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Verb Conjugation
Verb Conjugation
Verb Conjugation
VERB CONJUGATION
( どつし の かつよう )
Japanese verbs can conjugate (that is, take
a variety of endings) to express a whole
range of meanings. Conjugation can show
us whether a verb is in the present or past,
whether it's positive or negative, and more.
3 Japanese verb groups. They are:
• Godan verbs ( 五段動詞 , godan-doushi),
also called U-verbs or V1 verbs
• Ichidan verbs ( 一段動詞 , ichidan-doushi),
also called Ru-verbs or V2 verbs
• Irregular verbs ( 不規則動詞 , fukisoku-
doushi),
also called V3 verbs
Godan Verbs / U-Verbs
Godan verbs, or u-verbs, are verbs that end with the
う -row of the hiragana syllabary chart.
Examples of godan verbs are:
のむ (nomu), “to drink”
あそぶ (asobu), “to play”
かう (kau), “to buy”
およぐ (oyogu), “to swim”
a,o,u suwaru
Ichidan Verbs / Ru-Verbs
Ichidan verbs, or ru-verbs, all end in る . And
because of that, they conjugate much easier than
godan verbs.
Examples of ichidan verbs:
たべる (taberu), “to eat”
みる (miru), “to see”
ねる (neru), “to sleep”
はしる (hashiru), “to run”
Irregular Verbs
The two irregular verbs are:
する , suru (to do)
くる , kuru (to come)
Polite Form( ますけい )