🧠 Lesson 12: Verbs — Grouping the Movers, Noticing the Rebels

 🍃 Introduction

Verbs are the heartbeat of Japanese sentences. They tell us what’s happening, who’s doing it, and how it unfolds. But before we sprint into conjugation, we need to know what kind of shoes our verbs are wearing.

🪴 The Three Verb Groups

Group	Description	Examples
Group 1 (Godan)	Most common. Ends in u-sound (う, く, す, つ, ぬ, ぶ, む, る). Conjugation changes the final syllable.	書く (kaku – to write), 話す (hanasu – to speak), 飲む (nomu – to drink)
Group 2 (Ichidan)	Ends in る, but the stem stays the same when conjugated. Easy to spot when the syllable before る ends in an e or i sound.	食べる (taberu – to eat), 見る (miru – to see)
Group 3 (Irregular)	Only two main verbs here. They break the rules, but they’re essential.	する (suru – to do), 来る (kuru – to come)

🌱 How to Spot the Difference

• Ends in る + preceded by e/i → likely Group 2

• Ends in る + preceded by a/o/u → likely Group 1

• Doesn’t end in る → usually Group 1

• Is する or 来る → Group 3

🧠 Japanese Verb Groups with ます-Form

🪴 Group 1 — Godan Verbs (五段動詞)

These verbs change their final syllable when conjugated. The stem shifts before adding ます.

Verb	Romaji	Meaning	ます-form
書く	kaku	to write	書きます (kakimasu)
話す	hanasu	to speak	話します (hanashimasu)
飲む	nomu	to drink	飲みます (nomimasu)
待つ	matsu	to wait	待ちます (machimasu)
歩く	aruku	to walk	歩きます (arukimasu)
泳ぐ	oyogu	to swim	泳ぎます (oyogimasu)
死ぬ	shinu	to die	死にます (shinimasu)
遊ぶ	asobu	to play	遊びます (asobimasu)
読む	yomu	to read	読みます (yomimasu)
買う	kau	to buy	買います (kaimasu)
立つ	tatsu	to stand	立ちます (tachimasu)
作る	tsukuru	to make	作ります (tsukurimasu)

話す	hanasu	to speak	話します (hanashimasu)
聞く	kiku	to listen	聞きます (kikimasu)
使う	tsukau	to use	使います (tsukaimasu)
書き取る	kakitoru	to transcribe	書き取ります (kakitorimasu)

🌱 Group 2 — Ichidan Verbs (一段動詞)

These verbs keep their stem and simply add ます.

Verb	Romaji	Meaning	ます-form
食べる	taberu	to eat	食べます (tabemasu)
見る	miru	to see	見ます (mimasu)
寝る	neru	to sleep	寝ます (nemasu)
起きる	okiru	to wake up	起きます (okimasu)
教える	oshieru	to teach	教えます (oshiemasu)
開ける	akeru	to open	開けます (akemasu)
閉める	shimeru	to close	閉めます (shimemasu)
借りる	kariru	to borrow	借ります (karimasu)
降りる	oriru	to get off	降ります (orimasu)
出る	deru	to leave	出ます (demasu)

着る	kiru	to wear	着ます (kimasu)
信じる	shinjiru	to believe	信じます (shinjimasu)
起こす	okosu	to wake someone	起こします (okoshimasu)

⚠️ Group 1 Exceptions (Look Like Ichidan but Aren’t)

Verb	Romaji	Meaning	ます-form
走る	hashiru	to run	走ります (hashirimasu)
帰る	kaeru	to return	帰ります (kaerimasu)
切る	kiru	to cut	切ります (kirimasu)
入る	hairu	to enter	入ります (hairimasu)
要る	iru	to need	要ります (irimasu)
知る	shiru	to know	知ります (shirimasu)

減る	heru	to decrease	減ります (herimasu)
限る	kagiru	to limit	限ります (kagirimasu)

These are the trickster petals—look soft but bend like Godan verbs.

 

🌟 Group 3 — Irregular Verbs

Verb	Romaji	Meaning	ます-form
する	suru	to do	します (shimasu)
来る	kuru	to come	来ます (kimasu)

Think of these as wild daisies—beautiful, unpredictable, and everywhere.

🍵 Jiezza’s Reminder

“Verbs move the story. But exceptions remind us: even in grammar, not everything fits neatly. Learn the rules, then honor the rebels.”