Japanese Verbs
(Note: This page gives a general overview of verbs. to learn how to put them to use please see Japanese conjugation)
Probably the first thing you’ll notice about Japanese verbs is that they tend to come at the end of the sentence. In many cases, Japanese sentences usually omit the subject since it is often assumed that you understand what or whom is being discussed. As a result, the verb really becomes the most essential part to understanding the sentence.
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If you’ve ever tried to study another language, you probably know how elaborate conjugating verbs can be. However with Japanese conjugation, the verb does not change based on the subject. You can literally use the same word to describe an action whether you are doing it or three of your friends are doing it.
Japanese verbs can be roughly categorized into three sets based on their infinitive or dictionary form, -u, -iru/-eru, and irregular verbs.
Japanese Verbs Ending in -u
These are also known as consonant-stem verbs, Yodan verbs, or Godan verbs (depending on your source). Examples of these include:
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 歩く or あるく | aruku | to walk |
| 買う or かう | kau | to buy |
| 書く or かく | kaku | to write |
| 話す or はなす | hanasu | to speak |
| 飲む or のむ | nomu | to drink |
| 読む or よむ | yomu | to read |
| 帰る or かえる | kaeru |
to return |
| 聞く or きく | kiku | to hear |
| 売る or うる | uru | to sell |
| 歌う or うたう | utau | to sing |
Japanese Verbs Ending in -iru or -eru
These are sometimes referred to as vowel-stem verbs or Ichidan verbs, and they are divided into two sub-categories, -iru endings and -eru endings. Examples of these include:
-iru verbs
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 見る or みる | miru | to see |
| 出来る or できる | dekiru | to be able to |
| 起きる or おきる | okiru | to wake up |
| 信じる or しんじる | shinjiru |
to believe |
| 感じる or かんじる | kanjiru | to feel |
-eru verbs
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食べる or たべる | taberu | to eat |
| 教える or おしえる | oshieru | to teach |
| 始める or はじめる | hajimeru | to begin |
| 辞める or やめる | yameru | to quit |
| 開ける or あける | akeru | to open |
You should also know that not all verbs ending in -iru or -eru fall into this category. Though they many not look so, some of them are technically -u verbs:
Irregular Japanese Verbs
The Japanese language contains only two irregular verbs, suru (to do) and kuru (to come). Suru is an extremely common verb in Japanese and it is combined with many western words such as:
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| タイプする | taipusuru | to type |
| キ スする | kisusuru | to kiss |
| サインする | sainsuru | to sign |
| コピーする | kopiisuru |
to copy |
It is recommended that you make the effort to learning and memorizing verbs rather than nouns. To really learn Japanese fast, it is important to devote your efforts to understanding grammar like sentence structure and verbs. Nouns are easy to memorize, but by learning the mechanics of Japanese verbs and grammar, you’ll be able to master the language with greater ease.
Japanese verbs are fairly straightforward once you get accustomed to using them. If you would like to learn information on how to conjugate verbs, make sure to read this article on Japanese conjugation.
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