Japanese Verb Conjugations

Japanese verbs do not change based on person or number — "I eat," "you eat," and "they eat" all use the same verb form. Instead, verbs conjugate for tense, politeness, negation, and mood by modifying the verb ending.

All Japanese verbs fall into one of three groups:

• Group 1 (五段 godan) — "u-verbs" whose dictionary form ends in an う-row kana. The stem vowel changes across conjugations (e.g., 書く → 書き, 書か, 書いて).
• Group 2 (一段 ichidan) — "ru-verbs" ending in -いる or -える. Conjugation simply drops る and adds the new ending.
• Group 3 (irregular) — only two verbs: する (to do) and 来る (to come).

Key forms include the て-form (used for requests, sequential actions, and progressive), the ます-form (polite speech), and the ない-form (negation). More advanced forms like the potential, passive, and causative allow expressing ability, being acted upon, and making/letting someone do something.