可能動詞

Japanese

Kanji in this term
可	能	動	詞
か Grade: 5	のう Grade: 5	どう Grade: 3	し Grade: 6
on'yomi

Etymology

Compound of 可能 (kanō, “capable, potential, possible”) +‎ 動詞 (dōshi, “verb”).

Noun

可(か)能(のう)動(どう)詞(し) • (kanō dōshi) 

1. (grammar) a potential verb (indicates that something is possible)

Usage notes

In modern Japanese, the potential form of 五段活用 (godan katsuyō, “quinquigrade conjugation”) verbs formed by extending the 仮定形 (kateikei, “hypothetical form”) verb stem that ends in -e-, forming a verb with the 下一段活用 (shimo ichidan katsuyō, “lower monograde conjugation”) pattern.

Examples: 言(い)う (iu, “to say”) → 言(い)える (ieru, “to be able to say”), 読(よ)む (yomu, “to read”) → 読(よ)める (yomeru, “to be able to read”)

Although potential in English is a quality of the agent (the person or thing doing the action of the verb), these verbs in Japanese express a quality of the patient (the person or thing to which the action of the verb happens), and thus the grammar is different from what an English speaker might expect.

For instance:

• I can read this book.

The potential verb phrase here describes a quality of "I".

• 私はこの本が読める。 (Watashi wa kono hon ga yomeru.)

While the Japanese is translatable as the same thing as the English above, notice that the subject of this sentence -- marked by the が (ga) particle -- is the book, the patient of the verb. A more literal translation would be, This book is readable by me. In fact, the actor of potential verbs in Japanese can be marked by the に (ni) particle used to mark the agent: 私にこの本が読める (Watashi ni kono hon ga yomeru). This use of に (ni) is similar to passive verb constructions.

The form る (ru) is not to be confused with the 連体形 (rentaikei, “adnominal form”) of the Classical Japanese stative suffix り (ri).