Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart
All five core forms across godan, ichidan, and irregular verbs in one printable chart. Tested on JLPT N5 to N3 — save as PDF for offline study.
Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart
Godan (Group I) — u-verbs
| Verb | Plain | -masu | -te | -ta | -nai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 書くかくto write | 書く | 書きます | 書いて | 書いた | 書かない |
| 話すはなすto speak | 話す | 話します | 話して | 話した | 話さない |
| 飲むのむto drink | 飲む | 飲みます | 飲んで | 飲んだ | 飲まない |
| 待つまつto wait | 待つ | 待ちます | 待って | 待った | 待たない |
| 死ぬしぬto die | 死ぬ | 死にます | 死んで | 死んだ | 死なない |
| 泳ぐおよぐto swim | 泳ぐ | 泳ぎます | 泳いで | 泳いだ | 泳がない |
| 遊ぶあそぶto play | 遊ぶ | 遊びます | 遊んで | 遊んだ | 遊ばない |
| 買うかうto buy | 買う | 買います | 買って | 買った | 買わない |
- Final consonant shifts row depending on the form: -u → -i for masu, -a for nai.
- Te / ta follow the KNIFE pattern (く→いて, ぐ→いで, す→して, つ/う/る→って, ぬ/ぶ/む→んで).
- For -う verbs, the negative uses わ (買う → 買わない), not あ.
Ichidan (Group II) — ru-verbs
| Verb | Plain | -masu | -te | -ta | -nai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 食べるたべるto eat | 食べる | 食べます | 食べて | 食べた | 食べない |
| 見るみるto see | 見る | 見ます | 見て | 見た | 見ない |
| 起きるおきるto wake up | 起きる | 起きます | 起きて | 起きた | 起きない |
| 寝るねるto sleep | 寝る | 寝ます | 寝て | 寝た | 寝ない |
| 教えるおしえるto teach | 教える | 教えます | 教えて | 教えた | 教えない |
- Drop the final る and add the suffix directly — no stem changes.
- Watch out for godan look-alikes: 帰る, 入る, 切る, 知る, 走る are godan, not ichidan.
- Te-form is the simplest: stem + て.
Irregular (Group III)
| Verb | Plain | -masu | -te | -ta | -nai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| するするto do | する | します | して | した | しない |
| 来るくるto come | 来る | 来ます | 来て | 来た | 来ない |
| 行くいくto go (irregular te-form) | 行く | 行きます | 行って | 行った | 行かない |
| あるあるto exist (inanimate, irregular negative) | ある | あります | あって | あった | ない |
- する and 来る (kuru) follow unique vowel-shift patterns — memorise them as one-off forms.
- 行く is classified as godan but takes irregular 行って / 行った (not 行いて / 行いた).
- ある has an irregular negative — ない, never あらない.
Quick rules reference
- KNIFE rule for godan te-form: く→いて, ぐ→いで, す→して, つ/う/る→って, ぬ/ぶ/む→んで.
- Ichidan rule: drop る, add the suffix (て, ます, ない, etc.).
- Negative stem: godan shifts to the -a row, ichidan drops る. する → しない, 来る → こない.
- -う verbs special case: negative uses わ — 買う → 買わない, 言う → 言わない.
- Past (-ta) follows the same KNIFE pattern as -te — just replace the final て/で with た/だ.
- Polite (-masu): godan shifts the final -u to -i; ichidan drops る and adds ます.
- Common godan exceptions that look ichidan: 帰る, 入る, 切る, 知る, 走る, 要る — memorise these 12.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three Japanese verb groups?
Japanese verbs split into three groups. Group I (godan / u-verbs) end in any of -u, -ku, -gu, -su, -tsu, -nu, -bu, -mu, -ru with a non-iru/eru stem, and conjugate by changing the final consonant row. Group II (ichidan / ru-verbs) end in -iru or -eru with a vowel stem, and conjugate by simply dropping る. Group III (irregular) is just する (to do) and 来る (to come), plus 行く's irregular te-form (行って). About 70% of common verbs are godan, 25% ichidan, and the irregulars cover the rest.
Can I download this chart as a PDF?
Yes. Click the Download PDF or Print button to open the print dialog, then save as PDF. The print stylesheet hides everything except the chart and the rules card, fitting all three group tables onto two A4 pages in landscape orientation. There are no watermarks. Keep the printed sheet near your study area for visual reference.
How do I conjugate the te-form?
The te-form is the most important form to memorise because it powers requests, sequential actions, the -te iru progressive, and the -te kudasai polite request. The 'KNIFE rule' covers godan: verbs ending in く become いて (書く → 書いて), in ぐ become いで (泳ぐ → 泳いで), in す become して (話す → 話して), in つ/う/る become って (待つ → 待って, 言う → 言って, 帰る → 帰って), in ぬ/ぶ/む become んで (死ぬ → 死んで, 遊ぶ → 遊んで, 飲む → 飲んで). The single exception is 行く → 行って (not 行いて). Ichidan is simpler: drop る and add て (食べる → 食べて). Irregulars are する → して and 来る → 来て.
What is the difference between -masu and plain form?
-masu form is the polite form used in formal speech, with strangers, and in most workplace conversations. Plain form (also called dictionary form) is used with friends, family, in writing, and as the building block for nearly every other Japanese grammar pattern. JLPT N5 and N4 expect comfortable conversion between the two in both directions. The chart shows both — the leftmost column is plain and the second column is -masu so the conversion is visually one step.
Which forms appear on the JLPT?
All five forms in this chart appear on every JLPT level from N5 up. N5 tests plain, -masu, and -te recognition. N4 adds -ta (past), -nai (negative), and combinations like -te imasu. N3 tests conditional (-tara, -reba), volitional (-ou/-you), and passive/causative (-rareru, -saseru) which are derivations of the five base forms. Master the five forms in this chart first and the higher-level forms become predictable transformations.
Why do some -ru verbs belong to godan and others to ichidan?
This is the single trickiest part of Japanese verb classification. Verbs ending in -iru or -eru can be EITHER ichidan or godan, and there is no foolproof rule from the spelling alone. Common godan -ru verbs that LOOK ichidan include 帰る (kaeru, to return home), 入る (hairu, to enter), 切る (kiru, to cut), 知る (shiru, to know), and 走る (hashiru, to run). Memorise these ~12 common exceptions and treat everything else ending in -iru/-eru as ichidan unless a dictionary tells you otherwise.
Drill these forms in our spaced-repetition verb practice
The chart is the reference. The te-form quiz is the active recall — pair them to internalise godan, ichidan, and irregular patterns in days, not months.
Start the Te-Form Quiz