukawareru |
| ku | kō | yaku (burn) | yakareru |
| gu | gareru | oyogu (swim) | oyogareru |
| su | sareru | shimesu (show) | shimesareru |
| tsu | tareru | matsu (wait) | matareru |
| nu | nareru | shinu (die) | shinareru |
| bu | bareru | yobu (call) | yobareru |
| mu | mareru | yomu (read) | yomareru |
| ru (consonant stem) | rareru | hashiru (run) | hashirareru |
| iru, eru (vowel stem) | irareru, erareru | kigaeru (change clothes) | kigaerareru |
- The ru ending of the passives becomes the new verb ending. This is conjugates as a vowel stem verb. Thus past, te, or polite forms can all be added to the verb.
- The copula, da, does not form a passive.
- For the masu form, the masu is added to the passive of the plain verb.
Te form and past tense
The te form of a Japanese verb is a form of the verb or adjective in Japanese grammar. It is used when the verb has some kind of connection to the following words. The past tense is very similar in conjugation, so it is also included here.
| Type | Becomes | Past | Examples | Te form | Past |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||||
| suru | shite | shita | aisuru | aishite | aishita |
| kuru | kite | kita | |||
| iku (go) | itte | itta | |||
| irassharu (polite) | irashite | irashita | |||
| masu stem | mashite | mashita | akemasu | akemashite | akemashita |
| Regular verbs | |||||
| u | tte | tta | tsukau (use) | tsukatte | tsukatta |
| ku | ite | ita | yaku (burn) | yaite | yaita |
| gu | ide | ida | oyogu (swim) | oyoide | oyoida |
| su | shite | shita | shimesu (show) | shimeshite | shimeshita |
| tsu | tte | tta | matsu (wait) | matte | matta |
| nu | nde | nda | shinu (die) | shinde | shinda |
| bu | nde | nda | yobu (call) | yonde | yonda |
| mu | nde | nda | yomu (read) | yonde | yonda |
| ru (consonant stem) | tte | tta | hashiru (run) | hashitte | hashitta |
| iru, eru (vowel stem) | ite, ete | ita, eta | taberu | tabete | tabeta |
| Adjectives | |||||
| i adjective | kute | katta | yasui (cheap) | yasukute | yasukatta |
| na adjective | add de | add datta | kantan (simple) | kantan de | kantan datta |
Notes
- The verbs suru, kuru, iku, and irassharu are irregular.
- The English meanings in this table are for indication only and are not comprehensive.
- Most of the past tenses are formed by replacing "te" with "ta".
- In requests with kure and kudasai.
- With the verbs
- iru: It can mean "to be doing": matte iru: "I am waiting" or "to do": shitte iru: "I know". Collquially, in this form the "i" often disappears, so matte iru becomes matteru and shitte iru becomes shitteru.
- oku: It means "to do in advance". o bentō o tsukutte oita: "I've already made a boxed lunch". Colloquially, in this form the "e" often disappears, so tsukutte oita becomes tsukuttoita
- aru: This forms a kind of passive. It is very common with the verb kaku, to write. Koko ni moji ga kaite aru: "There are some characters written here".
- To join two sentences. Yasukute ii ne: "It's good that it's cheap".
- With particles in formations such as
- te wa ikenai: "You must not ...". For example, tabete wa ikenai: "You must not eat this".
- te mo ii: "You can do this". For example, tabete mo ii: "You can eat it".
Volitional
| Type | Volitional | Examples | Volitional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irregular verbs | |||
| suru | shiyō seyō |
benkyō suru | benkyō shiyō benkyō seyō |
| kuru | koyō | ||
| da | darō | ||
| masu stem | mashō | ikimasu (go, polite) | ikimashō |
| Regular verbs | |||
| u | ō | tsukau (use) | tsukaō |
| ku | kō | yaku (burn) | yakō |
| gu | gō | oyogu (swim) | oyogō |
| su | sō | shimesu (show) | shimesō |
| tsu | tō | matsu (wait) | matō |
| nu | nō | shinu (die) | shinō |
| bu | bō | yobu (call) | yobō |
| mu | mō | yomu (read) | yomō |
| ru (consonant stem) | rō | hashiru (run) | hashirō |
| iru, eru (vowel stem) | iyō, eyō | kigaeru (change clothes) | kigaeyō |
- In volitional statements: benkyō shiyō: "Let's study".
- In the form shiyō to suru: be about to, be trying to. Inu ga shinō to shite iru: "The dog is dying."