Nihongo
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動詞の形

dōshi no katachi — verb groups & every basic form

Review 24 →

ru-verbs ichidan · group 2

Drop る, add the ending. The stem never changes.

eat
see
get up
sleep
leave
wear

u-verbs godan · group 1

The last kana slides along its row — か き く け こ.

write
drink
speak
buy
wait
make
play
die
swim

irregular fukisoku · group 3

Just two — learn them by heart. Noun + する works the same (勉強する).

do
come
  1. する or 来る? → irregular
  2. Doesn't end in ? → u-verb
  3. Ends in -a / -u / -o + ? → u-verb
  4. Ends in -e / -i + ? → usually ru-verb

…but these look like ru-verbs and are u-verbs:

· return
· enter
· run
· know
· cut

Same sound, different group: (wear) vs (cut). The ない form gives it away.

the one exception — not 行いて

た is always the て form with て→た, で→だ.

a
i
u
e
o

う-verbs take , not あ, on the a-row: .

· eat · write · drink · speak · go · do · come
dictionary
polite
negative
te-form
past
potential
volitional
passive
causative
imperative
conditional
  • Ru-verbs: potential = passive (食べられる). In speech the potential often drops ら: 食べれる.
  • changes its vowel: — watch the furigana.
  • Dashed cells are the exceptions: 行って / 行った, and できる as the potential of する.
  • Polite forms of everything hang off ます: 食べません · 食べました · 食べましょう.