Three Types of Japanese Verbs

In Japanese, verbs are divided into three main categories:

U-verbs (Godan verbs)
Ru-verbs (Ichidan verbs)
Irregular verbs

Each group conjugates differently, so it’s important to know how to recognize them.

1. U-verbs (Godan verbs)

Dictionary forms usually end with -u, -tsu, -ru, -mu, -bu, -nu, -ku, -gu, or -su. The verb ending shifts across the five vowel sounds a, i, u, e, o when conjugated.

Example: 書く（かく/kaku） (to write)

　Example: 話す（はなす/hanasu）(to speak/to talk)

2. Ru-verbs (Ichidan verbs)

Usually end in -eru or -iru in the dictionary form. You only drop -ru and add endings — the stem does not change.

⚠️ Not every -eru/-iru verb is Ru-verb (e.g., hashiru 走る “to run” is a U-verb).

Ru-verbs are not just one uniform group; linguists often divide them into two subtypes:

I-type → stem vowel is -i-
E-type → stem vowel is -e-

Both conjugate the same way (drop -ru, add the ending), but their stems differ.

Example:

♢I-type　見る（みる/miru）(to see)

♢E-type　食べる（たべる/taberu）(to eat)

3. Irregular verbs

Only two common verbs in Japanese conjugate irregularly:

1. する (suru = to do)

2. 来る (kuru = to come)

They don’t follow U-verb or Ru-verb rules, so must be memorized.

Example 1. する（する/suru）(to do)

Example 2. 来る（くる/kuru）(to come)

How to Tell Them Apart

【A】Only する(suru) and 来る(kuru) (and their compounds like 勉強する(benkyō-suru) “to study" and 運動する(undō-suru) "to exercise") must be memorized as irregular verbs.

【B】As for Ru-verb, usually end in -iru (for i-type) or -eru (for e-type).

Conjugation = drop -ru, add endings.

Examples: 食べる (taberu), 見る (miru).

【C】As for U-verb, end in other -u sounds (e.g., -ku, -mu, -su, etc.).

Some verbs ending in -eru/-iru are also U-verbs (exceptions).

Examples: 書く (kaku), 飲む (nomu), 走る (hashiru).

Summary

U-verbs (Godan): Endings shift through 5 vowels → flexible stem.
Ru-verbs (Ichidan): One-step conjugation → drop -ru, add ending.
Irregular verbs: Just two, but extremely common.

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