/

Nominalization

(emphatic/informal)
(abstract)

(use by default)

(able to do ~ing)

(occasional occurrence)

(to decide to ~)

(as a result)

(desire -adj.)

(desire vb)

(strong neg. desire)

(while ~ing)

(way of ~ing)

(it looks like ~)

(yakuza super rude)

(difficult to ~)
(easy to ~)
(too much)
[verb of motion] (go&do)
speaker's non-speaker's

(compound verb)
(e.g. )
(noun from verb target)

Polite

...

(before ~ing ...)

form
(negative -adj.)
(without ~ing)

(neg. form)

(neg. form)
(neg. cond.)

(neg. vol.)

(don't have to ~ informal)

Formal
Informal

Imperative

Compulsion must ~

Obligation must/have to ~

(negative old)

(without ~ing formal)

(non past)

(negative)

(past)

(past neg.)

(volitional)

(connective rare)
(conditional rare)
(imperative)

(Connective, Adverbial, Imp.)

Conditional Idiom

(conditional)

*
( when spoken)

*new verb ( )

(passive)
(causative)

Honorific Verb Form

[ ] vb.
[ ] hon.irreg.vb.

(causative passive)

(continuing change of state)

(continuous/habitual action)
(preparatory action)

(completed action)
*
(I'm glad that ~)

(try ~ and see)

(favour request)

(changed state)

(after ~ing ...)

(state change)

(must not ~)

(suggestive)

(permissive)

(permissive)

(even if ~)

(apologetic)

* vb. In speech:
or
or

( in speech)

Humble Verb Form

*all become new verbs

[ ]

Imperative

(I wish that ~)

(potential)

(benefit being given or received)

(volitional)

form

irreg.

Alternative English names for verb types:

vbs: one-row, group II, type , vowel-stem
vbs: five-row, group I, type , consonant-stem
There are no verbs in modern Japanese ending with
, , or . Only ends with .

(imperative)

AERON BUCHANAN'S
JAPANESE VERB CHART v2.6

For more information and examples, see e.g. Oxford Japanese Grammar & Verbs or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_verb_conjugations_and_adjective_declensions

/ /

form
Past (action completion)

verbs

(Sentence Joining)

[verb]
[noun]

- - - - -/ -

(forming noun-phrases or gerunds)

Conjunctive
- stem

(negative imperative)

- - - - -/ -

(non-past: habitual or future)

Dictionary or Plain Form

examples

endings

(reason for next clause)

repeated
(~ etc. / opposites
)

(If/When ~, ...)

(just happened)

(suggestive)

Layout and design: Aeron Buchanan 2010

verbs

AERON BUCHANAN'S

For more information and examples, see e.g. Oxford Japanese Grammar & Verbs
or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_verb_conjugations_and_adjective_declensions

JAPANESE VERB CHART

v2.61

Layout and design: Aeron Buchanan 2010

Irregular Verbs

Confusing Verbs

Some verbs are pronounced the same in plain form, but conjugate differently depending on which meaning is being used:

Form

to do

to come

Dictionary (Plain)

stem (conj.)

* **

**

stem

Passive

**

* !

Causative

**

Passive-Causative

**

Imperative

* !

Conditional

Potential

! *

Volitional

form

* **

**

form

*&**

**

Mnemonics

&

&

* from
** from

Irregular / form in other verbs:

to go

to ask

to request

* from
** from

and
and
and

The copula is also irregular (note: [written] [speech]):

Non-past
Negative
Past
Past Negative
Conditional
Neg. Cond.
Conjunctive
Neg. Conj.
Tentative

Informal

meaning

to exist

to stay alive
to obtain
to win

to alter
to exchange

to put on (clothes)

to close (someth)
to sleep
to pass (time)

Polite

There are many other verbs that end in

to hurry
to undulate
to ponder
to flatter

Honorific & Humble Irregulars

Verb

Honorific version
*

*
*
*

Humble verison

**

Conjugate as verbs. Except *irregular variation:

:
:

and

to be limited
to curse
to kick
to know

meaning

has an irregular negative ( ) form:

Form

Verb

to roast
to be necessary
to go in
to become sultry
to choose
to carve
to ridicule
to turn over/invert
to return (home)
to be hatched
to become misty
to cut
to be damp
to refine
to decrease

and therefore look like verbs in plain form, for example:

to speak
to slip/ski
to shine
to be scared

to enter
to run
to fart
to visit

Adjectives

adjectives
( -adjectives)
Conjugates: see table
For polite forms,
Note: none end in
Note:

adjectival nouns
( -adjectives)
Conjugates:
Adverbial:
Attributive:
Note: some end in

Form

-adj.

<remove >
Stem
Negative

Past

Past Negative
Conjunctive
Neg. Conj.

Adverbial

Conditional
Neg. Cond.
When Cond.
Neg. When