Dictionary Form
Japanese verbs change their forms.
Here are some of them:
- Dictionary Form
- Stem Form
- てForm
- ないForm
The original form is called Dictionary Form
which finishes with ‘u’ sound.
Example
| Meaning | Japanese writing (Hiragana) | Pronunciation (Romaji) |
|---|---|---|
| do | する | su ru |
| eat | たべる | ta be ru |
| sleep | ねる | ne ru |
| listen | きく | ki ku |
| drink | のむ | no mu |
Basic 30 Japanese verbs

がんばる子
The Kanji characters in yellow below are 200 basic Kanji.
| Meaning | Hiragana | Romaji | Hiragana and Kanji | Verb Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| come | くる | ku ru | 来る | Irregular Verb Group |
| do, play | する | su ru | n/a | Irregular Verb Group |
| study | べんきょうする | be n kyo u su ru | 勉強する | Irregular Verb Group |
| drive | うんてんする | u n te n su ru | 運転する | Irregular Verb Group |
| ring, call | でんわする | de n wa su ru | 電話する | Irregular Verb Group |
| eat | たべる | ta be ru | 食べる | Ichidan Verb Group |
| look, watch, see | みる | mi ru | 見る | Ichidan Verb Group |
| sleep | ねる | ne ru | 寝る | Ichidan Verb Group |
| open | あける | a ke ru | 開ける | Ichidan Verb Group |
| close | しめる | shi me ru | 閉める | Ichidan Verb Group |
| wake up | おきる | o ki ru | 起きる | Ichidan Verb Group |
| teach | おしえる | o shi e ru | 教える | Ichidan Verb Group |
| finish | おえる | o e ru | 終える | Ichidan Verb Group |
| start | はじめる | ha ji me ru | 始める | Ichidan Verb Group |
| drink | のむ | no mu | 飲む | Godan Verb Group |
| read | よむ | yo mu | 読む | Godan Verb Group |
| write | かく | ka ku | 書く | Godan Verb Group |
| speak | はなす | ha na su | 話す | Godan Verb Group |
| go | いく | i ku | 行く | Godan Verb Group |
| become | なる | na ru | n/a | Godan Verb Group |
| use | つかう | tsu ka u | 使う | Godan Verb Group |
| make | つくる | tsu ku ru | 作る | Godan Verb Group |
| buy | かう | ka u | 買う | Godan Verb Group |
| sing | うたう | u ta u | 歌う | Godan Verb Group |
| play | あそぶ | a so bu | 遊ぶ | Godan Verb Group |
| listen | きく | ki ku | 聞く | Godan Verb Group |
| work | はたらく | ha ta ra ku | 働く | Godan Verb Group |
| walk | あるく | a ru ku | 歩く | Godan Verb Group |
| swim | およぐ | o yo gu | 泳ぐ | Godan Verb Group |
| help | てつだう | te tsu da u | 手伝う | Godan Verb Group |