Common Japanese Verbs
A curated reference of frequently used Japanese verbs, grouped by conjugation type. Click any verb to see its full conjugation table.
Irregular Verbs
These two verbs do not follow the standard conjugation patterns and must be memorised individually.
Godan Verbs (う-verbs)
Also known as う-verbs, these verbs have a stem ending in a consonant and follow a five-step (五段) conjugation pattern.
| Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 行く | いく | iku | to go; to move (towards); to head (towards) | Conjugate |
| 言う | いう | iu | to say; to utter; to declare | Conjugate |
| 聞く | きく | kiku | to hear | Conjugate |
| 話す | はなす | hanasu | to talk; to speak; to converse | Conjugate |
| 買う | かう | kau | to buy; to purchase | Conjugate |
| 売る | うる | uru | to sell | Conjugate |
| 作る | つくる | tsukuru | to make; to produce; to manufacture | Conjugate |
| 使う | つかう | tsukau | to use (a tool, method, etc.); to make use of; to put to use | Conjugate |
| 持つ | もつ | motsu | to hold (in one's hand); to take; to carry | Conjugate |
| 取る | とる | toru | to take; to pick up; to grab | Conjugate |
| 置く | おく | oku | to put; to place | Conjugate |
| 入る | いる | iru | to enter; to go in; to get in | Conjugate |
| 立つ | たつ | tatsu | to stand (up); to rise; to get to one's feet | Conjugate |
| 歩く | あるく | aruku | to walk | Conjugate |
| 走る | はしる | hashiru | to run | Conjugate |
| 帰る | かえる | kaeru | to return; to come home; to go home | Conjugate |
| 会う | あう | au | to meet; to encounter; to see | Conjugate |
| 知る | しる | shiru | to know; to be aware (of); to be conscious (of) | Conjugate |
| 思う | おもう | omou | to think; to consider; to believe | Conjugate |
| 分かる | わかる | wakaru | to understand; to comprehend; to grasp | Conjugate |
| 学ぶ | まなぶ | manabu | to study (in depth); to learn; to take lessons in | Conjugate |
| 終わる | おわる | owaru | to end; to come to an end; to close | Conjugate |
| 住む | すむ | sumu | to live (of humans); to reside; to inhabit | Conjugate |
| 働く | はたらく | hataraku | to work; to labor; to labour | Conjugate |
| 休む | やすむ | yasumu | to be absent; to take a day off | Conjugate |
| 遊ぶ | あそぶ | asobu | to play (games, sports); to enjoy oneself; to have a good time | Conjugate |
| 待つ | まつ | matsu | to wait | Conjugate |
| 急ぐ | いそぐ | isogu | to hurry; to rush; to hasten | Conjugate |
| 呼ぶ | よぶ | yobu | to call out (to); to call; to invoke | Conjugate |
| 頼む | たのむ | tanomu | to request; to beg; to ask | Conjugate |
| 貸す | かす | kasu | to lend; to loan | Conjugate |
| 送る | おくる | okuru | to send (a thing); to dispatch; to despatch | Conjugate |
| 払う | はらう | harau | to pay (e.g. money, bill) | Conjugate |
| 乗る | のる | noru | to get on (train, plane, bus, ship, etc.); to get in; to board | Conjugate |
| 渡る | わたる | wataru | to cross over; to go across | Conjugate |
| 並ぶ | ならぶ | narabu | to line up; to stand in a line | Conjugate |
| 動く | うごく | ugoku | to move; to stir; to shift | Conjugate |
| 止まる | とまる | tomaru | to stop (moving); to come to a stop | Conjugate |
| 育つ | そだつ | sodatsu | to be raised (e.g. child); to be brought up; to grow (up) | Conjugate |
| 増える | ふえる | fueru | to increase; to multiply | Conjugate |
| 減る | へる | heru | to decrease (in size or number); to diminish; to abate | Conjugate |
| 壊す | こわす | kowasu | to break; to destroy; to demolish | Conjugate |
| 直す | なおす | naosu | to repair; to mend; to fix | Conjugate |
| 触る | さわる | sawaru | to touch; to feel | Conjugate |
| 笑う | わらう | warau | to laugh | Conjugate |
| 泣く | なく | naku | to cry; to weep; to sob | Conjugate |
| 怒る | おこる | okoru | to get angry; to get mad | Conjugate |
| 喜ぶ | よろこぶ | yorokobu | to be delighted; to be glad; to be pleased | Conjugate |
| 疑う | うたがう | utagau | to doubt; to distrust; to be suspicious of | Conjugate |
| 守る | まもる | mamoru | to protect; to guard; to defend | Conjugate |
| 攻める | せめる | semeru | to attack; to assault; to assail | Conjugate |
| 勝つ | かつ | katsu | to win; to gain victory | Conjugate |
| 追う | おう | ou | to chase; to run after; to pursue | Conjugate |
| 探す | さがす | sagasu | to search for; to look for; to hunt for | Conjugate |
| 隠す | かくす | kakusu | to hide; to conceal | Conjugate |
| 数える | かぞえる | kazoeru | to count; to enumerate | Conjugate |
| 試す | ためす | tamesu | to try (out); to have a try (at); to test | Conjugate |
| 洗う | あらう | arau | to wash; to cleanse; to rinse | Conjugate |
| 脱ぐ | ぬぐ | nugu | to take off (clothes, shoes, etc.); to undress | Conjugate |
Ichidan Verbs (る-verbs)
Also known as る-verbs, these verbs have a stem ending in a vowel and conjugate by simply dropping the る ending.
| Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Definition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 見る | みる | miru | to see; to look; to watch | Conjugate |
| 食べる | たべる | taberu | to eat | Conjugate |
| 出る | でる | deru | to leave; to exit; to go out | Conjugate |
| 座る | すわる | suwaru | to sit; to squat | Conjugate |
| 考える | かんがえる | kangaeru | to think (about, of); to think over; to ponder | Conjugate |
| 教える | おしえる | oshieru | to teach; to instruct | Conjugate |
| 覚える | おぼえる | oboeru | to memorize; to memorise; to commit to memory | Conjugate |
| 忘れる | わすれる | wasureru | to forget; to leave carelessly; to be forgetful of | Conjugate |
| 始める | はじめる | hajimeru | to start; to begin; to commence | Conjugate |
| 続ける | つづける | tsuzukeru | to continue; to keep up; to keep on | Conjugate |
| 止める | とめる | tomeru | to stop; to turn off | Conjugate |
| 開ける | あける | akeru | to open (a door, etc.); to unwrap (e.g. parcel, package); to unlock | Conjugate |
| 閉める | しめる | shimeru | to close; to shut | Conjugate |
| 答える | こたえる | kotaeru | to answer; to reply | Conjugate |
| 決める | きめる | kimeru | to decide; to choose; to determine | Conjugate |
| 変える | かえる | kaeru | to change; to alter; to transform | Conjugate |
| 助ける | たすける | tasukeru | to save; to rescue; to spare | Conjugate |
| 借りる | かりる | kariru | to borrow; to have a loan | Conjugate |
| 受ける | うける | ukeru | to receive; to get | Conjugate |
| 降りる | おりる | oriru | to descend (e.g. a mountain); to go down; to come down | Conjugate |
| 集める | あつめる | atsumeru | to collect; to assemble; to gather | Conjugate |
| 並べる | ならべる | naraberu | to line up; to set up; to arrange in a line | Conjugate |
| 生きる | いきる | ikiru | to live; to exist | Conjugate |
| 死ぬ | しぬ | shinu | to die; to pass away | Conjugate |
| 生まれる | うまれる | umareru | to be born | Conjugate |
| 壊れる | こわれる | kowareru | to be broken; to break; to fall apart | Conjugate |
| 直る | なおる | naoru | to get mended; to be repaired; to be fixed | Conjugate |
| 感じる | かんじる | kanjiru | to feel; to sense; to experience | Conjugate |
| 信じる | しんじる | shinjiru | to believe; to believe in; to place trust in | Conjugate |
| 負ける | まける | makeru | to lose; to be defeated | Conjugate |
| 逃げる | にげる | nigeru | to run away; to flee; to get away (e.g. from danger) | Conjugate |
| 見つける | みつける | mitsukeru | to discover; to find (e.g. an error in a book); to come across | Conjugate |
| 隠れる | かくれる | kakureru | to hide; to be hidden; to conceal oneself | Conjugate |
| 比べる | くらべる | kuraberu | to compare; to make a comparison | Conjugate |
| 浴びる | あびる | abiru | to dash over oneself (e.g. water); to take (e.g. shower); to bask in (e.g. the sun) | Conjugate |
| 着る | きる | kiru | to wear (from the shoulders down); to put on | Conjugate |
| 入れる | いれる | ireru | to put in; to let in; to take in | Conjugate |
| 出す | だす | dasu | to take out; to get out | Conjugate |