All About Verbs (2)

One of the characteristics of the Japanese language is that the verb generally comes at the end of the sentence. Since Japanese's sentences often omit the subject, the verb is probably the most important part in understanding the sentence. However, Verbs forms are considered to be difficult to learn. The good news is the system itself is rather simple, as far as memorizing certain rules. Unlike the more complex verb conjugation of other languages, Japanese verbs do not have a different form to indicate the person (first-, second, and third-person), the number (singular and plural), or gender.
Japanese verbs are roughly divided into three groups according to their dictionary form (basic form).
Group 1: ~ U ending verbs
The basic form of Group 1 verbs end with "~ u". This group is also called Consonant-stem verbs or Godan-doushi (Godan verbs).

• hanasu （話す） - to speak
• kaku （書く） - to write
• kiku （聞く） - to listen
• matsu （待つ） - to wait
• nomu （飲む） - to drink

Group 2: ~ Iru and ~ Eru ending verbs
The basic form of Group 2 verbs end with either "~iru" or "~ eru". This group is also called Vowel-stem-verbs or Ichidan-doushi (Ichidan verbs).
~ Iru ending verbs

• kiru （着る） - to wear
• miru （見る） - to see
• okiru （起きる） - to get up
• oriru （降りる） - to get off
• shinjiru （信じる） - to believe

~ Eru ending verbs

• akeru （開ける） - to open
• ageru （あげる） - to give
• deru （出る） - to go out
• neru （寝る） - to sleep
• taberu （食べる） - to eat

There are some exceptions. The following verbs belong to Group 1, though they end with "~ iru" or "~ eru".

• hairu （入る） - to enter
• hashiru （走る） - to run
• iru （いる） - to need
• kaeru （帰る） - to return
• kagiru （限る） - to limit
• kiru （切る） - to cut
• shaberu （しゃべる） - to chatter
• shiru （知る） - to know

Group 3: Irregular verbs
There are only two irregular verbs, kuru (to come) and suru (to do).
The verb "suru" is probably the most often used verb in Japanese. It is used as "to do," "to make," or "to cost". It is also combined with many nouns (of Chinese or Western origin) to make them into verbs. Here are some examples.

• benkyousuru （勉強する） - to study
• ryokousuru （旅行する） - to travel
• yushutsusuru （輸出する） - to export
• dansusuru （ダンスする） - to dance
• shanpuusuru （シャンプーする） - to shampoo

The ~ te form is a useful form of the Japanese verb. It does not indicate tense by itself, however it combines with other verb forms to create other tenses. It has many other uses as well. To make the ~ te form, replace the final ~ ta of the informal past tense of the verb with ~ te, and ~ da with ~ de. Learn the ~ te form of the basic verbs. Here are some examples.

• nonda （飲んだ） - nonde （飲んで）
• tabeta （食べた） - tabete （食べて）
• kita （来た） - kite （来て）

Here are some other functions of the ~ te form.
(1) Request: the ~ te form kudasai

• Mite kudasai. （見てください。） - Please look.
• Kiite kudasai. （聞いてください。） - Please listen.

(2) The present progressive: the ~ te form iru or imasu (formal)

• Hirugohan o tabete iru. （昼ご飯を食べている。） - I am having lunch.
• Terebi o mite imasu. （テレビを見ています。） - I am watching TV.

It is also used to describe a habitual action and a condition.
(3) Listing successive actions
It is used to connect two or more verbs. The ~ te form is used after all but the last sentence in a sequence.

• Hachi-ji ni okite gakkou ni itta. （八時に起きて学校に行った。） - I got up at eight and went to school.
• Depaato ni itte kutsu o katta. （デパートに行って靴を買った。） - I went to department store and bought shoes.

(4) Asking permission: the ~ te form mo ii desu ka.

• Terebi o mite mo ii desu ka. （テレビを見てもいいですか。） - May I watch TV?
• Tabako o sutte mo ii desu ka. （タバコを吸ってもいいですか。） - May I smoke?

More About Japanese Verbs

All About Japanese Verbs

In this lesson, you will learn how Japanese verbs conjugate. If you are not familiar with verbs yet, read "Japanese Verb Groups" first. Then, learn "The ~te form," which is a very useful form of the Japanese verb.
Dictionary Form
The dictionary form (basic form) of all Japanese verbs end with "u". This is the form listed in the dictionary, and is the informal, present affirmative form of the verb. This form is used among close friends and family in informal situations.
The ~ masu Form (Formal Form)
The suffix "~ masu" is added to the dictionary form of the verbs to make sentence polite. Aside from changing the tone, it has no meaning. This form is used in situations required politeness or a degree of formality, and is more appropriate for general use. Check out the ~ masu form of the basic verbs.

The ~ masu Form
Group 1	Take off the final ~u, and add ~ imasu kaku --- kakimasu, nomu --- nomimasu
Group 2	Take off the final ~ru, and add ~ masu miru --- mimasu, taberu --- tabemasu
Group 3	kuru --- kimasu, suru --- shimasu

The ~ masu Form minus "~ masu" is the stem of the verb. The verb stems are useful since many verb suffixes are attached to them.

~ Masu Form	The stem of the verb
kakimasu	kaki
nomimasu	nomi
mimasu	mi
tabemasu	tabe

Present Tense
Japanese verb forms have two main tenses, the present and the past. There is no future tense. The present tense is used for future and habitual action as well. The informal form of the present tense is the same as the dictionary form. The ~ masu form is used in formal situations.
Past Tense
The past tense is used to express actions completed in the past (I saw, I bought etc.) and present perfect tense (I have read, I have done etc.). Forming the informal past tense is simpler for Group 2 verbs, but more complicated for Group 1 verbs. The conjugation of Group 1 verbs varies depending on the consonant of the last syllable on the dictionary form. All Group 2 verbs have the same conjugation pattern.

Group 1
Formal	Replace ~ u with ~ imashita	kaku --- kakimashita nomu --- nomimashita
Informal	(1) Verb ending with ~ ku: replace ~ ku with ~ ita	kaku --- kaita kiku --- kiita
	(2) Verb ending with ~ gu: replace ~ gu with ~ ida	isogu --- isoida oyogu --- oyoida
	(3) Verb ending with ~ u, ~tsu and ~ ru: replace them with ~ tta	utau --- utatta matsu --- matta kaeru --- kaetta
	(4) Verb ending with ~ nu, ~bu and ~ mu: replace them with ~ nda	shinu --- shinda asobu --- asonda nomu --- nonda
	(5) Verb ending with ~ su: replace ~ su with ~ shita	hanasu --- hanashita dasu --- dashita
Group 2
Formal	Take off ~ru, and add ~ mashita	miru --- mimashita taberu ---tabemashita
Informal	Take off ~ru, and add ~ ta	miru --- mita taberu --- tabeta
Group 3
Formal	kuru --- kimashita, suru --- shimashita
Informal	kuru --- kita, suru ---shita

Present Negative
To make sentence negative, verb endings are changed into negative forms (The ~ nai Form).

Formal	All Verbs (Group 1, 2, 3)
	Replace ~ masu with ~ masen	nomimasu --- nomimasen tabemasu --- tabemasen kimasu --- kimasen shimasu --- shimasen
Informal	Group 1
	Replace the final ~ u with ~anai (If verb ending is a vowel + ~ u, replace with ~ wanai)	kiku --- kikanai nomu --- nomanai au --- awanai
	Group 2
	Replace ~ ru with ~ nai	miru --- minai taberu --- tabenai
	Group 3
	kuru --- konai, suru ---shinai

Past Negative

Formal	All Verbs (Group 1, 2, 3)
	Add ~ deshita to the formal present negative form	nomimasen --- nomimasen deshita tabemasen --- tabemasen deshita kimasen--- kimasen deshita shimasen--- shimasen deshita
Informal	All Verbs (Group 1, 2, 3)
	Replace ~ nai with ~ nakatta	nomanai --- nomanakatta tabenai --- tabenakatta konai --- konakatta shinai ---shinakatta

Popular Kanji for Tattoos

Kanji might be hard to learn, but it is also a fun part of the Japanese language. Here are the most popular kanji for tattoos - part 1. Click the link below to find out how to write each character. There are also sounds files to help with your pronunciation.
Many people who choose to get Japanese tattoos use kanji characters. Make sure that you select the correct character and completely understand its meaning before permanently adding it to your body. Please check out my Kanji for Tattoos page for more information.

Ambition (Yabou)	Beauty (Bi)
Belief (Shinnen)	Bravery (Yuukan)
Buddhism (Bukkyou)	Courage (Yuuki)
The Code of Samurai (Bushidou)	Desire (Yokubou)
Dragon (Ryuu)	Dream (yume)
Enlightenment (Satori)	Eternity (Eien)
Freedom (Jiyuu)	Friendship (Yuujou)
God (Kami)	Happiness (Koufuku)
Honor (Meiyo)	Hope (Kibou)
Ideal (Risou)	Illusion (Gensou)
Justice (Seigi)	Legend (Densetsu)
Love (Ai)	Loyalty (Chuujitsu)
Meditation (Mokusou)	Moon (Tsuki)
Nature (Shizen)	Ocean (Umi)
Passion (Jounetsu)	Peace (Heiwa)
Perfect (Kanzen)	Power (Chikara)
Pride (Hokori)	Promise (Yakusoku)
Rainbow (Niji)	Respect (Sonkei)
Samurai	Secret (Himitsu)
Sky (Sora)	Shogun
Star (Hoshi)	Soul (Tamashii)
Spirit (Seishin)	Success (Seikou)
Sun (Taiyou)	Truth (Shinjitsu)
Universe (Uchuu)	Victory (Shouri)
Wisdom (Chie)	Zen
Achievement (Tassei) Adventure (Bouken) Ancestor (Senzo) Art (Geijutsu) Bond (Kizuna) Cooperation (Kyouryoku) Creation (Souzou) Destiny (Unmei) Dignity (Igen) Elegance (Yuuga) Environment (Kankyou) Era (Jidai) Generosity (Kandai) Glory (Eikou) Gorgeous (Gouka) Hallucination (Genkaku) Harmony (Chouwa) Hero (Eiyuu) Imagination (Souzou) Jealousy (Shitto) Kaleidoscope (Mangekyou) Karate  Mercy (Jihi) Milky Way (Ama no gawa) Miracle (Kiseki) Music (Ongaku) Myth (Shinwa) Ninja  Patience (Nintai) Planet (Wakusei) Poem (Shi) Prosperity (Hanei) Pure (Junsui) Rebirth (Saisei) Religious Faith (Shinkou) Ronin Self Confidence (Jishin) Sentiment (Kanshou) Shooting Star (Ryuusei) Silence (Chinmoku) Sincerity (Seijitsu) Solitude (Kodoku) Song (Uta) Talent (Sainou) Tear (Namida) Thought (Shisou) Tiger (Tora) Trust (Shinrai) Virtue (Kudoku) Wolf (Ookami)

All About Adjectives Part 2: The Use of Adjectives

Modifying Nouns

When used as modifiers of nouns, both i-adjectives and na-adjectives take the basic form, and precede nouns just like in English.

I-Adjectives	chiisai inu 小さい犬	small dog
	takai tokei 高い時計	expensive watch
Na-Adjectives	yuumeina gaka 有名な画家	famous painter
	sukina eiga 好きな映画	favorite movie

I-Adjectives as Predicates

As mentioned on the previous page, adjectives can function like verbs. Therefore, they conjugate just like verbs (but probably much more simply).

Informal	Present Negative	Replace the final ~ i with ~ ku nai
	Past	Replace the final ~ i with ~ katta
	Past Negative	Replace the final ~ i with ~ ku nakatta
Formal	Add ~desu to all of the informal forms.
	There is also a variation in the formal negative forms. * Negative: Replace ~i with ~ku arimasen * Past Negative: Add ~ deshita to ~ku arimasen These negative forms are considered slightly more polite than others.

Here is how the adjective "takai (expensive)" is conjugated.

	Informal	Formal
Present	takai 高い	takai desu 高いです
Present Negative	takaku nai 高くない	takaku nai desu 高くないです takaku arimasen 高くありません
Past	takakatta 高かった	takakatta desu 高かったです
Past Negative	takaku nakatta 高くなかった	takaku nakatta desu 高くなかったです takaku arimasen deshita 高くありませんでした

There is only one exception to the rule of i-adjectives, which is "ii (good)". "Ii" derives from "yoi," and its conjugation is mostly based on "yoi".

	Informal	Formal
Present	ii いい	ii desu いいです
Present Negative	yoku nai 良くない	yoku nai desu 良くないです yoku arimasen 良くありません
Past	yokatta 良かった	yokatta desu 良かったです
Past negative	yoku nakatta 良くなかった	yoku nakatta desu 良くなかったです yoku arimasen deshita 良くありませんでした

Na-Adjectives as Predicates

They are called na-adjectives because "~ na" marks this group of adjectives when directly modifying noun (e.g. yuumeina gaka). Unlike i-adjectives, na-adjectives cannot be used as predicates themselves. When a na-adjective is used as a predicate, the final "na" is deleted and followed by either "~ da" or "~ desu (in formal speech)". As with nouns, "~ da" or "~ desu" changes its form to express the past tense, the negative, and the affirmative.

	Informal	Formal
Present	yuumei da 有名だ	yuumei desu 有名です
Present Negative	yuumei dewa nai 有名ではない	yuumei dewa arimasen 有名ではありません
Past	yuumei datta 有名だった	yuumei deshita 有名でした
Past negative	yuumei dewa nakatta 有名ではなかった	yuumei dewa arimasen deshita 有名ではありませんでした

All About Adjectives

There are two types of adjectives in Japanese: i-adjectives and na-adjectives. I-adjectives all end in "~ i," though they never end in "~ ei" (e.g. "kirei" is not an i-adjective.)

Japanese adjectives differ from their English counterparts. Although Japanese adjectives have functions to modify nouns like English adjectives, they also function as verbs when used as predicates. For example, "takai（高い）" in the sentence "takai kuruma （高い車）" means, "expensive". "Takai（高い）" of "kono kuruma wa takai （この車は高い）" means not just "expensive" but "is expensive". When i-adjectives are used as predicates, they may be followed by "~ desu（～です）" to indicate a formal style. "Takai desu （高いです）" also means, "is expensive" but it is more formal than "takai （高い）".
Here are lists of common i-adjectives and na-adjectives.
Common I-Adjectives

atarashii 新しい	new	furui 古い	old
atatakai 暖かい	warm	suzushii 涼しい	cool
atsui 暑い	hot	samui 寒い	cold
oishii おいしい	delicious	mazui まずい	bad tasting
ookii 大きい	big	chiisai 小さい	small
osoi 遅い	late, slow	hayai 早い	early, quick
omoshiroi 面白い	interesting, funny	tsumaranai つまらない	boring
kurai 暗い	dark	akarui 明るい	bright
chikai 近い	near	tooi 遠い	far
nagai 長い	long	mijikai 短い	short
muzukashii 難しい	difficult	yasashii 優しい	easy
ii いい	good	warui 悪い	bad
takai 高い	tall, expensive	hikui 低い	low
yasui 安い	cheap	wakai 若い	young
isogashii 忙しい	busy	urusai うるさい	noisy

Common Na-Adjectives

ijiwaruna 意地悪な	mean	shinsetsuna 親切な	kind
kiraina 嫌いな	distasteful	sukina 好きな	favorite
shizukana 静かな	quiet	nigiyakana にぎやかな	lively
kikenna 危険な	dangerous	anzenna 安全な	safe
benrina 便利な	convenient	fubenna 不便な	inconvenient
kireina きれいな	pretty	genkina 元気な	healthy, well
jouzuna 上手な	skillful	yuumeina 有名な	famous
teineina 丁寧な	polite	shoujikina 正直な	honest
gankona 頑固な	stubborn	hadena 派手な	showy

Japanese verbs

Japanese verbs are roughly divided into three groups according to their dictionary form (basic form). The basic form of 'Group 1' verbs end with "~ u". The basic form of 'Group 2' verbs end with either "~iru" or "~ eru". 'Group 3' verbs are irregular verbs. There are only two irregular verbs, kuru (to come) and suru (to do).
Click here to learn more about Japanese verbs and hear their pronunciation ("Audio Phrasaebook – verbs").
Here are some common verbs from each group. The links lead to various conjugations of each verb.
Group 1
aruku （歩く） --- to walk　
asobu （遊ぶ） --- to play　
au （会う） --- to meet　
hairu （入る） --- to enter　
hajimaru （始まる） --- to begin　
iku （行く） --- to go　
kaeru （帰る） --- to return　
kakaru （かかる） --- to take
kaku （書く） --- to write
kau （買う） --- to buy　
kiku （聞く） --- to listen　
matsu （待つ） --- to wait　
motsu （持つ） --- to have
narau （習う） --- to learn
nomu （飲む） --- to drink
okuru （送る） --- to send
omou （思う） --- to think
oyogu （泳ぐ） --- to swim
shiru （知る） --- to know　
suwaru （座る） --- to sit　
tatsu （立つ） --- to stand　
tomaru （止まる） --- to stop　
tsuku （着く） --- to arrive　
uru （売る） --- to sell
utau （歌う） --- to sing
wakaru （分かる） --- to understand
warau （笑う） --- to laugh　
yomu （読む） --- to read　
Group 2
kangaeru （考える） --- to think
miru （見る） --- to see; to look
neru （寝る） --- to sleep
oshieru （教える） --- to teach
taberu （食べる） ---　to eat
Group 3
kuru （来る） --- to come　
suru （する） --- to do

katakana Chart

This is a partial table of katakana. This shows the basic characters.  The  pronunciation is given above each character.  See the pronunciation page for more information on how to pronounce the sounds. 

To see how to write each of the katakana go here.

These are the characters used to form words that have foreign origins.  Non-Japanese names are written in katakana.  Sometimes it is also used as a replacement for "difficult" kanji or for emphasis. Animal and fruit names are often written in katakana for these reasons.
Katakana is like hiragana in that every basic character has the exact same sound as its name. However, since there are more sounds in foreign words than in Japanese, katakana has more characters and combinations than hiragana does.
Together, hiragana and katakana are called the 'kana.' 

Hiragana Charts

This is a partial table of hiragana. This shows the basic characters.  The  pronunciation is given above each character.  See the pronunciation page for more information on how to pronounce the sounds. 

To see how to write each of the hiragana go here.

These are the characters used to form Japanese words.  Hiragana is kind of like the Japanese alphabet.  Unlike the English alphabet, however, every Japanese character has the exact same sound as it's name and most characters are made of a consonant sound followed by a vowel. This makes it less of an 'alphabet' and more of a 'syllabary'.
The Japanese also use two other character sets. The one for foriegn words is called katakana and the one with characters which represent words or parts of words (not sounds) is called ka

Pronunciation

Vowels
Japanese has five basic vowels.  They are romanized as a  i  u  e and  o.  They are pronounced something like the 'a' in 'awful', the 'ee' in 'feet', the 'oo' in 'mood', the 'e' in 'met', and the 'o' in 'cold'.  Listen to the example sound files at the bottom of the page for more help.
If vowels are written in combination, each vowel should be pronounced separately.  For instance ai sounds like 'eye' to the English speaker and oo is pronounced by stretching out the o sound.
The combination ei is not pronounced ay. Instead, it is usually pronounced as an enlongated version of the e (as in met).
The vowel u is usually pronounced faintly or dropped entirely when found in the syllable su.  This is especially true at the end of words such as desu or -masu which tend to sound like des and mas.  Another example is suki which tends to be pronounced as ski.
Consonants
Most Japanese consonants are pronounced the same way they are in English.  There are some important differences, however.
1.  The letter g is always pronounced as in 'gone' and never as in 'gin.'
2.  The ch combination is always pronounced as in 'chocolate' and never as in 'charade.'
3.  The fu syllable is pronounced more like 'who' is in English, except that it is more clipped and is made by bringing the lips close together rather than by bringing the upper teeth close to the lower lip like in English.
4.  The Japanese r is nothing like the English 'r.'  Rather, it is more like a clipped L sound. It is pronounced something like the 'dd' in the name Eddy.  It is made by flicking the tip of the tongue off of the gums behind the top front teeth.  This sound is used as a substitute for the 'L' and 'R' sounds in foreign words.
5.  The tsu sound has no good examples of use in English.  Instead, listen to these examples. The voice sample has the syllable tsu followed by tsunami (tidal wave), tsuki (moon), tsubasa (wings), and tsuri (fishing).
6.  The y that is found in some words is never a vowel as it can be in English.  Thus, Toyota is not pronounced 'toy-o-ta' as it is in English, but to-yo-ta.  The y can also act as a glide.  Thus, Tokyo which is often pronounced 'to-ky-o' in English, is actually pronounced to-kyo in Japanese.
7.  The n in Japanese has two pronunciations.  The first is at the beginning of na, ni, nu, ne, and no, where it is pronounced the same as it is in English.  The other is where n stands by itself. (With no vowel following it within the same word.)  Here, it is pronounced as a nasal 'n.'
Double Consonants
When a word contains double consonants, the double k's in bakkin (a penalty or fine) for example, they are pronounced separately, with a slight space separating the two.  In this case, the double k's are pronounced something like the 'kc' in bookcase.
Particles Wo, Ha, and He
When you see the character wo in a sentence, it is actually pronounced more like o.  When ha is used as a particle to mark the subject of a sentence, it is pronounced like wa. Ha is also pronounced as wa when used in the words konnichiha and konbanha. When he is used as a particle in a sentence it is pronounced as e.
Sound File Examples
Click on the syllables to see how they're pronounced.

a	i	u	e	o
ka	ki	ku	ke	ko
sa	shi	su	se	so
ta	chi	tsu	te	to
na	ni	nu	ne	no
ha	hi	fu	he	ho
ma	mi	mu	me	mo
ya		yu		yo
ra	ri	ru	re	ro
wa				wo
				n

Voice samples courtesy of R. Fujinuma.
Note that all the pronunciations on this page are based on American English. If you speak with a different accent please listen to the sound files.