Japanese verb conjugation has a reputation for being complicated, but the underlying logic is remarkably consistent. Once you understand the three verb groups and their conjugation rules, most forms follow predictable patterns. This guide covers every major conjugation form you need for N5 through N3.
The Three Verb Groups
Japanese verbs are divided into three groups (often called Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3, or Godan, Ichidan, and Irregular).
Group 1 (Godan / U-verbs)
Group 1 verbs end in a u-row sound in their dictionary form: く (kaku), ぐ (oyogu), す (hanasu), つ (matsu), ぬ (shinu), ぶ (tobu), む (yomu), る (kaeru — but see below). The distinguishing feature is that their stem changes across conjugations by shifting the final vowel row.
- 書く (kaku — to write): 書かない, 書きます, 書いて, 書いた
- 飲む (nomu — to drink): 飲まない, 飲みます, 飲んで, 飲んだ
- 話す (hanasu — to speak): 話さない, 話します, 話して, 話した
- 待つ (matsu — to wait): 待たない, 待ちます, 待って, 待った
Group 2 (Ichidan / Ru-verbs)
Group 2 verbs always end in る in dictionary form, and the vowel before the る is always an i or e sound: 食べる (taberu — e before ru), 見る (miru — i before ru), 起きる (okiru — i before ru). Conjugation is simpler: remove the る and add the ending directly.
- 食べる (taberu — to eat): 食べない, 食べます, 食べて, 食べた
- 見る (miru — to see): 見ない, 見ます, 見て, 見た
- 起きる (okiru — to wake up): 起きない, 起きます, 起きて, 起きた
Group 3 (Irregular)
There are only two truly irregular verbs in Japanese: する (suru — to do) and 来る (kuru — to come). These must be memorized individually, but they are used so frequently you will know them by heart quickly.
- する: しない, します, して, した
- 来る (kuru): 来ない (konai), 来ます (kimasu), 来て (kite), 来た (kita)
The Trick for る Verbs
Not all verbs ending in る are Group 2. Some are Group 1 (Godan) — for example, 帰る (kaeru — to return home), 走る (hashiru — to run), 切る (kiru — to cut). The reliable test: if the vowel before る is anything other than i or e, the verb is definitely Group 1. If it is i or e, it is almost always Group 2, but you need to check (or memorize) the exceptions.
Core Conjugation Forms
Here are the most important forms, using 食べる (Group 2) and 飲む (Group 1) as examples.
Plain Present / Dictionary Form
This is the base form used in casual speech, before nouns, and in many grammar constructions.
- 食べる (taberu) — to eat / I eat
- 飲む (nomu) — to drink / I drink
Polite Present (ます form)
Used in formal speech and writing. Group 2: remove る, add ます. Group 1: change final sound to the i-row, add ます.
- 食べ + ます = 食べます (tabemasu)
- 飲み + ます = 飲みます (nomimasu)
Plain Negative (ない form)
Group 2: remove る, add ない. Group 1: change to a-row, add ない (exception: verbs ending in う change to わ before ない).
- 食べ + ない = 食べない (tabenai)
- 飲ま + ない = 飲まない (nomanai)
- 買う (kau) → 買わない (kawanai — exception)
Past Plain (た form)
Group 2: remove る, add た. Group 1: follows the same phonetic shifts as the te-form (see below), replacing て with た.
- 食べ + た = 食べた (tabeta)
- 飲ん + だ = 飲んだ (nonda)
Te-form (て form)
The te-form is one of the most important forms — used to connect actions, make requests (〜てください), and build many compound constructions. Group 2: remove る, add て. Group 1: the ending changes based on the final consonant.
- く → いて: 書く → 書いて
- ぐ → いで: 泳ぐ → 泳いで
- す → して: 話す → 話して
- つ / る / う → って: 待つ → 待って, 帰る → 帰って, 買う → 買って
- ぬ / ぶ / む → んで: 飲む → 飲んで, 遊ぶ → 遊んで
- Exception: 行く → 行って (not 行いて)
Potential Form (can do)
Expresses ability or possibility. Group 2: remove る, add られる (or in casual speech, れる). Group 1: change to e-row, add る.
- 食べる → 食べられる (taberareru) — can eat
- 飲む → 飲める (nomeru) — can drink
Passive Form (is done to)
Expresses that the subject receives the action. Group 2: remove る, add られる. Group 1: change to a-row, add れる.
- 食べる → 食べられる (taberareru) — is eaten / is made to eat
- 飲む → 飲まれる (nomareru) — is drunk / is made to drink
Causative Form (make / let someone do)
Expresses that the subject causes or allows someone else to perform the action. Group 2: remove る, add させる. Group 1: change to a-row, add せる.
- 食べる → 食べさせる (tabesaseru) — make/let eat
- 飲む → 飲ませる (nomaseru) — make/let drink
How to Actually Learn Conjugations
Reading about conjugation rules is helpful, but mastery only comes from active production. The most effective approach is to practice each form by typing it from memory — given a verb and a target form, produce the conjugated output without looking. This is more difficult than recognition exercises, but it is the only way to build the automatic recall needed for fluent conversation. Aim to know the te-form, plain past, plain negative, and polite forms for all the N5–N3 vocabulary verbs before moving to potential, passive, and causative forms.