Master Japanese Verb Conjugation in One Article

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. Once you’ve learned the verb 書かく, 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

• 勉強べんきょうする (studies + to do = to study) 
• 散歩さんぽする (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 conjugated, these verbs are called 一段いちだん動詞どうし (“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 sound, like 話はなす (to speak), 買かう (to buy), 読よむ (to read), 飛とぶ (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/. 

This is why these verbs are also called 五段ごだん動詞どうし (It literally means “five form verbs”) in Japanese. 

A chart to summarize the three groups:

Irregularverbs/V3	来る	来る(kuru/to come)
	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 and everything except V3 and V2	飲む(nomu/to drink)
		買う(kau/to buy)
		書く(kaku/to write)
		死ぬ* (sinu/to die)

*It is worth noting that 死しぬ is the only Japanese verb ending with ぬ.

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

If the preceding hiragana vowel was /e/ like 答こたえる 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 form, or 丁寧語ていねいご 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 group	Rule	Example verb	Example sentence
V1	Change the u-kana to the corresponding i-kana and attach ます to the verb stem	話す → 話します	教師と話します
			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 → 勉強します	日本語を勉強します
		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:

• 絵えを描えがきません = I don’t draw a picture or I won’t draw a picture
• 本ほんを読よみません = I don’t read a book (I won’t read a book)
• 宿題しゅくだいを 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:  

• 絵えを描えがきました = I drew a picture
• 絵えを描えがきませんでした = I didn’t draw a picture
• 本ほんを読よみました = I read a book
• 本ほんを読よみませんでした = I didn’t read a book
• 宿題しゅくだいを しました = I did my homework
• 宿題しゅくだいを 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

The plain form is called dictionary form in Japanese (辞書じしょ形けい) 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 such as “I write” (書かく), “you speak”(話はなす) etc. Like with the masu form, the plain form can also express the future based on the context of your sentence: 

• 絵えを描えがく = I draw a picture (I will draw a picture)
• 本ほんを読よむ = I read a book (I will read a book)
• 宿題しゅくだいを 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 such as “I don’t see” (見みない) or “you don’t smoke” (吸すわない) and  “I won’t see” or “you won’t smoke”. 

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Nai Form

Verb group	Rule	Example verb	Example sentence
V1	Stem’s /u/ vowel changes to /a/.	話す → 話さない	教師と話さない
	Verbs that ends with the hiragana う will change う to わ	吸う  →  吸わない	I don’t speak with 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 was done in the past, like “I did my homework” (宿題しゅくだいをした) or “you ate bread” (パンを食たべた). 

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! 

• 絵えを描えがいた = I drew a picture
• 本ほんを読よんだ= I read a book
• 宿題しゅくだいを した = I did my homework

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Ta Form

Verb Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	If the last hiragana is う,つ,る, add った to the verb stem	笑う → 笑った
	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 verb stem:	働く→ 働いた 行く→行った(irregular)
	If the last hiragana is ぐ, add いだ to the verb stem	泳ぐ → 泳いだ
	If the last hiragana is す, add した to the verb stem	隠す→ 隠した
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: 

• 本ほんを読よまなかった = I didn’t read the book
• 夕飯ゆうはんを食たべなかった = I didn’t eat dinner
• 宿題しゅくだいを しなかった = I didn’t do my homework

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Nakatta Form

Verb Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	Stem’s vowel /u/ changes to /a/ to which you add なかった:	話す → 教師と話さなかった
		I didn’t speak with the teacher
	⚠︎ Verbs that end with the hiragana う will change う to わ	Ex: 笑う  →  笑わなかった
		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 negative form is こ	くる → 学校にこなかった
		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:

• 手てを洗あらって、食事しょくじを食たべた  = I washed my hands and ate my meal
• 朝あさ7時ときに起おきて、運動うんどうして、仕事しごとに行いく = I wake up at 7, exercise and go to work. 
• 時間じかんがなくて、レポート書かかなかった = 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?
• B: 時間じかんがなくて・・・ = I lacked time… 

(implied sentence = レポート書かかなかった “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. 

• レポート を書かいてください = Please write your report
• 手てを洗あらってください = 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 Group	Rules	Examples
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
	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 Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	Take for start base the negative plain form stem ない, drop the い and add なくて to the stem	話す→ 話さない → 話さなくて
Ru-verbs	Attach ないで to the stem	食べる → 食べないで
		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).
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:  ⚠︎ Notice that the stem for くる’s negative te-form is こ	くる→ 学校にこないでください
		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 simply replace ない with なくて or ないで. For example, 食たべる → 食たべない → 食たべなくて/食たべないで

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?
• 教師きょうしに聞きいてみれば = Why don’t you ask the teacher?
• こうすればどうですか = What about doing like?
• 行いけばよかったのに = 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”:

• 勉強べんきょう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 Group	Rules	Examples
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
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 ba-form is す	If doing like this…
くる	Add れば to the verb stem	くる  → これば
	⚠︎ Notice that the stem for くる’s affirmative ba-form is こ	If going…

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Negative Ba Form

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

• お金かねがあったら、新あたらしい パソコン を買かう = 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. 

• 冬休ふゆやすみがきたら、地元じもとに戻もどる 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. 

• 王様おうさまだったら、毎日まいにちを日曜日にちようびにするのになぁ =  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 Group	Rules	Examples
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:
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 Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	From the past negative plain form stem なかった add ら	話す→ 話さない → 話さなかったら
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 public road signs 止とまれ (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
		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 Group	Rules	Examples
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”. 

• 行いこうか = 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. 

• やってみようと思おもう = I’d like to give it a try
• 今日きょう勉強べんきょうしようと決きめた = I’ve decided to study today

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Volitional Form

Verb Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	The stem vowel /u/ becomes /o/ to which you add う	教師と話す→ 教師と話そう
		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 Group	Rules	Examples
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.  

• 日本語にほんごが話はなせるようになった = I became able to speak Japanese
• 料理りょうりができる = I can cook
• ピーナツ が食たべられない = I cannot eat peanuts 

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Potential Form

Notice that the particle を becomes が with potential verbs. 

Verb Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	The vowel /u/ changes to /e/, to which you add る	日本語を話す→日本語が 話せる
		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 potential form is こ	くる→ こられる

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

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 Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	The stem vowel /u/ changes to /a/, to which you add れる	聞く→ 教師は答えを聞かれる
		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 passive form is される。	The room is cleaned 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 passive form is こ	My home was visited by 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”. 

• 子供こどもに タバコ を吸すわせない = Kids are not allowed to smoke tobacco 
• 母ははは私わたしに野菜やさいを食たべさせる = I am made to eat vegetables by my mother 
• 週末しゅうまつに子供こどもを遊あそばせる = I let my kid play on weekends

Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Causative Form

Verb Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	The vowel /u/ changes to /a/, to which you add せる to the stem	話す→ 教師は生徒に事実を話させる
		The teacher makes the student tell the truth.
Ru-verbs	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
		The father let the kids eat sweets.
Irregular:
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 causative form is こ	Call the waiter (make the 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 Group	Rules	Examples
U-verbs	The stem vowel /u/ becomes /a/, to which you add せられる	思い出す→ 嫌な記憶を思い出させられる
		I am made to recall a bad memory
Ru-verbs	Add させられる to the verb stem	見せる → 昔の写真を見させられる
		I am made to show my old 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. 

 

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 https://genki.japantimes.co.jp/self/verbadjective-conjugation-practice
• Japan Foundation’s official course Marugoto Plus https://marugotoweb.jp/en/
• Anki: flashcard tool for memorization https://apps.ankiweb.net
• LingoDeer https://lingodeer.com