Japanese Verb Conjugation Chart: Plain, Polite, Negative, Past, and Te-Form

Overview

Here is the short version: Japanese verbs are usually grouped into three categories, and each category follows predictable conjugation rules.

• Group 1 verbs are often called u-verbs or godan verbs.
• Group 2 verbs are often called ru-verbs or ichidan verbs.
• Group 3 contains the two major irregular verbs: する and 来る（くる）.

The most useful base form to learn is the dictionary form, such as 書く (to write), 食べる (to eat), or 行く (to go). From there, you can derive the forms that appear in conversation, textbooks, grammar exercises, and translation work.

Before the full chart, it helps to know what each form does:

• Plain form: casual or neutral base form used in dictionaries, subordinate clauses, and informal speech.
• Polite form: usually the ます form, used in everyday respectful speech.
• Negative: says that an action does not happen.
• Past: says that an action happened.
• Te-form: one of the most important connection forms in Japanese grammar.

Use this quick chart first, then check the detailed notes below it when something feels unclear.

Japanese verb conjugation chart

If you are still learning kana, it may help to keep a hiragana chart and katakana chart nearby while reviewing these forms.

Core concepts

This section gives you the logic behind the chart, so you can conjugate new verbs instead of memorizing isolated examples.

1. How to identify verb groups

Group 2 (ru-verbs) are usually the easiest. Many end in 〜る, and the sound before る is often an e or i sound, as in 食べる and 見る. To conjugate them, you usually drop る and add a new ending.

Group 1 (u-verbs) are everything else in the regular system, including many verbs that also end in 〜る, such as 帰る and 走る. That is why ending in る is not enough to identify a verb correctly.

Irregular verbs are mainly する and 来る, plus compounds built from them like 勉強する or 持ってくる.

A useful learner habit is to memorize every new verb with one extra form, usually either the ます form or the ない form. That quickly reveals the verb group.

2. Plain form and polite form

The plain form is not rude by itself. It is simply the non-ます form. It appears in dictionaries, casual speech, and many grammar structures.

Examples:

• 毎日日本語を勉強する。 I study Japanese every day.
• 映画を見る。 I watch a movie.

The polite form uses ます and is standard in classrooms, shops, first meetings, and many workplaces.

• 毎日日本語を勉強します。
• 映画を見ます。

If you are working on formal Japanese vs casual Japanese, verb endings are one of the clearest signals of tone. The vocabulary may stay the same while the social feeling changes.

3. How to make the negative form

For Group 2 verbs, drop る and add ない.

• 食べる → 食べない
• 見る → 見ない

For Group 1 verbs, change the final u sound to the corresponding a sound and add ない.

• 書く → 書かない
• 話す → 話さない
• 読む → 読まない
• 待つ → 待たない

The important exception is verbs ending in う, which become わない, not あない.

• 買う → 買わない
• 会う → 会わない

Irregulars:

• する → しない
• 来る → 来ない

Polite negatives simply add ません:

• 食べません
• 書きません
• しません

4. How to make the past form

The plain past form is closely related to the te-form. If you learn one well, the other becomes easier.

Group 2 verbs are simple:

• 食べる → 食べた
• 見る → 見た

Group 1 verbs follow sound-based patterns:

• 〜う, 〜つ, 〜る → 〜った
  会う → 会った
  待つ → 待った
  帰る → 帰った
• 〜む, 〜ぶ, 〜ぬ → 〜んだ
  読む → 読んだ
  遊ぶ → 遊んだ
  死ぬ → 死んだ
• 〜く → 〜いた
  書く → 書いた
• 〜ぐ → 〜いだ
  泳ぐ → 泳いだ
• 〜す → 〜した
  話す → 話した

One famous exception is 行く, whose te-form and past do not follow the usual く pattern:

• 行く → 行って
• 行く → 行った

Irregulars:

• する → した
• 来る → 来た

Polite past uses ました:

• 食べました
• 書きました
• しました

5. How to make the te-form

The te-form is essential because it connects clauses and supports many common grammar points.

Group 2:

• 食べる → 食べて
• 見る → 見て

Group 1:

• 〜う, 〜つ, 〜る → 〜って
  会う → 会って
  待つ → 待って
  帰る → 帰って
• 〜む, 〜ぶ, 〜ぬ → 〜んで
  読む → 読んで
  遊ぶ → 遊んで
  死ぬ → 死んで
• 〜く → 〜いて
  書く → 書いて
• 〜ぐ → 〜いで
  泳ぐ → 泳いで
• 〜す → 〜して
  話す → 話して

Exception:

• 行く → 行って

Irregulars:

• する → して
• 来る → 来て

If you want a simple memory shortcut, pair the plain past and te-form:

• 書いた / 書いて
• 読んだ / 読んで
• 話した / 話して
• 帰った / 帰って

6. A compact pattern table

Once these patterns feel familiar, Japanese grammar stops looking random and starts looking highly structured.

Related terms

This section connects the chart to the terminology you will see in textbooks, apps, classes, and JLPT study guides.

Dictionary form

The dictionary form is the plain non-past form of a verb, such as 読む or 食べる. Many learners casually call this the plain form, though technically plain form can include plain negative and plain past as well.

Non-past

Japanese often uses one base form for both present and future meaning, depending on context.

• 明日行く。 I will go tomorrow.
• 毎日行く。 I go every day.

Masu-stem

The ます stem is the part left when you remove ます from a polite verb form.

• 書きます → 書き
• 食べます → 食べ

This stem appears in other forms too, such as noun-like compounds or polite requests.

Ta-form

The ta-form is simply the plain past form. Many textbooks name it separately because it behaves like a core building block in grammar instruction.

Nai-form

The nai-form is the plain negative form. It is useful not only for saying “do not” but also for grammar patterns built on ない.

Te-form uses

The te-form is not just a connector. It supports many high-frequency patterns, including:

• 〜ている for ongoing states or actions
• 〜てください for requests
• 〜てもいい for permission
• 〜てはいけない for prohibition
• linking actions in sequence

Example:

• ドアを開けて、入ってください。 Open the door and come in, please.

To make these sentences work naturally, you also need particles. If that is an area you are still sorting out, see Japanese Particles Explained: Wa, Ga, O, Ni, De, and More.

Transitive and intransitive verbs

Conjugation patterns and verb meaning are separate issues. A verb can conjugate regularly while still requiring a different particle pattern depending on whether it takes a direct object.

• ドアを開ける。 Open the door. (transitive)
• ドアが開く。 The door opens. (intransitive)

This matters in translation and sentence building because correct conjugation does not guarantee correct grammar.

Practical use cases

Here is how to turn the chart into something you can actually use in study, conversation, and reading.

1. Building your own mini reference set

Pick one verb from each major pattern and memorize it as a model:

• 会う for う verbs
• 待つ for つ verbs
• 帰る for godan る verbs
• 読む for む
• 遊ぶ for ぶ
• 死ぬ for ぬ
• 書く for く
• 泳ぐ for ぐ
• 話す for す
• 食べる for ichidan
• する and 来る for irregulars

If you know one model for each line, you can usually map a new verb onto the same pattern in seconds.

2. Reading and translating Japanese text

When you see a verb in the wild, identify the ending before translating the sentence. For example:

• 読んで tells you the base verb likely ends in む, ぶ, or ぬ.
• 書いた points back to 書く.
• 食べませんでした tells you this is polite, negative, and past all at once.

This habit is especially useful when you translate Japanese text or review machine output. Understanding the verb form often clarifies tense, register, and clause relationships before you look at every noun.

3. Everyday conversation

Use polite forms when meeting people, asking for help, or speaking in customer-facing settings.

• コーヒーを飲みます。 I drink coffee.
• 今日は行きません。 I am not going today.

Use plain forms with close friends, family, and in informal internal thoughts.

• あとで行く。 I will go later.
• 食べない。 I am not eating it. / I do not eat it.

Learning both forms early helps you avoid sounding either too blunt or unnecessarily stiff.

4. JLPT study

For JLPT preparation, verb recognition matters as much as production. You may need to identify whether a sentence means past or non-past, positive or negative, plain or polite, and whether the te-form is linking actions or forming another grammar pattern.

A practical routine is to combine conjugation review with level-appropriate vocabulary. If you are organizing study by exam level, a good next step is JLPT Vocabulary Lists by Level With Frequency Priorities and Study Tips and Kanji by JLPT Level: A Study List for N5 to N1 Learners.

5. Writing drills that actually work

Instead of filling pages with random conjugation, use a five-column drill:

1. Dictionary form
2. Plain negative
3. Plain past
4. Polite form
5. Te-form

Example set:

• 行く / 行かない / 行った / 行きます / 行って
• 飲む / 飲まない / 飲んだ / 飲みます / 飲んで
• 見る / 見ない / 見た / 見ます / 見て

This works well because each row reinforces a pattern family rather than a single isolated answer.

6. Common mistakes to catch early

• Assuming every 〜る verb is a ru-verb
• Forgetting that う → わない in the negative
• Mixing up 〜んで and 〜いて patterns
• Forgetting the exception 行く → 行って / 行った
• Using plain form in a situation that calls for polite speech

If your errors repeat, sort them by pattern rather than by vocabulary word. Usually the pattern is the real issue.

When to revisit

Come back to this chart whenever your Japanese starts expanding into new contexts. Verb conjugation is basic, but it keeps becoming relevant at higher levels because new grammar builds on the same core forms.

Revisit this page when:

• you start mixing plain and polite speech inconsistently
• you begin using the te-form for more than simple requests
• you encounter many る-ending verbs and keep misclassifying them
• you start reading native materials and need to reverse-engineer verb forms quickly
• you prepare for JLPT review and want a compact refresh before practice questions
• you notice that translation errors often come from tense, negation, or register rather than vocabulary

A simple action plan is:

1. Memorize the three verb groups.
2. Master one model verb for each major ending pattern.
3. Practice converting 20 common verbs into five forms.
4. Read short sentences and identify the verb form before translating.
5. Add more advanced forms only after these become automatic.

If you want to study efficiently, do not wait until conjugation feels completely comfortable before moving on. Instead, revisit it in cycles. Learn a grammar point, return to the chart, and notice how the new grammar depends on old forms. That is how this reference is meant to be used: not once, but repeatedly, as your Japanese language learning becomes broader and more precise.

For learners building a structured path, it also helps to pair this article with broader study planning, including exam timelines such as JLPT Exam Dates, Registration Windows, and Score Release Timeline. A strong routine is easier to maintain when your grammar review, vocabulary practice, and test preparation all support each other.