Verb Basics

🎌 Japanese Verb Basics: Your Adventure Begins!

Imagine you’re a chef in a magical kitchen. Every dish needs an action word to make it happen—cook, chop, stir. In Japanese, these action words are verbs, and they’re the engine that powers every sentence!

Today, we’ll unlock the secrets of Japanese verbs. By the end, you’ll know how to identify verb types, conjugate them politely, and even say “I don’t do that!” Let’s dive in!

🎭 The Three Verb Families

Think of Japanese verbs like three different families living in a village:

graph TD
    A["Japanese Verbs"] --> B["🏠 Godan<br>The Big Family"]
    A --> C["🏡 Ichidan<br>The Easy Family"]
    A --> D["🏰 Irregular<br>The Special Twins"]

Each family has its own rules for changing forms. Let’s meet them!

🏠 Godan Verbs (U-Verbs): The Big Family

Godan means “five steps” because these verbs can end in 5 different sounds when they change.

How to Spot Them

Godan verbs end in a -u sound BUT not just any -u:

• They end in: -u, -ku, -gu, -su, -tsu, -nu, -bu, -mu, -ru
• If it ends in -ru, the vowel before ru is a, u, or o (not i or e)

Examples of Godan Verbs

💡 Memory Trick: Godan = “Go Dance” — these verbs dance through 5 different endings!

🏡 Ichidan Verbs (Ru-Verbs): The Easy Family

Ichidan means “one step” because these verbs are simpler—they only have ONE pattern!

How to Spot Them

• Always end in -iru or -eru
• The vowel before -ru is i or e

Examples of Ichidan Verbs

💡 Memory Trick: Ichidan = “Easy-dan” — just drop the -ru and add endings!

🏰 Irregular Verbs: The Special Twins

Only TWO verbs break all the rules. They’re the rebels of Japanese!

Meet the Twins

🎯 Good News: You only need to memorize 2 irregular verbs! English has hundreds!

🔍 Verb Group Identification: The Detective Game

Here’s your step-by-step guide to identify ANY verb:

graph TD
    A["Look at the verb"] --> B{Is it する or 来る?}
    B -->|Yes| C["🏰 IRREGULAR"]
    B -->|No| D{Does it end in -iru or -eru?}
    D -->|No| E["🏠 GODAN"]
    D -->|Yes| F{Check if it's a<br>common exception}
    F -->|Exception| G["🏠 GODAN"]
    F -->|Not exception| H["🏡 ICHIDAN"]

Common Exceptions (Godan verbs that LOOK like Ichidan)

These end in -iru or -eru but are actually Godan:

• 帰る (kaeru) - to return
• 走る (hashiru) - to run
• 入る (hairu) - to enter
• 切る (kiru) - to cut
• 知る (shiru) - to know

📝 Pro Tip: When in doubt, look it up! Dictionaries mark verb types.

📖 Dictionary Form: The Base Camp

The dictionary form is the verb’s “natural state” — how you’ll find it in dictionaries!

Key Features

• Ends in -u sound
• Used in casual speech
• The starting point for all conjugations

Examples

🎒 Think of it like: The dictionary form is your verb’s “home outfit” — casual and comfortable!

✨ Masu Form (Polite): Dressing Up for Company

When you meet teachers, strangers, or anyone you want to be polite to, verbs put on their fancy clothes — the -masu form!

How to Make Masu Form

For Godan Verbs

Change the final -u sound to -i sound, then add -masu

For Ichidan Verbs

Simply drop -ru and add -masu

For Irregular Verbs

🎀 Remember: -masu is like adding “please” to your actions. It shows respect!

❌ Masen Form (Negative): Saying “I Don’t”

Want to say you DON’T do something? Just change -masu to -masen!

The Simple Formula

Masu form − ます + ません = Negative polite

Examples

🙅 Think of it: -masen is like shaking your head politely!

🎯 Quick Reference Chart

graph TD
    A["Dictionary Form<br>書く・食べる・する"] --> B["Drop ending<br>or change sound"]
    B --> C["Add ます<br>POLITE ✓"]
    C --> D["Change to ません<br>NEGATIVE ✗"]

🌟 Your Verb Transformation Power!

Let’s see the complete journey for one verb from each family:

Godan: 書く (kaku) - to write

• Dictionary: 書く (kaku)
• Masu: 書きます (kakimasu) — “I write (politely)”
• Masen: 書きません (kakimasen) — “I don’t write”

Ichidan: 食べる (taberu) - to eat

• Dictionary: 食べる (taberu)
• Masu: 食べます (tabemasu) — “I eat (politely)”
• Masen: 食べません (tabemasen) — “I don’t eat”

Irregular: する (suru) - to do

• Dictionary: する (suru)
• Masu: します (shimasu) — “I do (politely)”
• Masen: しません (shimasen) — “I don’t do”

🎊 You Did It!

You now understand:

• ✅ Godan verbs — The big family with 5 endings
• ✅ Ichidan verbs — The easy family (just drop -ru!)
• ✅ Irregular verbs — The special twins (する & 来る)
• ✅ How to identify verb groups
• ✅ Dictionary form — Your verb’s home state
• ✅ Masu form — Polite and respectful
• ✅ Masen form — Polite negatives

🚀 Next Steps: Practice identifying verb types in your favorite Japanese content. Soon it’ll become second nature!

Remember: Every Japanese speaker started exactly where you are now. You’ve got this! 🌸