Quick Introduction

Without a doubt, the key to becoming fluent in Japanese in no

time is to grasp a really good understanding of Japanese verb
conjugation early on. Verbs are the very foundation of the
language. In fact, a sentence requires only a verb to be
grammatically correct!

With knowing as little as a few basic verbs, you can already

express yourself and get by in Japan.

Is It Difficult to Learn Japanese Verb

Conjugation?
Learners often apprehend diving into Japanese grammar,
anticipating that verbs will be somewhat challenging. But the
truth is, Japanese verb conjugation is actually quite
straightforward with hardly any exceptions. The few irregular
verbs are even actually regular in their irregularities.

Unlike English, Japanese verbs do not conjugate with the subject.

か
Once you’ve learned the verb 書く, to write, you’re set to say “I
write”, “you write”, “they write” and so on. Said differently, you do
not have to worry about the subject’s gender or number. One
form says it all!

However, because Japanese verbs do conjugate based on their

group, tenses and formality, you have to memorize their
inflections. Luckily, the Japanese language has only 3 verb
groups and 14 conjugation forms to have fun with.

How to Conjugate Verbs in Japanese

In order to know how to conjugate a verb in Japanese, you first
must know which group it belongs to. Verbs in the same group
obey the same rules when you conjugate them.
Knowing which group a verb belongs to helps you find its
stem. In other words, the base of the verb to which you attach
Japanese conjugation inflections.

Fear not, as Japanese verbs are divided into only three groups:

 The U-verbs, also known as V1 verbs or Godan verbs

 The Ru-verbs, also known as the V2 verbs or Ichidan verbs
 Irregular verbs / V3.

We will start with the irregular verbs, and you’ll see why very
soon.

Japanese verb group: Irregular verbs / V3

Despite its name, the irregular verb group is very easy to learn,
since only two verbs fall into this category: する (to do) and くる (to
come). Their conjugation forms set them aside from the other
verbs, but they’re so commonly used that you’ll memorize their
forms in a flash.

A lot of verbs are made with する attached to nouns like

べんきょう
 勉強 する (studies + to do = to study)
さんぽ
 散歩 する (walk+to do = to take a walk)

Once you have memorized all the conjugation forms of する you can
conjugate all these verbs too.

Japanese verb groups: Ru-Verbs / V2

Ru verbs or V2 verbs end in any kana in the い(i)/え(e) column + る
(ru). This is why sometimes ru-verbs are also known as iru-verbs
and eru-verbs.

Because the base of the verb stays the same when it’s
いちだんどうし
conjugated, these verbs are called 一段 動詞 (“one-form verb”).
Japanese verb groups: U-Verbs or V1 verbs
The U-verb group gathers all the verbs that end with a /u/ vowel
はな か よ と
sound, like 話 す (to speak), 買う (to buy), 読む (to read), 飛ぶ (to fly) etc.

When you conjugate a u-verb, the stem’s final /u/ vowel

changes to another vowel in the hiragana chart: /a/, /e/, /i/,
/o/.

どうしごだん

This is why these verbs are also called 五段 動詞 (It literally means
“five form verbs”) in Japanese.

A chart to summarize the three groups:

Irregularverbs/ 来る 来る(kuru/to come)

V3
する する(suru/to do)

Kanji+する 勉強する(benkyousuru/to
study)

Ru-verbs / V2 A kana from い/え column +る 寝る(neru/to sleep)

食べる(taberu/to eat)

着る(kiru/to wear)

U-verbs / V1 Most verbs ending in a u-kana 飲む(nomu/to drink)

and everything except V3 and
V2 買う(kau/to buy)

書く(kaku/to write)

死ぬ* (sinu/to die)

し
*It is worth noting that 死ぬ is the only Japanese verb ending with ぬ.

Can a verb ending with る actually be a U-verb?

 こた
If the preceding hiragana vowel was /e/ like 答 える or /i/ like できる,
the verb is most likely a ru-verb. As you keep on learning, you will
encounter a few deceiving verbs, but their number is very limited.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Forms: For

Beginners
Now that you’re familiar with Japanese verb groups and you know
how to find the stem of a verb, you’re set to delve deeper and
learn the 14 Japanese verb conjugation forms, starting with the
easiest form of all, the polite masu form.

Let’s start from some of the most frequently used, most basic
Japanese verb conjugation:

 masu form – the “normal” form

 plain form – the “dictionary” form
 nai form – the plain negative form
 ta form – the plain past affirmative form
 nakatta form – the plain past negative form
 te form – the “naming a list” form

Masu Form and Its Derivatives

Without going too far ahead into advanced explanations, formality
greatly influences Japanese language construction. The masu
ていねいご
form, or 丁寧語 in Japanese, is the “normal” form native speakers
use with people they’re not intimate with or with people that are
socially higher.

Most methods of Japanese (including LingoDeer) teach beginners

the masu form early on, because of how easy it is to
memorize, but also so they can speak politely in their first
encounters with Japanese people.
The ます (masu) form can translate both the English present and
future tense, and as such, is said to be a state of “nonpast”. For
more clarity, you can consider that it expresses the polite present
affirmative. Time-related words and context will tell you whether
the present or the future is intended by the speaker.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: ます Form

Verb Example Example

Rule
group verb sentence

V1 Change the u-kana to the 話す → 話します 教師と話します

corresponding i-kana and attach ます
to the verb stem

I speak with
the teacher

V2 Attach ます to the verb stem 食べる→ 食べます パンを食べます

I eat bread

V3 Attach ます to the verb stem 勉強する → 勉強しま 日本語を勉強します

す

くる → きます I study
Japanese

学校にきます

I go to
school

The negative form is ません (masen), and like for the affirmative form, it
can express both the present and the future. The conjugation is simple
after you know how to conjugate the ます-form.

Simply replace ます with ません to conjugate the negative form:

え えが
 絵を 描 きません = I don’t draw a picture or I won’t draw a picture
 ほん よ
 本 を読みません = I don’t read a book (I won’t read a book)
しゅくだい
 宿題 を しません = I don’t do my homework (I won’t do my
homework)

Both the past affirmative ました and past negative of the masu
form ませんでした are regular and easy to remember as well:

え えが
 絵を 描 きました = I drew a picture
え えが
 絵を 描 きませんでした = I didn’t draw a picture
ほん よ
 本 を読みました = I read a book
ほん よ
 本 を読みませんでした = I didn’t read a book
しゅくだい
 宿題 を しました = I did my homework
しゅくだい
 宿題 を しませんでした = I didn’t do my homework

The imperative & volitional conjugation forms also have a formal

inflection. But to keep this introduction to Japanese verb
conjugation clear, their formal forms will be introduced later on,
with their plain counterparts.

Following the masu form, the most important inflections you must
master to have a solid handle of Japanese verb conjugation are
the four basic forms that are the plain form (present affirmative
& future), the nai form (present negative & future), the ta
form (past affirmative) and the nakatta form (past negative).

Beyond expressing tenses, those basic forms are the base for
numerous grammatical constructions, hence you need to
memorize them right.

Plain Form
じしょけい
The plain form is called dictionary form in Japanese ( 辞書 形 )
because it is the form you find in dictionaries when you look up
a verb. This form helps you find a verb’s group and stem. All
Japanese verbs in plain form end with a hiragana from the /u/ row
of the hiragana table.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Plain Form

Plain Form

U-verbs 吸う, 書く, 話す, 脱ぐ, 待つ, 死ぬ, 呼ぶ, 読む

Ru-verbs 食べる, 見る, できる etc.

Irregular:

する する, 勉強する, 料理する etc.

くる くる

The plain form is colloquial, which means you should use this
form only when interacting with familiar people such as family
members, friends or a very close colleague. Also, you usually
write in plain form unless it is written to a specific reader, like an
email. Newspaper articles, academic papers, documents that give
information and are not directly addressing the reader, are
written in plain Japanese.

You use the plain form to make simple declarative statements

か はな
such as “I write” (書く), “you speak”( 話 す) etc. Like with the masu
form, the plain form can also express the future based on the
context of your sentence:

え えが
 絵を 描 く = I draw a picture (I will draw a picture)
ほん よ
 本 を読む = I read a book (I will read a book)
しゅくだい
 宿題 を する = I do my homework (I will do my homework)

Nai form – The Plain Negative form

The nai form is the negative counterpart of the plain form. This is
your go-to form when you want to make a negative statement
 み す
such as “I don’t see” (見ない) or “you don’t smoke” (吸わない) and “I
won’t see” or “you won’t smoke”.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Nai Form

Verb Example Example

Rule
group verb sentence

V1 Stem’s /u/ vowel changes to 話す → 話さない 教師と話さない

/a/.

Verbs that ends with the 吸う → 吸わない I don’t speak with

hiragana う will change う to わ the teacher

タバコを吸わない

I don’t smoke
tobacco

V2 Attach ない to the verb stem 食べる → 食べない パンを食べない

I don’t eat bread

V3 する becomes しない 勉強する → 勉強しない 勉強する → 日本語を勉強しない

くる becomes こない くる→こない I don’t study

Japanese

くる → 学校にこない*

I don’t come to
school

Ta form – The Plain Past Affirmative Form

The ta form, or plain past affirmative, expresses that an action
しゅくだい
was done in the past, like “I did my homework” ( 宿題 をした) or
た
“you ate bread” (パンを食べた).

The construction of the ta form is a little bit tricky when it comes

to u-verbs depending on their last hiragana character, but the
good news is that these exceptions are limited to a few verbs
only!

え えが
 絵を 描 いた = I drew a picture
ほん よ
 本 を読んだ= I read a book
しゅくだい
 宿題 を した = I did my homework

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Ta Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs If the last hiragana is う,つ,る, add った to the 笑う → 笑った

verb stem

If the last hiragana is む, ぶ, ぬ, add んだ 読む → 読んだ

If the last hiragana is く, add いた to the 働く→ 働いた

verb stem: 行く→行った(irregular)

If the last hiragana is ぐ, add いだ to the 泳ぐ → 泳いだ

verb stem

If the last hiragana is す, add した to the 隠す→ 隠した

verb stem

Ru-verbs Attach た to the verb stem 食べる → 食べた

Irregular

する Attach た to the verb stem 勉強する →勉強した

くる くる → 来た

Nakatta Form – The Plain Past Negative Form

A trick to remember how to conjugate the plain past negative
form is start from the nai-form’s stem (/a/) and add “katta” to the
verb. You can now casually express that action didn’t take place:
 ほん よ
 本 を読まなかった = I didn’t read the book
ゆうはん た
 夕飯 を食べなかった = I didn’t eat dinner
しゅくだい
 宿題 を しなかった = I didn’t do my homework

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Nakatta Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs Stem’s vowel /u/ changes to /a/ to 話す → 教師と話さなかった

which you add なかった:
I didn’t speak with the
teacher

⚠︎Verbs that end with the hiragana う Ex: 笑う → 笑わなかった

will change う to わ
I didn’t laugh

Ru-verbs Attach なかった to the verb stem 食べる → 食事を食べなかった

I didn’t eat my meal

Irregular

－する Attach なかった to the verb stem 勉強する → 日本語を勉強しなかった

I didn’t study Japanese

－くる ⚠︎Notice that the stem for くる’s past くる → 学校にこなかった

negative form is こ
I didn’t come to school

Te Form
Pillar of Japanese grammar, the te-form is the cement that helps
connect clauses together to build more complex sentences. For
example, you use the te-form to list success actions or to show
causality between several events:

て あら しょくじ た
 手を 洗 って、 食事 を食べた = I washed my hands and ate my meal
 あさ とき お うんどう しごと い
 朝 7 時 に起きて、 運動 して、 仕事 に行く = I wake up at 7, exercise and go
to work.
じかん か
 時間 がなくて、レポート書かなかった = I lacked the time and didn’t write my
report.

In principle, a sentence with a te-form inflected verb is a

subordinate clause that requires the main clause to be
grammatically complete. However, when casually speaking,
native speakers sometimes stop at a te-form verb clause, leaving
the rest of the sentence implied.

 A: レポートは? = What about the report?

じかん
 B: 時間 がなくて・・・ = I lacked time…

か
(implied sentence = レポート書かなかった “I didn’t write my report”)

The te-form is also used in a gazillion of grammatical expressions

that you will progressively learn. The most common construction
is to make a polite request.

か
 レポート を書いてください = Please write your report
て あら
 手を 洗 ってください = Please wash your hands

For u-verbs, the affirmative te-form conjugates like the ta-form

form – you just need to switch the vowel /a/ to /e/.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Affirmative Te Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs Last hiragana is う,つ,る 吸う → 吸って

→ Add って to the verb

stem

Last hiragana is む, ぶ, ぬ 読む → 読んで

→ Add んで
Verb
Rules Examples
Group

Last hiragana is く 書く(to write) → 書いて

行く(to go) → 行って（irregular*）
→ Add いて to the verb
stem

Last hiragana is ぐ 泳ぐ (to swim) → 泳いで

→ Add いで to the verb

stem

Last hiragana is す 隠す (to hide) → 隠して

→ Add して to the verb

stem

Ru-verbs Attach て to the stem: 食べる → 食べて

Eat, eating

Irregular:

する Attach て to the stem: 勉強する → 日本語を勉強してください

Study Japanese

くる くる → 学校にきてください

Come to school

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Negative Te-Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs Take for start base the negative plain form 話す→ 話さない → 話さなく
stem ない, drop the い and add なくて to the stem て

Ru- Attach ないで to the stem 食べる → 食べないで

verbs
Don’t eat snacks.

Note: All verb groups have both ないで (Negative Te form) and ~なくて forms
(and the rules are the same for both, per their group).
Verb
Rules Examples
Group

する Attach ないで to the stem: する → 音をしないでください

Don’t make noise

くる Attach ないで to the stem: くる→ 学校にこないでください

⚠︎Notice that the stem for くる’s negative te-
form is こ Don’t come to
school

*Please note the Negative Te Form does not just apply to the U
and Ru verbs. When you use the Negative Te form, there is a
simple rule: think of the negative plain form ending in ない, then
た た た
simply replace ない with なくて or ないで. For example, 食べる → 食べない → 食べ
た
なくて/食べないで

Japanese Verb Conjugation Forms:

For Intermediate
Good job! Now you have mastered the basic forms of Japanese
verb conjugation, it is time to go level up and challenge the more
complicated ones. Let’s start!

Conditional Form ba
Japanese verb conjugation has two forms to express the
conditional and make hypothetical statements: ba form and tara
form. With time, their nuances won’t have any secret for you and
you will know when to use one or the other.

But for now, just remember that the ba-form is a general

conditional that cannot express any form of intention, such as a
command, a request, an invitation or a wish.

The ba-form is often used to ask for or to give advice, as well as

to express regret for something in the past:
  どうすればいいですか = What should I do?
きょうし き
 教師 に聞いてみれば = Why don’t you ask the teacher?
 こうすればどうですか = What about doing like?
い
 行けばよかったのに = I wish I had gone…

While the negative form exists, its usage is not common and
doesn’t feel very natural outside of set idiomatic expressions such
as なければならない “I cannot not do”:

べんきょう
 勉強 しなければならない = I have to do study (If I don’t study,
something negative happens)

Like for the ta-form and the te-form, the stem of u-verbs will vary
depending on their ending hiragana. The vowel /u/ changes to the
corresponding hiragana with the vowel /e/.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Affirmative Ba Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs Last hiragana is う,つ,る 吸う → 吸えば

→ Add えば to the verb stem

Last hiragana is む, ぶ, ぬ 読む → 読めば

→ Add めば

Last hiragana is く 行く(to go) → 行けば

→ Add けば to the verb stem

Last hiragana is ぐ 泳ぐ (to swim) → 泳げば

→ Add げば to the verb stem

Last hiragana is す 隠す (to hide) → 隠せば

→ Add せば to the verb stem

ru-verbs Add れば to the verb stem 食べる → 食べれば

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

Irregular:

する Add れば to the verb stem こうする → こうすれば

⚠︎Notice that the stem for する’s affirmative If doing like this…
ba-form is す

くる Add れば to the verb stem くる → これば

⚠︎Notice that the stem for くる’s affirmative If going…

ba-form is こ

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Negative Ba Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs Start from the negative plain form ない, 話す → 話さない → 話さなけれ
drop the い and add ければ to the verb stem ば

ru-verbs Add なければ to the verb stem 食べる → 食べなければ

Irregular:

する Add なければ to the verb stem 勉強する → 勉強しなければ

くる Add なければ to the verb stem くる → こなければ

⚠︎Notice that the stem for くる’s negative

ba-form is こ

Conditional Form tara

The tara form is another way to express the conditional and
translates the hypothetical “if” with a focus on what happens
after the condition is realized or not.

かね あたら か
 お 金 があったら、 新 しい パソコン を買う = If I have the money, I’ll buy a new
computer
In that sense, tara is also a form you can use to express what will
happen in the future if conditions are met.

ふゆやす じもと もど
 冬休 みがきたら、 地元 に 戻 る When the winter holidays come, I will go
back to my hometown

The tara form is also the form you use when expressing an
unrealistic proposition.

おうさま まいにち にちようび

 王様 だったら、 毎日 を 日曜日 にするのになぁ = If I was the king, I would
make every day to be Sundays…

Luckily, its conjugation is based on the plain past form for both
the affirmative and negative and you just have to add “ra”.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Affirmative Tara Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs Last hiragana is う,つ,る 笑う → 笑ったら

→ Add ったら to the verb stem

Last hiragana is む, ぶ, ぬ 読む → 読んだら

→ Add んだら

Last hiragana is く 行く(to go) → 行ったら

→ Add いたら to the verb stem

Last hiragana is ぐ 泳ぐ (to swim) → 泳いだら

→ Add いだら to the verb stem

Last hiragana is す 隠す (to hide) → 隠したら

→ Add したら to the verb stem

Ru-verbs Add たら to the stem 食べる → 食べたら

Irregular:
Verb
Rules Examples
Group

する Add たら to the stem する → 料理したら

くる Add たら to the stem くる → きたら

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Negative Tara Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs From the past negative plain form 話す→ 話さない → 話さなかったら
stem なかった add ら

Ru-verbs Add なかったら to the stem 食べる → 食べなかったら

Irregular:

する Add なかったら to the stem する → しなかったら

くる くる → こなかったら

Imperative Form
Set a rule for yourself to avoid as much as possible using the
imperative form, whether casually or formally. Considered quite
rude by Japanese people, the form is mostly used by authority
figures, such as the police or parents with their children, and on
と
public road signs 止まれ (Stop!).

The imperative should be limited to extreme contexts where you

are required to give an order and there’s no time to lose with
politeness and formality.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Imperative Form

Verb Group Rules Examples

U-verbs The vowel /u/ becomes /e/ 話す→ 話せ

Verb Group Rules Examples

Speak!

Ru-verbs The ending る becomes ろ 食べる → 食べろ

Eat！

Irregular:

する Add ろ to the stem for する する → 勉強しろ

Study!

くる くる has an irregular form くる → こい

Come!

While formal, imperative form なさい still has to be used with care
not to offend anyone.

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs Add なさい to the verb stem 話す→ 話しなさい

Speak!

Ru-verbs Add なさい to the verb stem 食べる → 食事を食べなさい

Eat your meal!

Irregular:

する Add なさい to the verb stem 勉強する → 日本語を勉強しなさい

Study Japanese!

くる Add なさい to the verb stem くる → 学校にきなさい

come to school!

Volitional Form
Shortly speaking, the volitional form turns verbs into suggestions.
This form expresses our intention to do an action and can be
translated by “let’s” or “shall we”.

い
 行こうか = Let’s go?

Beyond your intention, the volitional can also mark that you’re
making an effort or an attempt to do something or that you
planned to do something.

おも
 やってみようと 思 う = I’d like to give it a try
きょうべんきょう き
 今日 勉強 しようと決めた = I’ve decided to study today

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Volitional Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs The stem vowel /u/ becomes /o/ to 教師と話す→ 教師と話そう

which you add う
Let’s speak with the
teacher!

Ru-verbs Add よう to the verb stem 食事を食べる → 食事を食べよう

Shall we eat our meal?

Irregular:

する Add よう to the verb stem 勉強する → しよう

くる Add よう to the verb stem くる→ こよう

⚠︎Notice that the stem for くる’s plain

volitional form is こ

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Volitional Form

The formal volitional form is ましょう for all 3 verb groups.

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs Add ましょう to the verb stem 話す→教師と話しましょう

Let’s speak to the teacher

Ru-verbs Add ましょう to the verb stem 食べる→一緒に食べましょう

Let’s eat together

Irregular:

する Add ましょう to the verb stem 勉強する → 日本語を勉強しましょう

Study Japanese!

くる Add ましょう to the verb stem くる → 皆さんも遊びに来ましょう

Everyone, please come to play!

Potential Form
Unlike English, Japanese language doesn’t have a modal verb like
“can” to express one’s ability to do something. Instead, you have
a potential form inflection which will create a new ru-verb that
can be conjugated too.

Like its name indicates, this particular conjugation allows you to

express that the verb’s action is possible.

にほんご はな
 日本語 が 話 せるようになった = I became able to speak Japanese
りょうり
 料理 ができる = I can cook
た
 ピーナツ が食べられない = I cannot eat peanuts

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Potential Form

Notice that the particle を becomes が with potential verbs.

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs The vowel /u/ changes to /e/, to 日本語を話す→日本語が 話せる

which you add る
I speak Japanese → I can
speak Japanese

Ru-verbs Add られる to the verb stem 肉を食べる → 肉が食べられる

I eat meat → I can eat

meat

Irregular:

する する→ できる

くる ⚠︎Notice that the stem for くる’s くる→ こられる

potential form is こ

You may have noticed that the potential form ending makes ru-
verbs quite long to pronounce. Native speakers, when speaking
み み
casually, may shorten られる to れる, for example, 見られる becomes 見れる.
However, that’s actually colloquial and not grammatically correct.

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Passive Form
While the passive form isn’t hard to memorize in itself, it can take
a while to wrap your mind around passive sentences. Don’t worry,
you’ll get there!

Contrary to English and many roman languages, the passive form

is commonly used in Japanese and not at all seen as a clumsy way
of speaking. For Japanese native speakers, when the action “what
is done”, or the consequences for the person, “what is done to
you”, are more important than the subject, “who did it”, the
passive form sounds more natural and is preferred. Speaking
differently, it’s a matter of perspective.

Japanese people also use the passive form to speak more

politely, as it tunes out the subject (you) making you sound
modest. Another nuance of the passive voice is that

Like with the potential form, the passive inflection gives birth to
new verbs that fall into the ru-verb groups and therefore, that can
be conjugated.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Passive Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs The stem vowel /u/ changes to /a/, 聞く→ 教師は答えを聞かれる

to which you add れる
The teacher was asked
the answer.

Ru-verbs Add られる to the verb stem 食べる → パンが誰かに食べられた

The bread was eaten by

someone

Irregular:

する Add れる to する‘s stem する → 部屋はよく掃除される

⚠︎Notice that the stem for する’s The room is cleaned

passive form is される。 well/often.

くる Add られる to くる’s stem: くる → ストーカーに家までこられる

⚠︎Notice that the stem for くる’s My home was visited by

passive form is こ a stalker.
 Note that the passive form of ru-verbs is identical to their
potential form. The context and grammatical particles will give
you clues as to which form is intended.

Causative Form
Along with the passive form, the causative form can feel
challenging to learn. This particular conjugation is used to express
that you make someone do an action, let someone do an action
or, on the contrary, you prevent someone from doing an action. In
other words, you are the original cause for an action to take place
or not and you speak from this very perspective.

A good way to remember the causative is to think with the verb

“make” or “let”.

こども す
 子供 に タバコ を吸わせない = Kids are not allowed to smoke tobacco
はは わたし やさい た
 母 は 私 に 野菜 を食べさせる = I am made to eat vegetables by my
mother
しゅうまつ こども あそ
 週末 に 子供 を 遊 ばせる = I let my kid play on weekends

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Causative Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs The vowel /u/ changes to /a/, to 話す→ 教師は生徒に事実を話させる

which you add せる to the stem
The teacher makes the
student tell the truth.

Ru- Add させる to the verb stem 食べる → 父は子供に甘いものを食べさせる

verbs
The father let the kids eat
sweets.

Irregular:
Verb
Rules Examples
Group

する Add させる to the verb stem する → 勉強させる

Let to study/made to study

くる Add させる to the verb stem くる → ウェイターをこさせる

⚠︎Notice that the stem for くる’s Call the waiter (make the
causative form is こ waiter to come)

Causative Passive Form

This ultimate form consists of adding the passive form to the
causative form of a verb, making it extra long for sure, but not
hard to conjugate. The newly created verb belongs to the ru-verb
group and can be conjugated with all the other conjugation forms
(as long as it sounds logical).

The action of making someone do, letting someone do or

preventing someone to do was done to that person. Because the
form is used to express something over which the speaker
has no choice or control, the causative passive has a strong
negative connotation. It’s conceptually very hard for Romance
language speakers to understand, so simply remember that the
causative passive form is primarily used with verbs such as “to
recall”, “to feel”, “to conceive” or “to think”.

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Causative Passive Form

Verb
Rules Examples
Group

U-verbs The stem vowel /u/ becomes /a/, 思い出す→ 嫌な記憶を思い出させられる

to which you add せられる
I am made to recall a bad
memory

Ru- Add させられる to the verb stem 見せる → 昔の写真を見させられる

verbs
I am made to show my old
Verb
Rules Examples
Group

photos

Irregular:

する Add させられる to the verb stem: する → 上司に残業させられる

I’m made to do overtime by

my boss.

くる くる → 休日なのに会社に来させられる

Although it’s a day off, I’m

made to go to my company

While knowing all 14 Japanese conjugation forms is critical to

reaching fluency, take your studies one day at a time and focus
first on mastering the masu form, following up with the basic plain
forms. As you progress in Japanese, the rest will naturally come in
place.

Japanese Verb Conjugation: How to

Memorize and Practice
The Japanese verb conjugation is relatively easy to learn, but
memorizing all verb groups’ forms can certainly be scary at first
glance.

Every time you feel overwhelmed by your Japanese studies,

remember that learning a language is like having fun with a very
big puzzle. Piece by piece, the puzzle will become clearer and
easier to solve. This is what language learning
with LingoDeer feels like, fun, easy, and effective.

Learn Japanese Verb Conjugation by Dictionary

The first good habit you must take is to look up every new verb
you encounter in the dictionary. Be active with your learning and
make a conscious effort to search for information.
Not only will you find the verb’s meaning(s), but you will also
know its group, kanji, and usage. The act itself helps with
memorization and to spot the verbs that have irregular
conjugation forms. Keep notes of the newly learned verb as you
go, on paper or in an app.

Oxford Beginner’s Japanese Dictionary, Image from Amazon

Learn Japanese Verb Conjugation by Checking

the Verb Conjugator
You now have a good understanding of Japanese verb
conjugation. Facing a new verb, trust yourself and try to
conjugate on your own in the beginning. It’s very important that
conjugated forms come to use naturally.

Use a verb conjugator to check that you got the forms correctly.
It’s okay if some forms give you a harder time than others,
learning a language is not a sprint, but a marathon. Depending on
your learning style, writing them down or reading them at loud
will help your memory.

Learn Japanese Verb Conjugation by Sentence

Making
The key to actively learn a language will always be to see words
used in a natural context. So take the time to write a series of
sentences using new verbs you’ve just learned. This provides a
good opportunity to review Japanese particles as well.

Don’t avoid the difficulties and challenge yourself with new

vocabulary. Make your sentences sound fun too! Read your
sentences out loud to practice your speaking skills and review
them from time to time to refresh your memory.

If you worry about making mistakes, share your sentence

on HiNative for feedback and help from native speakers. Once
you’ve had your sentences checked out, you can make effective
flashcards to remember your verbs.
Japanese Verb Conjugation: Self-study
Resources
A good way to practice Japanese verb conjugation is to
drill yourself regularly. You’ll find plenty of useful resources
online. Many websites dedicated to Japanese language, starting
with Genki Online and Marugoto Plus, offer some free exercises
that you can do directly online, print or integrate with apps. For
example, If you use Anki to study Japanese, you will find drilling
decks developed by other learners to help you with your practice.

If you dread the thought of having to do (boring) and repetitive

grammar exercises and need a fun break, LingoDeer
Plus turned drilling conjugation into a cool game that
you’ll help improve with no pain. The awesome team of
LingoDeer developed original and enjoyable content to create an
engaging learning experience that’ll make you happily practice
Japanese verb conjugation.

 Genki-online: Verb/Adjective Conjugation

Practice [Link]
conjugation-practice
 Japan Foundation’s official course Marugoto
Plus [Link]
 Anki: flashcard tool for memorization [Link]
 LingoDeer [Link]
Learning Japanese?
You must try LingoDeer! Our comprehensive Japanese course
makes grammar a lot easier!
The Kimono Project: Guess Which Kimono Is Your
Country

42 Basic Japanese Phrases to Survive in Japan

[With Audio]

A Japanese verb stem (連用形, ren'youkei) is the unchanging base form of a verb used for
conjugation, creating compound verbs, and polite forms. It is most easily found by taking
the polite -masu form and removing -masu (e.g., tabemasu

tabe). It acts as the foundation for tense, mood, and connecting sentences.
How to Identify Verb Stems
Ichidan (Ru-verbs): Drop the final -ru.
Taberu (eat)
Tabe
Miru (see)
Mi
Godan (U-verbs): Change the final -u sound to its
corresponding -i sound.
Nomu (drink)
Nomi
Kaku (write)
Kaki
Hanasu (speak)
Hanashi
Irregular Verbs:
Suru (do)
Shi
Kuru (come)
Ki
Kanshudo
Kanshudo
+3
Common Uses of the Verb Stem
Polite Present/Future: Stem + masu (e.g., nomi + masu =
nomimasu).
Desire: Stem + tai (e.g., tabe + tai = tabetai - want to eat).
Action Purpose: Stem + ni iku/kuru (e.g., mi + ni iku = mini
iku - go to see).
Easy/Hard to do: Stem + yasui/nikui (e.g., yomi + yasui =
yomiyasui - easy to read).
Combining Verbs: Stem + naosu (e.g., yomi + naosu =
yominaosu - re-read).
Noun Formation: Many verbs become nouns in their stem
form (e.g., oyogu (swim)
oyogi (a swim/swimming)).
Tofugu
Tofugu
 +4
Key Differences
Stem vs. Dictionary Form: The stem is not the basic
dictionary form (e.g., tabe vs. taberu).
Stem vs. Te-form: The stem is used for formal
continuations (often in writing), while the -te form is used
for casual, sequential actions.
Godan Changes: In Godan verbs, the stem changes from
the 'u' column to the 'i' column of the kana table