Verbs

7.3. Verbs

7.3.1. Group I and Group II

Japanese verbs are divided into two groups, which have different styles of inflection. One group is called the Group I verbs, the -u verbs, the Godan verbs, and the strong verbs. The other is called the Group II verbs, the -ru verbs, the Ichidan verbs, and the weak verbs. I use the terms Group I and Group II here. Other than the two groups, Japanese has two irregular verbs.

All the Japanese verbs end with the vowel /u/ if they are in the present form. Group II verbs always end with either /i ru/ or /e ru/. The two irregular verbs are

/su ru/ "suru" and

/ku' ru/ "kuru", which have different inflection from each other.

A verb consists of a root and a suffix. The root never changes, but suffixes can change. In English, a verb's root is its present form, and you can make the past form with the suffix -ed, such as learn - learned. You can make the gerund with the suffix -ing, such as learn - learning.

The final /u/ in the present form of a Group I verb is the suffix, and the rest is the root. The root of a Group I verb always ends with a consonant. The final /ru/ in the present form of a Group II verb is the suffix, and the rest is the root. The root of a Group II verb always ends with either /i/ or /e/.

The first /s/ is the root of the irregular verb

/su ru/ "suru", and the first /k/ is the root of the irregular verb

/ku' ru/ "kuru".

This is a table of present form examples:

Group

Verb

Root

Suffix

Meaning

Group I

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ha	na'	su
Romanization:	ha	na	su

/hanas/

/u/

speak

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ki	ku'
Romanization:	ki	ku

/kik/

listen to

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	o	yo'	gu
Romanization:	o	yo	gu

/oyog/

swim

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ta'	tu
Romanization:	ta	tsu

/ta t/

stand up

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	u	ru'
Romanization:	u	ru

/u r/

sell

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	a	ra	u'
Romanization:	a	ra	u

/a ra w/ ^*1

wash

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	si	nu'
Romanization:	shi	nu

/si n/

die

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	to	bu'
Romanization:	to	bu

/to b/

fly

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	yo'	mu
Romanization:	yo	mu

/yo m/

read

Group II

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	mi'	ru
Romanization:	mi	ru

/mi/

/ru/

watch

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	o	ti'	ru
Romanization:	o	chi	ru

/o ti/

fall

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ne	ru'
Romanization:	ne	ru

/ne/

sleep

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ta	be'	ru
Romanization:	ta	be	ru

/ta be/

eat

suru

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	su	ru'
Romanization:	su	ru

/s/

/u ru/

kuru

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ku'	ru
Romanization:	ku	ru

/k/

/u ru/

come

*1: The last /w/ guarantees that all Group I verbs have a root that ends with a consonant. Since Japanese doesn't have /wi/, /wu/, /we/, or /wo/, these phonemes become /i/, /u/, /e/, and /o/ respectively. In this case, the root /araw/ and the suffix /u/ makes /a ra u/, not /a ra wu/. Whenever you use a Group I verb which ends with a vowel and /u/, assume the hidden /w/ before the final /u/. For example, the root of the verb

/i u/ "iu" (means say) is /i w/, not /i/.

When you Romanize a Japanese verb, do not use a circumflex for the suffix. For example, the Group I verb

/ku u/ (eat) is Romanized as "kuu", not "kû".

All the Group II verbs end with either /i ru/ or /e ru/, but verbs which end with these suffixes are not necessarily Group II verbs. Some are Group I verbs, which end with /u/.

Here are examples of Group I verbs with the ending of /i ru/ or /e ru/:

Group

Verb

Root

Suffix

Meaning

Group I

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	si	ru'
Romanization:	shi	ru

/si r/

/u/

know

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ha	si'	ru
Romanization:	ha	shi	ru

/ha si r/

run

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ha'	i	ru
Romanization:	ha	i	ru

/ha i r/

enter

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ka'	e	ru
Romanization:	ka	e	ru

/ka e r/

go back, return

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	su	be'	ru
Romanization:	su	be	ru

/su be r/

slide, skate, ski

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	sya	be'	ru
Romanization:	sha	be	ru

/sya be r/

chat

The verb

/su ru/ "suru" can combine with a noun to make a verb which is related to the noun.
Here is an example:

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	be	N	kyo	u
Romanization:	be	n	kyô
Meaning:	study (noun)

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	be	N	kyo	u	su	ru'
Romanization:	be	n	kyô		su	ru
Meaning:	study (verb)

7.3.2. Polite forms

Japanese has a plain mode and a polite mode. To make a sentence polite, add the suffix

/ma' su/ "masu" to the verb at the end of the sentence. The phoneme /(i) ma' su/ is a good way to represent how it connects to verbs. If the root of a verb ends with a vowel, add /ma' su/. If the root ends with a consonant, add /i ma' su/ because Japanese doesn't allow a consonant that is not followed by a vowel. In other words, add /ma' su/ to Group II verbs, and add /i ma' su/ to Group I verbs,

/su ru/ "suru", and

/ku' ru/ "kuru".

The suffix

/ma' su/ "masu" also works like a verb. For example, it has a past form. Its root is /ma s/, and /u/ is the suffix for the present form. It has irregular inflection. It cannot be an independent verb, and it must be added to a verb. So it looks like an auxiliary verb in English, which cannot appear without an accompanying verb.

Here are examples of polite forms:

Group

Plain present form

Polite present form

Group I

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ha	na'	su
Romanization:	ha	na	su


ha	na	si	ma'	su
ha	na	shi	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ki	ku'
Romanization:	ki	ku


ki	ki	ma'	su
ki	ki	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	o	yo'	gu
Romanization:	o	yo	gu


o	yo	gi	ma'	su
o	yo	gi	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ta'	tu
Romanization:	ta	tsu


ta	ti	ma'	su
ta	chi	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	u	ru'
Romanization:	u	ru


u	ri	ma'	su
u	ri	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	a	ra	u'
Romanization:	a	ra	u


a	ra	i	ma'	su
a	ra	i	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	si	nu'
Romanization:	shi	nu


si	ni	ma'	su
shi	ni	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	to	bu'
Romanization:	to	bu


to	bi	ma'	su
to	bi	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	yo'	mu
Romanization:	yo	mu


yo	mi	ma'	su
yo	mi	ma	su

Group II

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	mi'	ru
Romanization:	mi	ru


mi	ma'	su
mi	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	o	ti'	ru
Romanization:	o	chi	ru


o	ti	ma'	su
o	chi	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ne	ru'
Romanization:	ne	ru


ne	ma'	su
ne	ma	su

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ta	be'	ru
Romanization:	ta	be	ru


ta	be	ma'	su
ta	be	ma	su

suru

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	su	ru'
Romanization:	su	ru


si	ma'	su
shi	ma	su

kuru

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ku'	ru
Romanization:	ku	ru


ki	ma'	su
ki	ma	su

Please remember phonemes sometimes have different pronunciations from what you might expect from the spellings. The verb

/ta' tu/ has a pronunciation of "tatsu", and its polite form

/ta ti ma' su/ has a pronunciation of "tachimasu". You can easily derive /ta ti ma' su/ from /ta' tu/ and /(i) ma' su/, but it would be difficult to derive "tachimasu" from "tatsu" and "masu". This is one of the reasons why I use phonemes in my site.

Polite mode is recommended when you talk or write to a person who is not so close or who has a higher position than you. Plain mode is better when you talk to people such as your family and close friends, and it is also better when you write text written for a general readership such as novels, articles, theses, etc. You cannot use both of the modes at the same time in a document. Once you begin writing, go on with the mode you use for the first sentence. Native Japanese speakers think in plain mode.

Please note that the polite form of a verb doesn't mean doing politely what the verb means. The polite form stands for the addresser's politeness to the addressee. (The addresser and the addressee are grammatical terms. The addresser is a person who sends a sentence, i.e. a speaker or a writer. The addressee is a person who receives the sentence, such as a person the speaker is talking to. I will often use the terms in later chapters.)

You will learn relative clauses, but it is not allowed to use

/ma' su/ for verbs in relative clauses. It is only used for the last verb of sentences. I will explain it again later.

If at first you find polite mode too difficult, use only plain mode until you are more advanced. But keep in mind using plain mode for people who are not so close is rude. To avoid this problem, form a sentence in plain form, then add the magic word

/de' su/ "desu" at the end of the sentence. It often produces grammatically incorrect sentences, but they will be understandable and still polite. I will explain how to use the word

/de' su/ "desu" properly in a later chapter.

7.3.3. Past forms

Adding the suffix

/ta/ "ta" to a verb makes the past form. The phoneme /(i) ta/ is a good way to represent how it connects to verbs. The meaning of the /(i)/ is the same as that in /(i) ma' su/. So use /ta/ for Group II verbs, and use /i ta/ for Group I verbs,

/su ru/ "suru",

/ku' ru/ "kuru", and the suffix

/ma' su/ "masu".

For ease of pronunciation, Group I verbs change the phonemes when they are combined with

/ta/ "ta". The last phoneme of the root determines how it changes the phonemes.

The last hiragana of the present form	The last two hiragana of the past form	Description
/su/ "su"	/si ta/ "shita"	/s/ + /i ta/ = /si ta/ (no change)
/ku/ "ku"	/i ta/ "ita"	/k/ + /i ta/ = /ki ta/, then it is changed to /i ta/
/gu/ "gu"	/i da/ "ida"	/g/ + /i ta/ = /gi ta/, then it is changed to /i da/
/tu/ "tsu"	/Q ta/ "tta"	/t/ + /i ta/ = /ti ta/, then it is changed to /Q ta/
/ru/ "ru"		/r/ + /ita/ = /ri ta/, then it is changed to /Q ta/
/u/ "u"		/w/^*1 + /i ta/ = /wi ta/, then it is changed to /Q ta/
/nu/ "nu"	/Nda/ "n da"	/n/ + /i ta/ = /ni ta/, then it is changed to /N da/
/bu/ "bu"		/b/ + /i ta/ = /bi ta/, then it is changed to /N da/
/mu/ "mu"		/m/ + /i ta/ = /mi ta/, then it is changed to /N da/

*1: Remember the hidden /w/.

There is no other hiragana that can be the last one of Group I verbs. Note that only Group I verbs change the phonemes.

There is an exception to this table. The verb

/i ku'/ "iku" (means go) has a root which ends with /k/, so you may expect it to have

/i i ta/ "iita" as the past form, but actually its past form is

/i Q ta/ "itta".

Here are examples of past forms:

Group

Present form

Past form

Verb

Meaning

Verb

Meaning

Group I

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ha	na'	su
Romanization:	ha	na	su

speak


ha	na'	si	ta
ha	na	shi	ta

spoke

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ki	ku'
Romanization:	ki	ku

listen to


ki	i	ta'
ki	i	ta

listened to

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	o	yo'	gu
Romanization:	o	yo	gu

swim


o	yo'	i	da
o	yo	i	da

swam

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ta'	tu
Romanization:	ta	tsu

stand up


ta'	Q	ta
ta	t	ta

stood up

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	u	ru'
Romanization:	u	ru

sell


u	Q	ta'
u	t	ta

sold

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	a	ra	u'
Romanization:	a	ra	u

wash


a	ra	Q	ta'
a	ra	t	ta

washed

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	si	nu'
Romanization:	shi	nu

die


si	N	da'
shi	n	da

died

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	to	bu'
Romanization:	to	bu

fly


to	N	da'
to	n	da

flew

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	yo'	mu
Romanization:	yo	mu

read


yo'	N	da
yo	n	da

read

Group II

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	mi'	ru
Romanization:	mi	ru

watch


mi'	ta
mi	ta

watched

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	o	ti'	ru
Romanization:	o	chi	ru

fall


o'	ti	ta
o	chi	ta

fell

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ne	ru'
Romanization:	ne	ru

sleep


ne	ta'
ne	ta

slept

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ta	be'	ru
Romanization:	ta	be	ru

eat


ta'	be	ta
ta	be	ta

ate

suru

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	su	ru'
Romanization:	su	ru


si	ta'
shi	ta

did

kuru

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ku'	ru
Romanization:	ku	ru

come


ki'	ta
ki	ta

came

masu

Hiragana:
Phonemes:	ma'	su
Romanization:	ma	su


ma'	si	ta
ma	shi	ta

*1: This is not a verb but a verbal suffix for polite mode.

When you want to make a polite past form, make a verb polite first, then change it to the past form. For instance, if you want the polite past form of the verb

/to bu/ "tobu", change it to the polite form

/to bi ma' su/ "tobimasu", then change it to the past form

/to bi ma' si ta/ "tobimashita". This is because the politeness suffix

/ma' su/ "masu" has a past form but the past suffix

/ta/ "ta" doesn't have a polite form.

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