Modern Japanese [ edit ]

This section deals only with Japanese as written and spoken in 21st and late 20th centuries.

Difference between Japanese school grammar and modern linguistic analysis [ edit ]

Japanese school grammar (学校文法, gakkō bunpō) is based on an analysis of Classical Japanese texts written in the kana script. As the kana script is written without spaces, represents morae as the smallest phonological unit, and due to differences between Classical Japanese and Modern Japanese, it is very different from the newer grammar designed to teach Japanese to foreign students (日本語教育文法 Nihongo kyōiku bunpō).

Conjugational classes: From a morphological view, regular verbs in Modern Japanese can be roughly classified into two conjugational classes, consonant-stem and vowel-stem. The dictionary form of consonant-stem verbs is stem + -u, and of vowel-stem verbs stem + -ru.

Conjugational class Dictionary form Stem Conjugated forms Consonant-stem 書く ( kaku ) kak- kakanai

kakimasu

kaku

kakeba

kakō Vowel-stem 起きる ( okiru ) oki- okinai

okimasu

okiru

okireba

okiyō

Japanese school grammar, however, uses a very different approach. Due to the moraic kana script, a consonant-stem verb such as kak-u is segmented as ka-ku since other endings cause a change to the kana for the ku part (e.g. kak-anai, kak-imasu, etc.) In addition, only that kana is regarded as the ending in conjugation; the remaining part is considered as particles or auxiliary verbs.

Stem Ending Particles or auxiliary verbs か ka か ka ない nai か ka き ki ます masu か ka く ku か ka け ke ば ba か ka こ ko う u

It is easy to see that for any consonant-stem verb, the "ending" in Japanese school grammar is a kana whose consonant does not change (since it is from the true stem) and whose vowel can change to all five vowels in conjugation. In the fifty-sound table (五十音図 gojūon-zu), the ending stays on the same row but can cover all five columns ("grades") in conjugation, so the conjugation of consonant-stem verbs are called five-grade conjugation (五段活用 godan katsuyō).

Vowel-stem verbs are more complex. Since Japanese school grammar is designed for Classical Japanese, where most modern vowel-stem verbs such as oki-ru had alternation in the stem-final vowel (e.g. oki-ru used to conjugate to oki-zu, oki-ki, oku(ru), oku-reba, etc.), the unchanging part was ok- and the same reason with consonant-stem verbs caused them to be segmented like o-kiru, even though the ki part never change in Modern Japanese. In conjugation the ru part is dropped or changed mainly to ensure the same set of particles or auxiliary verbs:

Stem Ending Particles or auxiliary verbs お o き ki ない nai お o き ki ます masu お o きる kiru お o きれ kire ば ba お o き ki よう yō

It's easy to see that the "ending" begins with a kana that does not change (since it is from the true stem) and therefore stays on one row and one column ("grade") of the fifty-sound table. For i-stem verbs, that kana is on the i row, so the conjugation is called upper-monograde conjugation (上一段活用 kami-ichidan katsuyō). For e-stem verbs, that kana is on the e row, so the conjugation is called lower-monograde conjugation (下一段活用 shimo-ichidan katsuyō). (The names are in reference to a vertically written fifty-sound table where the five rows a, i, u, e, o becomes five columns and the "upper/lower monograde" refers to the column above or below the middle one, u).

The newer grammar designed to teach foreigners follows the morphological analysis and groups the verbs into three classes, Group I (consonant-stem), Group II (vowel-stem), and Group III (irregular). The first two classes are also called -u verbs and -ru verbs, but the stem-ending boundary of consonant-stem verbs is not indicated because it may be blurred by sound changes (e.g. kak-u → kaita), making their kana-based segmentation (ka-ku) more advantageous.

Paradigm of verbs: In Japanese school grammar, verbs have only six conjugated forms (although some can have further sound changes) and any further conjugation is done by appending particles (助詞 joshi) or auxiliary verbs (助動詞 jodōshi).

Conjugated form ( 活用形 katsuyōkei) Of consonant-stem verbs Of vowel-stem verbs Derived stem? Conjugated form? 未然形 ( mizenkei , “ irrealis ” ) stem + a stem Yes No 連用形 ( ren'yōkei , “ continuative or stem form ” ) stem + i stem Yes Yes (ends a coordinate clause in formal writing) 終止形 ( shūshikei , “ conclusive ” ) stem + u stem + ru No Yes (ends a nonpast sentence) 連体形 ( rentaikei , “ adnominal ” ) stem + u stem + ru No Yes (ends a noun-modifying clause) 仮定形 ( kateikei , “ hypothetical ” ) stem + e stem + re Yes No 命令形 ( meireikei , “ imperative ” ) stem + e stem + ro/yo No Yes (ends an imperative sentence)

The newer grammar designed for teaching foreigners Japanese, on the other hand, gives a set of key conjugated forms that are immediately useful:

Conjugation classes [ edit ]

In traditional Japanese grammar, modern Japanese has five verbal conjugational classes: godan (five-grade), kami ichidan (upper monograde), shimo ichidan (lower monograde), ka-gyō henkaku (k- irregular), and sa-gyō henkaku (s- irregular). Some English-language resources simplify them to three: Group I (consonant stem, comprising godan), Group II (vowel stem, comprising the ichidan’s), and Group III (irregular). The first two groups are also known as -u and -ru verbs, respectively, in reference to the dictionary form (i.e. the nonpast) endings.

Five-grade (五段 godan) [ edit ]

Five-grade (五段 godan) is the class of consonant stem verbs and is the largest verb class with native vocabulary. The stem-final consonants include -k, -g, -s, -t, -n, -b, -m, -r, and -w. The dictionary form is formed by attaching -u to the stem, making く (ku), ぐ (gu), す (su), つ (tsu), ぬ (nu), ぶ (bu), む (mu), る (ru), and う (u). Traditionally, the stem-final consonant is considered as part of the inflecting suffix, so a verb like 書く (kaku, “to write”, stem kak-) is segmented as か・く (ka-ku), with the inflecting part being -ku. Since the stem-final consonant play a role in some of the conjugation patterns, we include it in the paradigm below as well.

Dictionary form Base 未然形

mizenkei 連用形

ren'yōkei 終止形

shūshikei 連体形

rentaikei 仮定形

kateikei 命令形

meireikei Volitional1 音便 onbin forms Notes kaku

書く kak- kaka-

かか kaki

かき kaku

かく kaku

かく kake-

かけ kake

かけ kakō

かこう kaita, kaite

かいた・かいて oyogu

泳ぐ oyog- oyoga-

およが oyogi

およぎ oyogu

およぐ oyogu

およぐ oyoge-

およげ oyoge

およげ oyogō

およごう oyoida, oyoide

およいだ・およいで hanasu

話す hanas- hanasa-

はなさ hanashi

はなし hanasu

はなす hanasu

はなす hanase-

はなせ hanase

はなせ hanasō

はなそう hanashita, hanashite

はなした・はなして matsu

待つ mat- mata-

また machi

まち matsu

まつ matsu

まつ mate-

まて mate

まて matō

まとう matta, matte

まった・まって shinu

死ぬ sin- shina-

しな shini

しに shinu

しぬ shinu

しぬ shine-

しね shine

しね shinō

しのう shinda, shinde

しんだ・しんで asobu

遊ぶ asob- asoba-

あそば asobi

あそび asobu

あそぶ asobu

あそぶ asobe-

あそべ asobe

あそべ asobō

あそぼう asonda, asonde

あそんだ・あそんで yasumu

休む yasum- yasuma-

やすま yasumi

やすみ yasumu

やすむ yasumu

やすむ yasume-

やすめ yasume

やすめ yasumō

やすもう yasunda, yasunde

やすんだ・やすんで kaeru

帰る kaer- kaera-

かえら kaeri

かえり kaeru

かえる kaeru

かえる kaere-

かえれ kaere

かえれ kaerō

かえろう kaetta, kaette

かえった・かえって iu

言う iw- iwa-

いわ ii

いい iu

いう iu

いう ie-

いえ ie

いえ iō

いおう itta, itte

いった・いって 2 Special conjugation (empty slots are regular) iku

行く ik- itta, itte

いった・いって For the verb 行く iku “to go” kudasaru

下さる kudasar- kudasari, kudasai(-masu)

くださり, ください(ます) kudasai

ください For the honorific verbs いらっしゃる irassharu, 仰る ossharu, 下さる kudasaru, なさる nasaru, ござる gozaru tou

問う tow- tōta, tōte

とうた・とうて For the two verbs 問う tou “to ask” and 請う kou “to ask, to beg”

Notes

For volitional forms such as kakou, some versions of the katsuyōkei system list the kako- part as an alternative 未然形 mizenkei, and some list it as a seventh katsuyōkei form. The -ou ending is spelt in historical kana orthography (歴史的仮名遣い) as -au (e.g. yasumou as やすまう), reflecting its historical derivation. Historically, the -w ending for all such verbs was originally a -p, hence the historical kana spelling (歴史的仮名遣い) for, say, いう is いふ, with the six katsuyōkei forms いは, いひ, いふ, いふ, いへ, いへ.

Upper monograde (上一段 kami ichidan) [ edit ]

Upper monograde (上一段 kami ichidan) is the class of regular vowel stem verbs whose stems end in -i. The dictionary form is formed by attaching -ru to the stem, making an い段 (i-dan, “i-row”) kana plus る (ru). Traditionally, the final syllable (Ci) of the stem is considered part of the inflecting suffix, so for example 借りる (kariru, “to borrow”, stem kari-) is segmented as か・りる (ka-riru), with the inflecting part being -riru. (If there is only one syllable in the stem, the whole word becomes the inflecting part.) As the final syllable in the stem does not change or affect the conjugational patterns, we will leave it out in the paradigm below.

Dictionary form Base 未然形

mizenkei 連用形

ren'yōkei 終止形

shūshikei 連体形

rentaikei 仮定形

kateikei 命令形

meireikei1 miru

見る mi- mi-

み mi

み miru

みる miru

みる mire-

みれ miro, miyo

みろ, みよ

Notes

-ro is the spoken imperative and -yo is the written imperative.

Lower monograde (下一段 shimo ichidan) [ edit ]

Lower monograde (下一段 shimo ichidan) is the class of regular vowel stem verbs whose stems end in -e. The dictionary form is formed by attaching -ru to the stem, making an え段 (e-dan, “e-row”) kana plus る (ru). Traditionally, the final syllable (Ce) of the stem is considered part of the inflecting suffix, so for example 食べる (taberu, “to eat”, stem tabe-) is segmented as た・べる (ta-beru), with the inflecting part being -beru. (If there is only one syllable in the stem, the whole word becomes the inflecting part.) As the final syllable in the stem does not change or affect the conjugational patterns, we will leave it out in the paradigm below.

Dictionary form Base 未然形

mizenkei 連用形

ren'yōkei 終止形

shūshikei 連体形

rentaikei 仮定形

kateikei 命令形

meireikei1 deru

出る de- de-

で de

で deru

でる deru

でる dere-

でれ dero, deyo

でろ, でよ

Notes

-ro is the spoken imperative and -yo is the written imperative. The verb くれる kureru “to give” has an irregular imperative form くれ kure.

k-irregular (カ行変格 ka-gyō henkaku) [ edit ]

This class holds the irregular verb 来る (kuru, “to come”).

Dictionary form 未然形

mizenkei 連用形

ren'yōkei 終止形

shūshikei 連体形

rentaikei 仮定形

kateikei 命令形

meireikei kuru

来る ko-

こ ki

き kuru

くる kuru

くる kure-

くれ koi

こい

s-irregular (サ行変格 sa-gyō henkaku) [ edit ]

This class holds the irregular verb する (suru, “to do”). Note the suppletive potential form できる (dekiru, “to be able”). When used as a light verb, it is usually used to turn an non-inflecting word into a verb such as 勉強する (benkyō suru, “to study”), びっくりする (bikkuri suru, “to be surprised”), in which case the conjugation is the same. However, a number of words which involve suru (mostly single kanji + suru) conjugate differently: those with suru after a /Q/, such as 達する (tassuru), have different causative and passive forms; those with suru voiced after a moraic nasal, such as 論ずる (ronzuru), have a hybrid conjugation between s- irregular -zuru and kami ichidan -jiru; and some with suru after i or ku, such as 愛する (aisuru), have a hybrid conjugation between s- irregular -suru and godan -su.[2]

Verb and context 未然形 mizenkei1 連用形 ren'yōkei 終止形 shūshikei 連体形 rentaikei 仮定形 kateikei 命令形 meireikei2 passive

～(ら)れる causative

～(さ)せる negative

～ない volitional

～(よ)う する suru, noun + する suru sareru

される saseru

させる shinai

しない shiyō

しよう shi

し suru

する suru

する sure

すれ seyo, shiro

せよ, しろ single kanji ending in /Q/ + する suru

e.g. 達する tassuru serareru, shirareru

せられる, しられる shisaseru

しさせる shinai

しない shiyō

しよう shi

し suru

する suru

する sure

すれ seyo, shiro

せよ, しろ single kanji ending in /n/ or /ŋ/ + ずる zuru

e.g. 論ずる ronzuru jirareru, zerareru

じられる, ぜられる jisaseru

じさせる jinai

じない jiyō

じよう ji

じ zuru, jiru

ずる, じる zuru, jiru

ずる, じる zure, jire

ずれ, じれ zeyo, jiro

ぜよ, じろ single kanji ending in i or ku + する suru

e.g. 愛する aisuru sareru

される saseru

させる sanai, shinai

さない, しない shiyō, sō

しよう, そう shi

し suru, su

する, す suru, su

する, す sure, se

すれ, せ seyo, shiro, se

せよ, しろ, せ

Notes

When used with older auxiliaries such as the negative ぬ -nu, the older mizenkei, se- (ze- for zuru) is used. -ro is the spoken imperative and -yo is the written imperative.

Inflected forms [ edit ]

In traditional Japanese grammar, verbs have the six basic forms called 活用形 katsuyōkei listed below, from which most of their inflected forms can be derived.

活用形 katsuyōkei Stem? Inflected form? 未然形 ( mizenkei , “ irrealis ” ) Yes No 連用形 ( ren'yōkei , “ continuative or stem form ” ) Yes Yes 終止形 ( shūshikei , “ conclusive ” ) No Yes 連体形 ( rentaikei , “ adnominal ” ) No Yes 仮定形 ( kateikei , “ hypothetical ” ) Yes No 命令形 ( meireikei , “ imperative ” ) No Yes

Notes: 未然形 mizenkei “irrealis” is named after its use with -ba in Classical Japanese: kaka ba “if one writes”, in contrast with the realis kake ba “as, when, because one writes”. It is a stem used to form the negative, passive, causative, and the volitional. 連用形 ren'yōkei is named in reference to its use followed by 用言 yōgen “inflecting words”. It is the infinitive as an inflected form, and also a stem used to form some inflected forms as well as compound verbs. 終止形 shūshikei is the conclusive, and is also the “plain” or “dictionary form” in which verbs are generally cited. 連体形 rentaikei is named in reference to its use followed by 体言 taigen “non-inflecting words”. It is the adnominal, also used to conclude a clause modifying a noun. In modern Japanese the shūshikei always has the same shape as the rentaikei, but in Classical Japanese it does not for some classes. 仮定形 kateikei “hypothetical” is a stem only used with -ba to form the provisional conditional. 命令形 meireikei is the imperative.



There are a large number of suffixes that can follow verbs to express grammatical categories in Japanese, and this section deals with suffixes that are not verbs themselves. Note that a verb can be conjugated several times by chaining auxiliaries, e.g. 食べる (taberu, “to eat”) to the causative 食べさせる (tabe saseru , “to make (someone) eat”) then to the polite form 食べさせます (tabesase masu ) and finally to the negative 食べさせません (tabesasemase n , “does not make (someone) eat”). As such, the actual number of inflected forms of a verb can be very large. The most common, one-level inflected forms of verbs are listed below:

Paradigm of godan verbs with -k, -g, and -s stems Example word 書く kak- 泳ぐ oyog- 話す hanas- Mizenkei stem かか kaka- およが oyoga- はなさ hanasa- Negative かかない kakanai およがない oyoganai はなさない hanasanai Passive かかれる kakareru およがれる oyogareru はなされる hanasareru Causative かかせる kakaseru およがせる oyogaseru はなさせる hanasaseru Ren'yōkei かき kaki およぎ oyogi はなし hanashi Polite かきます kakimasu およぎます oyogimasu はなします hanashimasu Desiderative かきたい kakitai およぎたい oyogitai はなしたい hanashitai Evidential かき そう kakisō およぎ そう oyogisō はなし そう hanashisō Onbin stem かい kai- およい oyoi- (< ĩ-) (= ren'yōkei) Past かいた kaita およいだ oyoida はなした hanashita -tara conditional かいたら kaitara およいだら oyoidara はなしたら hanashitara Representative かいたり kaitari およいだり oyoidari はなしたり hanashitari Conjunctive or -te form かいて kaite およいで oyoide はなして hanashite Nonpast (= shūshikei = rentaikei) かく kaku およぐ oyogu はなす hanasu -ba conditional (from kateikei stem) かけば kakeba およげば oyogeba はなせば hanaseba Potential かける kakeru およげる oyogeru はなせる hanaseru Imperative (= meireikei) かけ kake およげ oyoge はなせ hanase Volitional (from alt. mizenkei stem) か こう kakō およ ごう oyogō はな そう hanasō

Note

行く ( iku , “ to go ” , stem ik- ) has the irregular onbin stem iQ-, hence the past is いった ( itta ) , the conjunctive is いって ( itte ) , etc. Otherwise, it is a regular godan verb with -k stem.

Paradigm of godan verbs with -t, -n, and -b stems Example word 立つ tat- 死ぬ shin- 呼ぶ yob- Mizenkei stem たた tata- しな shina- よば yoba- Negative たたない tatanai しなない shinanai よばない yobanai Passive たたれる tatareru しなれる shinareru よばれる yobareru Causative たたせる tataseru しなせる shinaseru よばせる yobaseru Ren'yōkei たち tachi しに shini よび yobi Polite たちます tachimasu しにます shinimasu よびます yobimasu Desiderative たちたい tachitai しにたい shinitai よびたい yobitai Evidential たち そう tachisō しに そう shinisō よび そう yobisō Onbin stem たっ taQ- しん shiN- よん yoN- Past たった tatta しんだ shinda よんだ yonda -tara conditional たったら tattara しんだら shindara よんだら yondara Representative たったり tattari しんだり shindari よんだり yondari Conjunctive or -te form たって tatte しんで shinde よんで yonde Nonpast (= shūshikei = rentaikei) たつ tatsu しぬ shinu よぶ yobu -ba conditional (from kateikei stem) たてば tateba しねば shineba よべば yobeba Potential たてる tateru しねる shineru よべる yoberu Imperative (= meireikei) たて tate しね shine よべ yobe Volitional (from alt. mizenkei stem) た とう tatō し のう shinō よ ぼう yobō

Paradigm of godan verbs with -m, -r, and -w stems Example word 読む yom- 帰る kaer- 買う kaw- Mizenkei stem よま yoma- かえら kaera- か わ kawa- Negative よまない yomanai かえらない kaeranai か わ ない kawanai Passive よまれる yomareru かえられる kaerareru か わ れる kawareru Causative よませる yomaseru かえらせる kaeraseru か わ せる kawaseru Ren'yōkei よみ yomi かえり kaeri か い kai Polite よみます yomimasu かえります kaerimasu か い ます kaimasu Desiderative よみたい yomitai かえりたい kaeritai か い たい kaitai Evidential よみ そう yomisō かえり そう kaerisō か い そう kaisō Onbin stem よん yoN- かえっ kaeQ- かっ kaQ- Past よんだ yonda かえった kaetta かった katta -tara conditional よんだら yondara かえったら kaettara かったら kattara Representative よんだり yondari かえったり kaettari かったり kattari Conjunctive or -te form よんで yonde かえって kaette かって katte Nonpast (= shūshikei = rentaikei) よむ yomu かえる kaeru か う kau -ba conditional (from kateikei stem) よめば yomeba かえれば kaereba か え ば kaeba Potential よめる yomeru かえれる kaereru か え る kaeru Imperative (= meireikei) よめ yome かえれ kaere か え kae Volitional (from alt. mizenkei stem) よ もう yomō かえ ろう kaerō か おう kaō

Notes

The honorific verbs いらっしゃる ( irassharu ) , 仰る ( ossharu ) , 下さる ( kudasaru ) , なさる ( nasaru ) , ござる ( gozaru ) have irregular imperative forms and ren'yōkei stems used with the auxiliary verb ます ( -masu ) , formed by changing the -r to -i (rather than the regular ren'yōkei -ri or imperative -re). Otherwise, they are regular godan verbs with -r stems. The verb ある ( aru , “ to be, to exist ” ) has the suppletive negative form ない ( nai , “ non-existent, not ” ) , which is an adjective. Otherwise, it is a regular godan verb with -r stem. The verbs 問う ( tou ) and 請う ( kou ) have irregular onbin stems formed by changing the -w to a lengthening mora, hence the past is とうた ( tōta ) , こうた ( kōta ) , the conjunctive is とうて ( tōte ) , こうて ( kōte ) , etc. Otherwise, they are regular godan verb with -w stems.

Paradigm of kami ichidan and shimo ichidan verbs Example word 見る mi- 出る de- Basic stem (= mizenkei = ren'yōkei) み mi で de Negative みない minai でない denai Passive みられる mirareru でられる derareru Causative みさせる misaseru でさせる desaseru Polite みます mimasu でます demasu Desiderative みたい mitai でたい detai Evidential み そう misō で そう desō Past みた mita でた deta -tara conditional みたら mitara でたら detara Representative みたり mitari でたり detari Conjunctive or -te form みて mite でて dete Nonpast (= shūshikei = rentaikei) みる miru でる deru -ba conditional (from kateikei stem) みれば mireba でれば dereba Potential みられる mirareru

みれる mireru ( nonstandard ) でられる derareru

でれる dereru ( nonstandard ) Imperative (= meireikei) みろ miro ( spoken )

みよ miyo ( written ) でろ dero ( spoken )

でよ deyo ( written ) Volitional (from mizenkei stem) みよう miyō でよう deyō

Note The verb くれる ( kureru , “ to give (me or someone of lower rank) ” ) has the irregular imperative form くれ ( kure ) . Otherwise, it is a regular shimo ichidan verb.

Paradigm of the k- irregular verb 来る ( kuru , “ to come ” ) Word 来る kuru Mizenkei stem こ ko- Negative こない konai Passive こられる korareru Causative こさせる kosaseru Ren'yōkei き ki Polite きます kimasu Desiderative きたい kitai Evidential き そう kisō Past きた kita -tara conditional きたら kitara Representative きたり kitari Conjunctive or -te form きて kite Nonpast (= shūshikei = rentaikei) くる kuru -ba conditional (from kateikei stem) くれば kureba Potential こられる korareru

これる koreru ( nonstandard ) Imperative (= meireikei) こい koi ( spoken )

こよ koyo ( written ) Volitional (from mizenkei stem) こよう koyō

Paradigm of the s- irregular verb する ( suru , “ to do ” ) [2] (empty slots are regular) Word する suru (regular) 達する tas suru 論ずる ron zuru 愛する ai suru Mizenkei stem さ sa-

せ se- ( archaic )

し shi- せ se-

し shi- じ ji-

ぜ ze- あいさ aisa-

あいし aishi- Negative しない shinai じない jinai さない sanai

しない shinai Passive される sareru せられる serareru

しられる shirareru じられる jirareru

ぜられる zerareru Causative させる saseru しさせる shisaseru じさせる jisaseru Ren'yōkei し shi じ ji Polite します shimasu じます jimasu Desiderative したい shitai じたい jitai Evidential し そう shisō じ そう jisō Past した shita じた jita -tara conditional したら shitara じたら jitara Representative したり shitari じたり jitari Conjunctive or -te form して shite じて jite Nonpast (= shūshikei = rentaikei) する suru ずる zuru

じる jiru する suru

す su -ba conditional (from kateikei stem) すれば sureba ずれば zureba

じれば jireba すれば sureba

せば seba Potential できる dekiru = passive せる seru Imperative (= meireikei) しろ shiro ( spoken )

せよ seyo ( written ) じろ jiro ( spoken )

ぜよ zeyo ( written ) しろ shiro ( spoken )

せよ seyo ( written )

せ se Volitional (from mizenkei stem) しよう shiyō じよう jiyō しよう shiyō

そう sō

When there are several auxiliaries following a verb, they generally occur in this order:

Causative -seru ~ -saseru

~ Passive/spontaneous/honorific(/potential) -reru ~ -rareru (~ -eru )

~ (~ ) Desiderative -tai (if this suffix is present, further inflection becomes i -adjective like)

(if this suffix is present, further inflection becomes -adjective like) Polite -masu

Negative -nai , -nu ~ -n

, ~ Evidential -sō (if this suffix is present, further inflection becomes na -adjective like; not used with -masu )

(if this suffix is present, further inflection becomes -adjective like; not used with ) Suffixes expressing obligatory categories

The causative and passive auxiliaries have shimo ichidan conjugation. The desiderative auxiliary -tai have adjectival inflection. The evidential -sō behaves like a nominal. The other two non-final auxiliaries, polite -masu and negative -nai, have the following paradigms:

Paradigm of the polite auxiliary ます ( masu ) ~ まする ( masuru , rare ) Auxiliary ます masu Mizenkei stem ませ mase-

ましょ masho- Negative ません masen Negative past ませんでした masen deshita Ren'yōkei まし mashi ( only used as a stem ) Past ました mashita -tara conditional ましたら mashitara ( super-polite ) Conjunctive or -te form まして mashite ( super-polite ) Nonpast (= shūshikei = rentaikei) ます masu ( adnominal use is super-polite )

まする masuru ( rare ) -ba conditional (from kateikei stem) ますれば masureba ( super-polite )

ませば maseba ( rare ) Imperative (= meireikei) ませ mase ( only used with some honorific verbs )

まし mashi ( ditto, rare ) Volitional (from alt. mizenkei stem) ま しょう mashō

Paradigm of the negative auxiliaries ない ( nai ) and ぬ ( nu ) ~ ん ( n ) Auxiliary ない nai ぬ nu ~ ん n Mizenkei stem なかろ nakaro- Ren'yōkei なく naku ( adverbial )

なかっ nakaQ- ( stem ) ず zu ( adverbial ) Past なかった nakatta -tara conditional なかったら nakattara Representative なかったり nakattari Conjunctive or -te form なくて nakute

ないで naide Evidential な そう nasō

なさ そう nasasō Nonpast (= shūshikei = rentaikei) ない nai ぬ nu

ん n -ba conditional (from kateikei stem) なければ nakereba ねば neba Volitional (from mizenkei stem) な かろう nakarō

Note

Compared with ない ( nai ) , ぬ ( nu ) is more old-fashioned while ん ( n ) n can be colloquial, old-fashioned or dialectal (except that it is mandatory after ます ( masu ) ).

, is more old-fashioned while can be colloquial, old-fashioned or dialectal (except that it is mandatory after ). The conjunctive form なくて ( nakute ) and ないで ( naide ) have different uses: when linking verbs, the former simply joins two clauses while the latter means "without", equivalent to ずに ( zu ni ) . The former is used with the conditional particle は ( wa ) and the concessive particle も ( mo ) , while the latter is used with auxiliay verbs like もらい ( morai ) , ください ( kudasai ) , ほしい ( hoshii ) , e.g. 言わなくてもいい ( iwanakute mo ii , “ it's ok if you don't say it ” ) , 言わないでください ( iwanaide kudasai , “ please don't say it ” ) .

and have different uses: when linking verbs, the former simply joins two clauses while the latter means "without", equivalent to . The former is used with the conditional particle and the concessive particle , while the latter is used with auxiliay verbs like , , , e.g. , , , . As with i-adjectives, the volitional なかろう ( nakarō ) is now largely replaced by ない ( nai ) + だろう ( darō ) .

Basic inflected forms [ edit ]

Here are the first set of inflected forms commonly taught in textbooks.

Plain forms

Form Conjugation kaku 書く (base kak-) miru 見る (base mi-) Nonpast shūshikei / rentaikei kaku

かく miru

みる Past ren'yōkei + -ta

(with sound changes for five-grade verbs) kaita

かいた mita

みた Negative nonpast mizenkei + -nai kakanai

かかない minai

みない Negative past mizenkei + -nakatta kakanakatta

かかなかった minakatta

みなかった

Polite forms

Form Conjugation kaku 書く (base kak-) miru 見る (base mi-) Nonpast ren'yōkei + -masu kakimasu

かきます mimasu

みます Past ren'yōkei + -mashita kakimashita

かきました mimashita

みました Negative nonpast ren'yōkei + -masen kakimasen

かきません mimasen

みません Negative past ren'yōkei + -masen deshita kakimasen deshita

かきませんでした mimasen deshita

みませんでした

Note: The verb aru ある “to be, to exist” does not have the negative formed in this way. The plain negative is the adjective nai ない “nonexistent, not be”, and the polite negative is nai desu ないです or arimasen ありません.

All these forms can occur in the predicate position of a sentence (i.e. at the end, where the plain form is considered to be in the shūshikei form).

The plain forms can also be used to modify a noun, or in the predicate position of a clause modifying a noun, when occurring before it (here the plain form is to be considered in the rentaikei form in traditional grammar):

Infinitive [ edit ]

The infinitive (= ren'yōkei), apart from deriving nouns or used in the construction of compound verbs, can be used for the non-final predicates when linking several predicates together in a sentence.

君 ( きみ ) が 歌 ( うた ) い、 僕 ( ぼく ) は 踊 ( おど ) る ― kimi ga utai, boku wa odoru ― you sing; I dance

This is called 連用中止 ren'yō chūshi and it is mainly used in written language. The non-final predicates do not conjugate for tense or politeness. Iru いる “to be” in these positions are usually replaced by its humble form oru おる and put in ren'yōkei as ori おり.

Another use of the infinitive is in the grammar pattern verb/clause + ni + motion verb.

遊 ( あそ ) びに 来 ( き ) たぜ。 ― Asobi ni kita ze. ― I came to play 午 ( ご ) 後 ( ご ) 、 荷 ( に ) 物 ( もつ ) を 取 ( と ) りに 行 ( い ) きます。 きます。 ― Gogo, nimotsu o tori ni ikimasu. ― I will go to fetch my luggage this afternoon.

Certain kinds of compound verbs are produced by attaching a word to the continuative form of a verb; for example: ～やすい (-yasui, “easy to do”), ～方 (-kata, “way of doing something”), ～返す (-kaesu, “to do something over again”). Other constructions include ～たい (-tai, “to want to do something”), ～ながら (-nagara, “while doing something”), ～なさい (-nasai, “please do something”) (used only between friends or to someone of a lower rank), ～そうだ (-sō da, “to seem likely to do something”).

Conjunctive form with て [ edit ]

The conjunctive or te form is spinoff of the continuative form by attaching the particle て to it. For godan (five-grade) verbs, the same kinds of sound changes with ～た applies. The particle て can be used to link several predicates together, as illustrated below:

アリスは 毎 ( まい ) 晩家 ( ばんいえ ) へ 帰 ( かえ ) って、テレビを 見 ( み ) ます。 ― Arisu wa maiban ie e kaette, terebi o mimasu. ― Alice returns home and watches TV every night. 昨日 ( きのう ) 図 ( と ) 書 ( しょ ) 館 ( かん ) へ 行 ( い ) って、 勉 ( べん ) 強 ( きょう ) しました。 ― Kinō toshokan e itte, benkyō shimashita. ― I went to library and studied yesterday.

When used at the end of a sentence it makes a light command:

助 ( たす ) けて！ ― Tasukete! ― Help! いってね！ ゆっくり してね！ ― Yukkuri shite itte ne! ― Take it easy!

More often, this form is part of certain kinds of expressions: ～てから (after doing something), ～ても(いい) (it's OK to do something), ～てはだめ/いけない/ならない (it's not ok to do something), ～て下さい (please do something), ～ている (to be doing something), ～てある (to be in the state of ...), ～てばかり (to be always doing something), ～てあげる (to do something to others), ～てくれる (to do something for me), ～てもらう (to receive the favor of doing something), ～ておく (to do something in preparation), ～てしまう (to do something completely or accidentally), ～てみる (to try doing something), etc. When followed by motion verbs like いく and くる as a set expression, the basic meaning is to do something towards a direction (e.g. 帰る is "return", 帰っていく is "go back", while 帰ってくる is "come back"), and the notion of the direction can be abstract (towards the future, up to the present, come to the state, etc.)

Imperative form [ edit ]

The imperative form (命令形) is often irregular in honorific speech; in other cases it can be rude in everyday conversation except when quoted or used in と-clauses. It is conjugated:

godan verbs : change the -u to -e . For example, 読む becomes 読め .

: change the to . For example, becomes . ichidan verbs : change the -ru to -ro . For example, 見る becomes 見ろ .

: change the to . For example, becomes . irregular verbs: kuru becomes koi, suru becomes shiro.

Volitional form [ edit ]

The volitional form carries the meaning of "let's do something". It has the same meaning when used alone and means "try to do" when followed by とする. It also means "I want to do something", but a less direct way to say this is to follow it by と思う. The conjugation is:

godan verbs : change the -u to -ō . For example, 読む becomes 読もう .

: change the to . For example, becomes . ichidan verbs : change the -ru to -yō . For example, 見る becomes 見よう .

: change the to . For example, becomes . irregular verbs: kuru becomes koyō, suru becomes shiyō.

Hypothetical conditional form [ edit ]

One way to say "if" is to attach ば to the 仮定形 of a verb, which is formed by changing the final vowel u (whether in -u, -ru, kuru, suru) to an e. "AばB" implies that A is a condition for B to happen.

Potential form [ edit ]

godan verbs : change the -u to -eru . For example, 読む becomes 読める .

: change the to . For example, becomes . ichidan verbs : change the -ru to -rareru . For example, 見る becomes 見られる .

: change the to . For example, becomes . irregular verbs: kuru becomes korareru, suru becomes dekiru.

Sometimes the ra can be left out (a practice called ら抜き言葉). The result can be further conjugated like an ichidan verb; for example, 信じられない (unbelievable).

Causative form [ edit ]

godan verbs : change the -u to -a (but -wa if it has no consonant) and attach seru . For example, 読む becomes 読ませる .

: change the to (but if it has no consonant) and attach . For example, becomes . ichidan verbs : change the -ru to -saseru . For example, 見る becomes 見させる .

: change the to . For example, becomes . irregular verbs: kuru becomes kosaseru, suru becomes saseru.

The result can be further conjugated like an ichidan verb. Sometimes the せる is abbreviated as a single す and conjugates as godan verbs. The object is usually introduced with を, but when there is another object with を (such as "A made B sing a song"), に is used instead.

Passive form [ edit ]

godan verbs : change the -u to -a (but -wa if it has no consonant) and attach reru . For example, 読む becomes 読まれる .

: change the to (but if it has no consonant) and attach . For example, becomes . ichidan verbs : change the -ru to -rareru . For example, 見る becomes 見られる .

: change the to . For example, becomes . irregular verbs: kuru becomes korareru, suru becomes sareru.

The result can be further conjugated like an ichidan verb. Aside from the passive voice (where the performer of the verb is introduced with に or によって), the form is also used to show politeness in which case the sentence structure does not change. In casual speech, the せる can be abbreviated as a single す and conjugates as godan verbs. The passive form is sometimes used for a victimhood state, for example, 兎に逃げられた is not "was run away by the rabbit", but "rabbit ran away, resulting in loss".

Causative passive form [ edit ]

godan verbs : change the -u to -a (but -wa if it has no consonant) and attach serareru . For example, 読む becomes 読ませられる .

: change the to (but if it has no consonant) and attach . For example, becomes . ichidan verbs : change the -ru to -saserareru . For example, 見る becomes 見させられる .

: change the to . For example, becomes . irregular verbs: kuru becomes kosaserareru, suru becomes saserareru.

In godan verbs, except those that end in す, the middle part of the causative passive would frequently contract. For example, 読ませられる would contract to 読まされる. Likewise, the result can be further conjugated as an ichidan verb.

Irregular conjugation related to polite speech [ edit ]

The imperative form of くれる is くれ.

is くれ. The imperative form of some godan verbs have the ru replaced with i:

Verb Imperative form くださる ください なさる なさい いらっしゃる いらっしゃい おっしゃる おっしゃい

はがきを ５枚 ( ごまい ) ください。 Hagaki o gomai kudasai. Please give me five postcards.

The i-ending imperative forms may be followed by mase:

いらっしゃいませ！ Irasshaimase! Welcome!

Similarly, ございます comes from ござる, which is a polite form of ある.

Transitivity [ edit ]

Japanese transitive and intransitive verbs are called 他動詞 (tadōshi) and 自動詞 (jidōshi) in Japanese respectively. Intransitive verbs usually take only a subject marked with が (ga) or は (wa), while transitive verbs can also take an object marked with を (o).

先 ( せん ) 生 ( せい ) が 授 ( じゅ ) 業 ( ぎょう ) を 始 ( はじ ) める。 ― sensei ga jugyō o hajimeru. ― The teacher starts the class. 授 ( じゅ ) 業 ( ぎょう ) が 始 ( はじ ) まる。 ― jugyō ga hajimaru. ― The class starts.

Intransitive verbs may also take a noun phrase that would be considered an "object" in English. This is mostly marked by に (ni), similar to an indirect object.

弾 ( だん ) 丸 ( がん ) が 私 ( わたし ) に 当 ( あ ) たった ― dangan ga watashi ni atatta ― The bullet hit me.

A motion verb can also be used with を (o) even though it is intransitive in Japanese.

橋 ( はし ) を 渡 ( わた ) る ― hashi o wataru ― to cross the bridge

When the transitive verb used with ～たい (tai) to express desire, or in the potential form, the object is usually marked with が (ga), but を (o) is also OK.

水 ( みず ) が 飲 ( の ) みたい。 ― mizu ga nomitai. ― I want to drink water.

Passive forms ～（ら）れる (-(ra)reru) usually become intransitive and causative forms ～（さ）せる (-(sa)seru) usually become transitive. ～てある (-tearu) forms usually become intransitive.

窓 ( まど ) が 開 ( あ ) けてある。 ― mado ga akete aru. ― The window is opened.

Verb pairs [ edit ]

A Japanese verb pair consists of a transitive verb and an intransitive verb sharing the same root, with the former serving as the causative/active voice, and the latter as the mediopassive voice.

値 ( ね ) 段 ( だん ) を 上 ( あ ) げる ― nedan o ageru ― (Someone) raises the price. 値 ( ね ) 段 ( だん ) が 上 ( あ ) がる ― nedan ga agaru ― The price rises.

Transitivity counterpart constructed on the same root with 下二段活用 下一段活用

Transitive constructed by attaching Old Japanese auxiliary verb す る ゆ

With す :

With る or ゆ :

With both:

Stem forms [ edit ]

These are the basic forms of verbs as taught in Japan. Verbs have six associated stem forms; three of these each appear in two different ways that are not given separate names, but are used in disjoint contexts. The izenkei (已然形, classical perfective form) is also called the kateikei (仮定形, hypothetical form in modern Japanese). The shūshikei (終止形, terminal form) and rentaikei (連体形, attributive form) are identical for verbs in modern Japanese.

Prototype 起きる 食べる 書く 行く 剥ぐ 射す 待つ 死ぬ 呼ぶ 飲む 掘る 買う 問う くる する okiru taberu kaku iku hagu sasu matsu shinu yobu nomu horu kau tou kuru suru Class 上一 下一 カ五 カ五 ガ五 サ五 タ五 ナ五 バ五 マ五 ラ五 ワ五 ワ五 カ 変格 サ 変格 kami-1 shimo-1 ka-5 ka-5 ga-5 sa-5 ta-5 na-5 ba-5 ma-5 ra-5 wa-5 wa-5 ka-hen. sa-hen. Stem 起き 食べ 書 行 剥 射 待 死 呼 飲 掘 買 問 irreg. irreg. oki- tabe- kak- ik- hag- sas- mat- shin- yob- nom- hor- ka(*p)- to(*p)- irreg. irreg. Mizenkei ( 未然形 起き 食べ 書か 行か 剥が 射さ 待た 死な 呼ば 飲ま 掘ら 買わ 問わ こ irreg. Imperfective (general) oki- tabe- kaka- ika- haga- sasa- mata- shina- yoba- noma- hora- kawa- towa- ko- irreg. Mizenkei ( 未然形 ) 起き 食べ 書こ 行こ 剥ご 射そ 待と 死の 呼ぼ 飲も 掘ろ 買お 問お こ し Imperfective (volitional) oki- tabe- kako- iko- hago- saso- mato- shino- yobo- nomo- horo- kao- too- ko- shi- Ren'yōkei ( 連用形 起き 食べ 書き 行き 剥ぎ 射し 待ち 死に 呼び 飲み 掘り 買い 問い き し Continuative (-i) oki tabe kaki iki hagi sashi machi shini yobi nomi hori kai toi ki shi Ren'yōkei ( 連用形 ) 起き 食べ 書い 行っ 剥い 射し 待っ 死ん 呼ん 飲ん 掘っ 買っ 問う き し Continuative (other) oki- tabe- kai- i_- hai- sashi- ma_- shin- yon- non- ho_- ka_- tou- ki- shi- Shūshikei ( 終止形 起きる 食べる 書く 行く 剥ぐ 射す 待つ 死ぬ 呼ぶ 飲む 掘る 買う 問う くる する Terminal okiru taberu kaku iku hagu sasu matsu shinu yobu nomu horu kau tou kuru suru Rentaikei ( 連体形 起きる 食べる 書く 行く 剥ぐ 射す 待つ 死ぬ 呼ぶ 飲む 掘る 買う 問う くる する Attributive okiru taberu kaku iku hagu sasu matsu shinu yobu nomu horu kau tou kuru suru Izenkei ( 已然形 起きれ 食べれ 書け 行け 剥げ 射せ 待て 死ね 呼べ 飲め 掘れ 買え 問え くれ すれ Classical Perfective okire- tabere- kake- ike- hage- sase- mate- shine- yobe- nome- hore- kae- toe- kure- sure- Meireikei ( 命令形 起きよ 食べよ 書け 行け 剥げ 射せ 待て 死ね 呼べ 飲め 掘れ 買え 問え こい せよ Imperative (written) okiyo tabeyo kake ike hage sase mate shine yobe nome hore kae toe koi seyo Meireikei ( 命令形 ) 起きろ 食べろ 書け 行け 剥げ 射せ 待て 死ね 呼べ 飲め 掘れ 買え 問え こい しろ Imperative (spoken) okiro tabero kake ike hage sase mate shine yobe nome hore kae toe koi shiro

The ren'yōkei (連用形, -i form), shūshikei (終止形, terminal form), rentaikei (連体形, attributive form), and meireikei (命令形, imperative form) can appear on their own. The other inflections require suffixes.

Complex forms [ edit ]

Form Classes Stem Suffix Result is Examples Passive 受動態 1, kuru imperfective (general) られる shimo-1 verb 食べられる 5 imperfective (general) れる shimo-1 verb 書かれる suru irreg. irreg. shimo-1 verb される Causative 使役態 1, kuru imperfective (general) させる or さす shimo-1 verb 食べさせる 5 imperfective (general) せる or す shimo-1 verb 書かせる suru irreg. irreg. shimo-1 verb させる or さす Potential 可能法 1 imperfective (general) られる shimo-1 verb 食べられる 5, kuru, 1 (colloq.) classical imperfective る shimo-1 verb 書ける, 起きれる suru defective defective 出来る (せる in compounds)

Other forms [ edit ]

Form Classes Stem Suffix Result is Examples Volitional 1, kuru, suru imperfective (volitional) よう indeclinable 食べよう, こよう, しよう 5 imperfective (volitional) う indeclinable 書こう, 話そう Negative all imperfective (general) ない i-adjective 食べない, 書かない, こない, しない Negative (archaic) all imperfective (general) ぬ indeclinable 食べぬ, 書かぬ Negative Continuative (-zu) 1, 5, kuru imperfective (general) ず indeclinable 食べず, 書かず, こず suru irreg. irreg. indeclinable せず Negative Conjunctive (-naide) all imperfective (general) ないで indeclinable 起きないで, 書かないで, こないで, しないで Past tense 1, kuru, suru, (ka,sa,ta,ra,wa)-5 continuative (other) た indeclinable 食べた, きた, した, 書いた, 行った, 話した, 待った, 作った, 払った, 問った (ga,na,ba,ma)-5 continuative (other) だ indeclinable 泳いだ, 死んだ, 読んだ, 飲んだ Conjunctive (-te) 1, kuru, suru, (ka,sa,ta,ra,wa)-5 continuative (other) て indeclinable 食べて, きて, して, 書いて, 行って, 話して, 待って, 作って, 払って, 問って (ga,na,ba,ma)-5 continuative (other) で indeclinable 泳いで, 死んで, 読んで, 飲んで Hypothetical (-ba) all classical imperfective (hypothetical) ば indeclinable 起きれば, 書けば, くれば, すれば Conditional (-tara) 1, kuru, suru, (ka,sa,ta,ra,wa)-5 continuative (other) たら indeclinable 食べたら, きたら, したら, 書いたら (ga,na,ba,ma)-5 continuative (other) だら indeclinable 泳いだら, 死んだら, 読んだら, 飲んだら

Currently incomplete

Suffixes to the continuative (-i) form [ edit ]

There are several suffixes that attach to the continuative (-i) form. These are some of the most common:

Form Suffix Result is Examples Formal (-masu) ます irregular verb 行きます Desire (-tai) たい i-adjective 食べたい

Classical Japanese [ edit ]

The following table shows the conjugations of classical verbs as well as the modern equivalents in historical kana orthography. Note the “school grammar” terminology and notion of verb forms. A conjugation table for auxiliary verbs appears at Appendix:Japanese auxiliary verbs (todo).

動詞活用表 [3] 文語 口語 種類

conjugation

class 行

consonant

of suffix 語例

example

word 未然

irrealis 連用

cont. 終止

terminal 連體

attrib. 已然

realis 命令

imperat. 種類

conjugation

class 行

consonant

of suffix 語例

example

word 未然

irrealis 連用

cont. 終止

terminal 連體

attrib. 假定

hypot. 命令

imperat. 四段

yodan

four-grade カ行 -k- 行（ゆ）く yu.ku か ka き ki く ku く ku け ke け ke 四段

yodan

four-grade カ行 -k- 行（ゆ）く yu.ku か ka き ki く ku く ku け ke け ke ガ行 -g- 漕（こ）ぐ ko.gu が ga ぎ gi ぐ gu ぐ gu げ ge げ ge ガ行 -g- 漕（こ）ぐ ko.gu が ga ぎ gi ぐ gu ぐ gu げ ge げ ge サ行 -s- 增（ま）す ma.su さ sa し si す su す su せ se せ se サ行 -s- 增（ま）す ma.su さ sa し si す su す su せ se せ se タ行 -t- 打（う）つ u.tu た ta ち ti つ tu つ tu て te て te タ行 -t- 打（う）つ u.tu た ta ち ti つ tu つ tu て te て te ハ行 -h- 思（おも）ふ omo.hu は ha ひ hi ふ hu ふ hu へ he へ he ハ行 -h- 思（おも）ふ omo.hu は ha ひ hi ふ hu ふ hu へ he へ he バ行 -b- 飛（と）ぶ to.bu ば ba び bi ぶ bu ぶ bu べ be べ be バ行 -b- 飛（と）ぶ to.bu ば ba び bi ぶ bu ぶ bu べ be べ be マ行 -m- 讀（よ）む yo.mu ま ma み mi む mu む mu め me め me マ行 -m- 讀（よ）む yo.mu ま ma み mi む mu む mu め me め me ラ行 -r- 取（と）る to.ru ら ra り ri る ru る ru れ re れ re ラ行 -r- 取（と）る to.ru ら ra り ri る ru る ru れ re れ re ラ變

ra-hen

r- irregular ラ行 -r- 有（あ）り a.ri ら ra り ri り ri る ru れ re れ re ラ行 -r- 有（あ）る a.ru ら ra り ri る ru る ru れ re れ re ナ變

na-hen

n- irregular ナ行 -n- 死（し）ぬ si.nu な na に ni ぬ nu ぬる nuru ぬれ nure ね ne ナ行 -n- 死（し）ぬ si.nu な na に ni ぬ nu ぬ nu ね ne ね ne 下一段

shimo-ichidan

lower-monograde カ行 -k- 蹴（け）る keru け ke け ke ける keru ける keru けれ kere けよ keyo ラ行 -r- 蹴（け）る ke.ru ら ra り ri る ru る ru れ re れ re 下二段

shimo-nidan

lower-bigrade ア行 (a) 得（う） u え e え e う u うる uru うれ ure えよ eyo 下一段

shimo-ichidan

lower-monograde ア行 (a) 得（え）る eru え e え e える eru える eru えれ ere えよ eyo カ行 -k- 受（う）く u.ku け ke け ke く ku くる kuru くれ kure けよ keyo カ行 -k- 受（う）ける u.keru け ke け ke ける keru ける keru けれ kere けよ keyo ガ行 -g- 上（あ）ぐ a.gu げ ge げ ge ぐ gu ぐる guru ぐれ gure げよ geyo ガ行 -g- 上（あ）げる a.geru げ ge げ ge げる geru げる geru げれ gere げよ geyo サ行 -s- 寄（よ）す yo.su せ se せ se す su する suru すれ sure せよ seyo サ行 -s- 寄（よ）せる yo.seru せ se せ se せる seru せる seru すれ sure せよ seyo ザ行 -z- 交（ま）ず ma.zu ぜ ze ぜ ze ず zu ずる zuru ずれ zure ぜよ zeyo ザ行 -z- 交（ま）ぜる ma.zeru ぜ ze ぜ ze ぜる zeru ぜる zeru ぜれ zere ぜよ zeyo タ行 -t- 捨（す）つ su.tu て te て te つ tu つる turu つれ ture てよ teyo タ行 -t- 捨（す）てる su.teru て te て te てる teru てる teru てれ tere てよ teyo ダ行 -d- 出（い）づ i.du で de で de づ du づる duru づれ dure でよ deyo ダ行 -d- 出（で）る deru で de で de でる deru でる deru でれ dere でよ deyo ナ行 -n- 尋（たづ）ぬ tadu.nu ね ne ね ne ぬ nu ぬる nuru ぬれ nure ねよ neyo ナ行 -n- 尋（たづ）ねる tadu.neru ね ne ね ne ねる neru ねる neru ねれ nere ねよ neyo ハ行 -h- 考（かんが）ふ kanga.hu へ he へ he ふ hu ふる huru ふれ hure へよ heyo ハ行 -h- 考（かんが）へる kanga.heru へ he へ he へる heru へる heru へれ here へよ heyo バ行 -b- 調（しら）ぶ sira.bu べ be べ be ぶ bu ぶる buru ぶれ bure べよ beyo バ行 -b- 調（しら）べる sira.beru べ be べ be べる beru べる beru べれ bere べよ beyo マ行 -m- 止（と）む to.mu め me め me む mu むる muru むれ mure めよ meyo マ行 -m- 止（と）める to.meru め me め me める meru める meru めれ mere めよ meyo ヤ行 -y- 越（こ）ゆ ko.yu え e え e ゆ yu ゆる yuru ゆれ yure えよ eyo ヤ行 -y- 越（こ）える ko.eru え e え e える eru える eru えれ ere えよ eyo ラ行 -r- 晴（は）る ha.ru れ re れ re る ru るる ruru るれ rure れよ reyo ラ行 -r- 晴（は）れる ha.reru れ re れ re れる reru れる reru れれ rere れよ reyo ワ行 -w- 植（う）う u.u ゑ we ゑ we う u うる uru うれ ure ゑよ weyo ワ行 -w- 植（う）ゑる u.weru ゑ we ゑ we ゑる weru ゑる weru ゑれ were ゑよ weyo 上一段

kami-ichidan

upper-monograde カ行 -k- 著（き）る kiru き ki き ki きる kiru きる kiru きれ kire きよ kiyo 上一段

kami-ichidan

upper-monograde カ行 -k- 著（き）る kiru き ki き ki きる kiru きる kiru きれ kire きよ kiyo ナ行 -n- 似（に）る niru に ni に ni にる niru にる niru にれ nire によ niyo ナ行 -n- 似（に）る niru に ni に ni にる niru にる niru にれ nire によ niyo ハ行 -h- 干（ひ）る hiru ひ hi ひ hi ひる hiru ひる hiru ひれ hire ひよ hiyo ハ行 -h- 干（ひ）る hiru ひ hi ひ hi ひる hiru ひる hiru ひれ hire ひよ hiyo マ行 -m- 見（み）る miru み mi み mi みる miru みる miru みれ mire みよ miyo マ行 -m- 見（み）る miru み mi み mi みる miru みる miru みれ mire みよ miyo ヤ行 -y- 射（い）る iru い i い i いる iru いる iru いれ ire いよ iyo ヤ行 -y- 老（お）いる o.iru い i い i いる iru いる iru いれ ire いよ iyo ワ行 -w- 居（ゐ）る wiru ゐ wi ゐ wi ゐる wiru ゐる wiru ゐれ wire ゐよ wiyo ワ行 -w- 居（ゐ）る wiru ゐ wi ゐ wi ゐる wiru ゐる wiru ゐれ wire ゐよ wiyo 上二段

kami-nidan

upper-bigrade カ行 -k- 起（お）く o.ku き ki き ki く ku くる kuru くれ kure きよ kiyo カ行 -k- 起（お）きる o.kiru き ki き ki きる kiru きる kiru きれ kire きよ kiyo ガ行 -g- 過（す）ぐ su.gu ぎ gi ぎ gi ぐ gu ぐる guru ぐれ gure ぎよ giyo ガ行 -g- 過（す）ぎる su.giru ぎ gi ぎ gi ぎる giru ぎる giru ぎれ gire ぎよ giyo タ行 -t- 落（お）つ o.tu ち ti ち ti つ tu つる turu つれ ture ちよ tiyo タ行 -t- 落（お）ちる o.tiru ち ti ち ti ちる tiru ちる tiru ちれ tire ちよ tiyo ダ行 -d- 恥（は）づ ha.du ぢ di ぢ di づ du づる duru づれ dure ぢよ diyo ダ行 -d- 恥（は）ぢる ha.diru ぢ di ぢ di じる ziru じる ziru じれ zire ぢよ diyo ハ行 -h- 強（し）ふ si.hu ひ hi ひ hi ふ hu ふる huru ふれ hure ひよ hiyo ハ行 -h- 強（し）ひる si.hiru ひ hi ひ hi ひる hiru ひる hiru ひれ hire ひよ hiyo バ行 -b- 亡（ほろ）ぶ horo.bu び bi び bi ぶ bu ぶる buru ぶれ bure びよ biyo バ行 -b- 亡（ほろ）びる horo.biru び bi び bi びる biru びる biru びれ bire びよ biyo マ行 -m- 恨（うら）む ura.mu み mi み mi む mu むる muru むれ mure みよ miyo マ行 -m- 恨（うら）みる ura.miru み mi み mi みる miru みる miru みれ mire みよ miyo ヤ行 -y- 悔（く）ゆ ku.yu い i い i ゆ yu ゆる yuru ゆれ yure いよ iyo ヤ行 -y- 悔（く）いる ku.iru い i い i いる iru いる iru いれ ire いよ iyo ラ行 -r- 懲（こ）る ko.ru り ri り ri る ru るる ruru るれ rure りよ riyo ラ行 -r- 懲（こ）りる ko.riru り ri り ri りる riru りる riru りれ rire りよ riyo カ變

ka-hen

k- irregular カ行 -k- 來（く） ku こ ko き ki く ku くる kuru くれ kure こよ koyo カ變

ka-hen

k- irregular カ行 -k- 來（く）る kuru こ ko き ki くる kuru くる kuru くれ kure こい koi サ變

sa-hen

s- irregular サ行 -s- 爲（す） su せ se し si す su する suru すれ sure せよ seyo サ變

sa-hen

s- irregular サ行 -s- 爲（す）る suru せ se

し si し si する suru する suru すれ sure せよ seyo

しろ siro 講（かう）ず kau.zu ぜ ze じ zi ず zu ずる zuru ずれ zure ぜよ zeyo 講（かう）ずる kau.zuru ぜ ze

じ zi じ zi ずる zuru ずる zuru ずれ zure ぜよ zeyo

じろ ziro

The rōmaji are Nihon-shiki transliterations of the kana and do not necessarily reflect the actual sounds.