Appendix:Japanese verbs
Modern Japanese
[edit]This section deals only with Japanese as written and spoken in the late 20th and 21st 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, it 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 is 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.
Japanese school grammar | Morphological analysis | New grammar | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conjugational class | Segmentation | Conjugational class | Segmentation | Conjugational class | Segmentation |
五段 (godan, “five-grade”) | か・く ka-ku あそ・ぶ aso-bu うらや・む uraya-mu |
consonant-stem | /kak-u/ /asob-u/ /urayam-u/ |
Group I or -u verbs | か-く ka-ku あそ-ぶ aso-bu うらや-む uraya-mu |
上一段 (kamīchidan, “upper monograde”) | みる miru お・きる o-kiru もち・いる mochi-iru |
vowel-stem | /mi-ru/ /oki-ru/ /motii-ru/ |
Group II or -ru verbs | み-る mi-ru おき-る oki-ru もちい-る mochii-ru |
下一段 (shimoichidan, “lower monograde”) | へる heru た・べる ta-beru たず・ねる tazu-neru |
/he-ru/ /tabe-ru/ /tazune-ru/ |
へ-る he-ru たべ-る tabe-ru たずね-る tazune-ru | ||
カ変 (kahen, “k-irregular”) | くる kuru | irregular | /kuru/ (stem /ko-/) | Group III or irregular verbs | くる -kuru |
サ変 (sahen, “s-irregular”) | する suru ろん・ずる ron-zuru |
/suru/ (stem /s(i)-/ ~ /se-/) /ronzuru/ (stem /ronze-/) |
する -suru ろん-ずる ron-zuru |
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? | Unmodified usage? |
---|---|---|---|---|
未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis”) | stem + a | stem | Yes | No |
連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) | stem + i | stem | Yes | Yes (to end a coordinate clause in formal writing) |
終止形 (shūshikei, “conclusive”) | stem + u | stem + ru | No | Yes (to form or end a nonpast sentence) |
連体形 (rentaikei, “adnominal”) | stem + u | stem + ru | No | Yes (to form or end 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 (to form or end an imperative sentence) |
The newer grammar designed for teaching foreigners Japanese, on the other hand, gives a set of key conjugated forms that may be immediately useful:
Japanese grammar | New grammar (Here based on Minna no Nihongo[1]) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Conjugated form | Example | Conjugated form | Example |
未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) | かか kaka かこ kako |
ない形 (-nai kei, “-nai form”) (also called 否定形 (hiteikei, “negative form”)) |
かか(ない) kaka(nai) |
意向形 (ikōkei, “volitional form”) | かこう kakō | ||
受身・尊敬 (ukemi sonkei, “passive-honorific verb”) | かかれる kakareru | ||
使役 (shieki, “causative verb”) | かかせる kakaseru | ||
連用形 (ren'yōkei, “adverbial form”) | かき kaki かい kai |
ます形 (-masu kei, “-masu form”) | かき(ます) kaki(masu) |
た形 (-ta kei, “-ta form”) (also called 過去形 (kakokei, “past form”)) |
かいた kaita | ||
て形 (-te kei, “-te form”) | かいて kaite | ||
終止形 (shūshikei, “terminal form”) | かく kaku | 辞書形 (jishokei, “dictionary form”) | かく kaku |
連体形 (rentaikei, “adnominal form”) | かく kaku | ||
仮定形 (kateikei, “hypothetical form”) | かけ kake | 条件形 (jōkenkei, “conditional form”) (also called ば形 (-ba kei, “-ba form”)) |
かけば kakeba |
命令形 (meireikei, “imperative form”) | かけ kake | 命令形 (meireikei, “imperative form”) | かけ kake |
可能動詞 (kanōdōshi, “potential verb”) | かける kakeru | 可能 (kanō, “potential verb”) | かける kakeru |
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 |
shin- | 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 |
|
iu2 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 |
|
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
- The imperatives -ro and -yo are as noted for upper monograde verbs. 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 only 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 |
- Notes
- Unlike other verbs, the Classical Japanese imperative forms ko and koyo are very rarely used even when trying to sound formal, archaic or stylistic. Such situations are usually handled instead by the suppletive きたれ (kitare), the imperative of the five-grade (godan) きたる (kitaru).
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.
- The imperatives -ro and -yo are as noted for upper monograde verbs.
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: kakaba “if one writes”, in contrast with the realis kakeba “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 (tabesaseru, “to make (someone) eat”) then to the polite form 食べさせます (tabesasemasu) and finally to the negative 食べさせません (tabesasemasen, “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:
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 and 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.
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 and 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 |
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 and 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.
Example word | 見る mi- | 出る de- |
---|---|---|
Basic stem (mizenkei and 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 and 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.
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 and 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 |
Volitional (from mizenkei stem) | こよう koyō |
- Note
- Unlike other verbs, the Classical Japanese forms ko and koyo are never used for the imperative even when trying to sound formal, archaic or stylistic. Such situations are instead handled by the suppletive kitare きたれ, the imperative of the five-grade (godan) verb kitaru きたる.
Word | する suru (regular) | 達する tassuru | 論ずる ronzuru | 愛する aisuru |
---|---|---|---|---|
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 and 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)
- Polite -masu
- Negative -nai, -nu ~ -n
- Evidential -sō (if this suffix is present, further inflection becomes na-adjective like; not used with -masu)
- 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:
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 and 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 |
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 and 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)).
- 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 auxiliary 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”).
- 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).
- アリスは毎日コーヒーを飲む / 飲みます。 ― Arisu wa mainichi kōhī o nomu / nomimasu. ― Alice drinks coffee every day.
- アリスの電話番号を知らない / 知りません。 ― Arisu no denwabangō o shiranai / shirimasen. ― I don't know Alice's telephone number.
- 昨日、友達が家に来た / 来ました。 ― Kinō, tomodachi ga ie ni kita / kimashita. ― Friends came to my house yesterday.
- 先週働かなかった / 働きませんでしたか。 ― Senshū hatarakanakatta / hatarakimasen deshita ka. ― You didn't work in the last week?
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):
- 私が明日乗る飛行機 ― watashi ga ashita noru hikōki ― the plane that I'll take tomorrow (lit. the-tomorrow-taken-by-me plane.)
- 子供のいない夫婦 ― kodomo no inai fūfu ― a couple who have no child (lit. the children-lacking couple.)
- トムが昨日買ったパソコン ― tomu ga kinō katta pasokon ― the computer that Tom bought yesterday (lit. the yesterday-bought-by-Tom computer.)
- トップ10に入らなかった言葉 ― toppu 10 ni hairanakatta kotoba ― words that didn't enter the top 10 (lit. the non-entered-to-top-10 words.)
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.
- 君が歌い、僕は踊る ― 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.
- 遊びに来たぜ。 ― asobi ni kita ze. ― I came to play
- 午後、荷物を取りに行きます。 ― 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:
- アリスは毎晩家へ帰って、テレビを見ます。 ― Arisu wa maiban ie e kaette, terebi o mimasu. ― Alice returns home and watches TV every night.
- 昨日図書館へ行って、勉強しました。 ― Kinō toshokan e itte, benkyō shimashita. ― I went to the library and studied yesterday.
When used at the end of a sentence it makes a light command:
- 助けて! ― tasukete! ― Help!
- ゆっくりしていってね! ― 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. With a spoken/written register denotion where present, they are conjugated in the following fashion:
- godan verbs: change the -u to -e. For example, 読む becomes 読め.
- ichidan verbs: change the -ru to -ro/-yo. For example, 見る becomes 見ろ/見よ.
- irregular verbs: kuru becomes koi/koyo, suru becomes shiro/seyo.
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.
- ichidan verbs: change the -ru to -yō. For example, 見る becomes 見よう.
- 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.
- ichidan verbs: change the -ru to -rareru. For example, 見る becomes 見られる.
- irregular verbs: kuru becomes korareru, suru becomes dekiru.
The result can be further conjugated like an ichidan verb; for example, 信じられない (unbelievable). Informally, the ra can be left out (a practice called ら抜き言葉).
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.
- ichidan verbs: change the -ru to -saseru. For example, 見る becomes 見させる.
- 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.
- ichidan verbs: change the -ru to -rareru. For example, 見る becomes 見られる.
- 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. Sometimes, in a phenomenon called the 'suffering passive', the passive form is used, particularly with intransitive verbs, to express that the thing done was somehow regrettable for the speaker; for example, 兎に逃げられた is not "[I] was run away by the rabbit", but "the rabbit ran away, unfortunately [for me]". One may compare this to the similarly functioning structure within expressions such as 'died on me', 'ran out on me'.
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.
- ichidan verbs: change the -ru to -saserareru. For example, 見る becomes 見させられる.
- 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.
- 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枚ください。
- Hagaki o gomai kudasai.
- Please give me five postcards.
The i-ending imperative forms are identical to the continuative verb stem (the ren'yōkei). As such, these may be followed by the -mase imperative form of polite suffix -masu. This results in a polite command, and for the appropriate verbs, this makes a greeting more polite:
- いらっしゃいませ!
- Irasshaimase!
- Welcome!
Transitivity
[edit]Japanese transitive and intransitive verbs are called 他動詞 (tadōshi) and 自動詞 (jidōshi) in Japanese respectively. Intransitive verbs usually only take a subject marked with が (ga) or は (wa), while transitive verbs can also take an object marked with を (o).
- 先生が授業を始める。 ― sensei ga jugyō o hajimeru. ― The teacher starts the class.
- 授業が始まる。 ― 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.
- 弾丸が私に当たった ― dangan ga watashi ni atatta ― The bullet hit me.
Motion verbs can also be used with the object particle を (o) (adding the meaning of 'through'), despite their intransitive status in Japanese.
- 橋を渡る ― hashi o wataru ― to cross a bridge
When a transitive verb is affixed with 〜たい (tai) to express desire (becoming an adjective), or in the potential form (becoming intransitive), it would then usually be marked with が (ga), with を (o) seeing occasional use despite proscription.
- 水が飲みたい。 ― 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.
- 窓が開けてある。 ― 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.
- 値段を上げる ― nedan o ageru ― (A subject) raises the price.
- 値段が上がる ― nedan ga agaru ― The price rises.
- 下二段活用 inflection as transitive:
- 下二段活用 inflection as intransitive:
- Transitives may be constructed by attaching Old Japanese auxiliary verb す, and intransitives constructed by attaching Old Japanese auxiliary verb る (or rarely ゆ), them being equivalent to modern せる (seru), れる (reru), and える (eru), respectively.
- With す:
Verb pair Transitivity Old Japanese Modern Japanese to decrease trans. 減らす (ferasu, 四段活用) 減らす (herasu) intrans. 減る (feru, 四段活用) 減る (heru) to wake trans. 覚ます (samasu, 四段活用) 覚ます (samasu) intrans. 覚む (samu, 下二段活用) 覚める (sameru) to fill trans. 満たす (mitasu, 四段活用) 満たす (mitasu) intrans. 満つ (mitu, 上二段活用) 満ちる (michiru)
- With る or ゆ:
Verb pair Transitivity Old Japanese Modern Japanese to sting/to be stung trans. 刺す (sasu, 四段活用) 刺す (sasu) intrans. 刺さる (sasaru, 四段活用) 刺さる (sasaru) to raise/to rise trans. 上ぐ (agu, 下二段活用) 上げる (ageru) intrans. 上がる (agaru, 四段活用) 上がる (agaru) to see/to seem trans. 見る (miru, 上一段活用) 見る (miru) intrans. 見ゆ (miyu, 下二段活用) 見える (mieru)
- With both:
Verb pair Transitivity Old Japanese Modern Japanese to transfer trans. 移す (utusu, 四段活用) 移す (utsusu) intrans. 移る (uturu, 四段活用) 移る (utsuru) to stray trans. 外す (fadusu, 四段活用) 外す (hazusu) intrans. 外る (faduru, 下二段活用) 外れる (hazureru) to move close trans. 寄す (yosu, 下二段活用) 寄せる (yoseru) intrans. 寄る (yoru, 四段活用) 寄る (yoru) to erase trans. 消す (kesu, 四段活用) 消す (kesu) intrans. 消ゆ (kiyu, 下二段活用) 消える (kieru)
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 | こよ | せよ |
Imperative (written) | okiyo | tabeyo | kake | ike | hage | sase | mate | shine | yobe | nome | hore | kae | toe | koyo | 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 | 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, kuru | imperfective (general) | られる | shimo-1 verb | 食べられる |
5, kuru (colloq.), 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 | 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, 5 (ka, sa, ta, ra, wa) | 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, 問うた |
5 (ga, na, ba, ma) | continuative (other) | だ | indeclinable | 泳いだ, 死んだ, 読んだ, 飲んだ | |
Conjunctive (-te) | 1, kuru, suru, 5 (ka, sa, ta, ra, wa) | 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, 問うて |
5 (ga, na, ba, ma) | continuative (other) | で | indeclinable | 泳いで, 死んで, 読んで, 飲んで | |
Hypothetical (-ba) | all | classical perfective (hypothetical) | ば | indeclinable | 起きれば, 書けば, くれば, すれば |
Conditional (-tara) | 1, kuru, suru, 5 (ka, sa, ta, ra, wa) | continuative (other) | たら | indeclinable | 食べたら, きたら, したら, 書いたら |
5 (ga, na, ba, ma) | continuative (other) | だら | indeclinable | 泳いだら, 死んだら, 読んだら, 飲んだら |
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 | 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. Although not shown in this table, when the conjunctive form of a verb follows an auxiliary verb, a non-obligatory conjugation change called Onbin may be observed. A conjugation table for auxiliary verbs appears at Appendix:Japanese auxiliary verbs (todo).
文語 (classical) | 口語 (modern) | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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- | 増(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- | 読(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 ko こよ koyo |
カ変 ka-hen k- irregular |
カ行 -k- | 来(く)る kuru | こ ko | き ki | くる kuru | くる kuru | くれ kure | こよ koyo 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 | サ変 sa-hen s- irregular |
サ行 -s- | 為(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.
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.nihongo-books.com/doshi/form_and_voice/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
- ^ Mainly adapted from the Daijiten (大辭典, page 131, volume 26) published in 1936 by Heibonsha (平凡社), which was believed to be out of copyright.