September 2000

Some Notes on Japanese Grammar

Keith Smillie

Deartment of Computing Science

University of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2H1

smillie@cs.ualberta.ca

 

This HTML has been created from an MS Word document with minimal hand-editing. In some cases the formatting has failed during the conversion.

Table of Contents

Word Order
Nouns
Pronouns
Demonstratives and Interrogatives
Particles
Verbs
   Introduction
   Present and past polite forms
   Expressing "to be"
   Uses of deshou
   Present and past plain forms
   The gerund or -te form
   Progressive tense
   Desiderative form
   Passive form
   Causative form
   Conditional form

 

   Giving and receiving
   Starting an action
   Nominalization
Adjectives
Describing nouns
Adverbs
Comparisons
Numbers
Specific Time
Relative Time
Counters
Calendar
Family
Acknowledgements
References
Appendix. A few verbs
 

 

 

No claim is made for either originality or completeness in these notes. Most of the examples have been taken from, or have been suggested by, the references given at the end. The topics chosen are those which may benefit a person who is beginning to study Japanese and who would like a quick reference to supplement more complete and authoritative sources.

 

Word Order

Japanese is a Subject-Object-Verb language as compared with English which is a Subject-Verb-Object language.

 

トラコはねこです。

Torako wa neko desu.
Torako is a cat. (Literally, "Torako as for cat is.")

トラコがねずみを見ました。

Torako ga nezumi o mimashita.
Torako saw a mouse (Literally, "Torako [subject] mouse [object] saw.")

A sentence is made into a question by placing the particle ka at the end.

 

トラコがねずみを見ましたか。

Torako ga nezumi o mimashita ka.
Did Torako see a mouse?

 

Nouns

Japanese nouns do not have gender, they may not be modified by definite or indefinite articles because none exist in Japanese, and the singular and plural forms are usually the same. In romaji the names of persons and places are capitalized as are the names of languages except English (eigo).

 

hon (本) book, books, a book, the book, the books

 

For nouns referring to people, the suffix -tachi may be used to indicate the plural.

 

子供[こども]

kodomo child, children   

 

子供達[こどもたち]

kodomotachi children

田中さん達。
Tanaka san tachi
 Mr. Tanaka and his family or others

Japanese give the family name first followed by the given name.

 

田中広見       Tanaka Hiromi ←→   Hiromi Tanaka

 

The suffix -ya means the store where the objects are sold or the person who sells them. The suffix -ka means a person who is is an expert or specialist in the designated subject.

 

花 [はな]          花屋[はなや]

hana flower          hanaya flower shop, florist

肉 [にく]        肉屋[にくや]

niku meat            nikuya butcher shop, butcher

小説[しょうせつ]  小説家[しょうせつか]       
shousetsu
 novel         shousetsuka  novelist

When referring to a clerk or shopkeeper, the honorific san is used.

 

本屋さん 

honya san bookstore clerk, bookseller

Two nouns used together as a compound noun are joined by the particle no.

 

日本語のクラス  [にほんごのクラス]

nihongo no kurasu Japanese language class

アパートのビル 
apato no biru
 apartment building

 

Pronouns

watashi I, me
anata
 you
kare
 he, him
kanojo
 she, her
ano hito
 that person

 

watashitachi we, us
anatatachi
 you
karera
 they, them
kanojotachi
 they, them
ano hitotachi
 those persons

 

Avoid using anata whenever possible, and use the person's name with san instead. Similarly, when referring to a third person, use the person's name.

 

スミツさんは映画を見ましたか

Sumitsu san wa eiga o mimashita ka.
Did you (Mr. Smith) see the movie?

田中さんは何を買いましたか。
Tanaka san wa nani o kaimashita ka.
What did she (Mrs. Tanaka) buy?

 

The indefinite pronouns are the following:


 

 

誰か[だれか]            dareka someone                 誰も daremo no one
どれか               doreka something                どれも doremo nothing
どこか               dokoka somewhere                どこも dokomo nowhere
何か[なにか]            nanika something                何も nanimo nothing

幾らか[いくらか]            ikuraka some, a little   幾らも ikuramo not much
幾つか[いくつか]               ikutsuka  some               幾つも ikutsumo              many

なんでも               nandemo anything                 なにも nanimo nothing

 

 


 

The negative indefinite pronouns take a negative verb.

 

誰か来ました。

Dareka kimashita.
Someone came.

誰も来ませんでした

Daremo kimasen deshita. No one came.

The one reflexive pronoun is jibun (myself, yourself, etc.).

 

自分で働きます。

Jibun de hatarakimasu. I am working by myself.

 

There are no relative pronouns in Japanese, and the relative clause precedes the word it modifies.

 

あそこに座っている若い女性は娘です。

Asoko ni suwatte iru wakai josei wa musume desu.
That young lady sitting over there is my daughter.

 

Demonstratives and Interrogatives

The demonstrative and iterrogative words, which are either pronouns, adjectives or adverbs, may be divided into four groups depending on the prefix:

 

ko- Something near the speaker.
so-
 Something nearer the listener than the speaker.
a-
  Something at a distance from both speaker and listener.
do-
 Question


これ

それ

あれ

こちら

そちら

あちら

どちら

kore

sore

are

kochira

sochira

achira

dochira

this one

 

that one

that one

this way

 

that way

that way

which way

どれ

この

その

こんな

そんな

あんな

どんな

dore

kono

sono

konna

sonna

anna

donna

which

 

this

That

this kind of

that kind of

that kind of

which kind

あの

どの

ここ

 

 

 

 

ano

dono

koko

こう

そう

ああ

どう

that

 

which

here

kou

sou

aa

dou

そこ

あそこ

どこ

in this manner

in that manner

in that manner

in which manner

soko

asoko

doko

 

 

 

 

there

over there

where

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other interrogative pronouns are the following:

 

だれ              dare              who

どなた              donata               who (polite) 

どちらさま              dochirasama               who (very polite)

なん、何なに              nan, nani              what

何人 [なんにん]              nannin               how many people

幾ら [いくら]              ikura               how much

幾つ[いくつ]               ikutsu               how many

いつ              itsu               when

どうして、なぜ              doushite, naze              why?

どうやって、 どのように               douyatte, donoyouni               how?

どのような              donoyouna              which kind of?

どのくらい              donokurai              how long?

 

 


 

Particles

wa [は]  Topic

 

陽子さんは大学院の学生です。

Youko san wa daigakuin no gakusei desu.
Y
ouko is a graduate student. (Literally, "As for Youko, she is a graduate student.")

 

ga [が]Subject

 

私はすしが好きです。

Watashi wa sushi ga suki desu.
I like sushi. (Literally, As for me, sushi is likeable.")

 

o [を]Direct object

 

トラコは小鳥をみています。

Torako wa kotori o mite imasu.
Torako is looking at the bird

 

no [の] Possession, noun modification, apposition

 

シモンは娘の猫です。

Simon wa musume no neko desu.
Simon is my daughter's cat.

日本の食べ物は美味しいです。

Nihon no tabemono wa oishii desu.
Japanese food is delicious.

友達の田中さんは先生です。

Tomodachi no Tanaka san wa sensei desu.
My friend Mr. Tanaka is a teacher.

 

ni [に]  object, location, direction, specific time

 

私は田中さんに本を貸しました。

Watashi wa Tanaka san ni hon o kasimashita.
I loaned Mr. Tanaka a book.

ひろみさんは東京にいます。

Hiromi san wa Toukyou ni imasu.
Hiromi is in Tokyo.

昨日私は早くうちに帰りました。

Kinou watashi wa hayaku uchi ni kaerimashita.
Yesterday I went home early.

gogo j
uuji ni
at 10 p.m.

nichiy
oubi ni
on Sunday

shichigatsu ni
in July

1998 nen ni
in 1998

午後十時に

ごごじゅうじに

gogo juuji ni

at 10 PM

日曜日に

にちじょうびに

nichiyoubi ni

on Sunday

七月に

なながつに

nanagatsu ni

in july

2001年に

にせんえんいちに

nisen'en-ichi ni

in the year 2001

 

 


de [で] Place of action, means, total, material

 

私は本屋で本を三冊買いました。

Watashi wa honya de hon o sansatsu kaimashita.
I bought three books at the bookstore.

田中さんはバスで会社に行ます。

Tanaka san wa basu de kaisha ni ikimasu.
Mr. Tanaka goes to the office by bus.

明日映画に二人で行ます。

Ashita eiga ni futari de ikimasu.
Tomorrow the two of us are going to a movie.

テーブルは木でできています。

Teeburu wa ki de dekite imasu.
The table is made of wood.

 

e [へ] Direction

 

日本へ行ますか。

Nihon e ikimasu ka.
Are you going to Japan?

 

kara [から] (Origin, starting time

 

あの人は日本から来ました。

Ano hito wa Nihon kara kimashita.
He is from Japan.

デパートは十時からです。

Depaato wa juuji kara desu.
The department store opens at 10:00 o'clock.

 

made [まで] Target time

 

デパートは六時までです。

Depaato wa rokuji made desu.
The department store closes at 6:00 o'clock.

デパートは10時から6時までです。

Depaato wa juuji kara rokuji made desu.
The department store is open from 10:00 o'clock until 6:00 o'clock.

 

mo [も] Also, both ... and, neither ... nor

 

私はお茶が好きです。コーヒイーもすきです。

Watashi wa ocha ga suki desu. Kohii mo suki desu.
I like tea. I also like coffee.

お茶もコーヒーも飲みます。

Ocha mo kohii mo nomimasu.
I drink both tea and coffee.

お茶もコーヒーも飲みません。

Ocha mo kohii mo nomimasen.
I drink neither tea nor coffee.

 

to [と] Complete listing (and), involvement

 

その学生はペンと鉛筆をもっています。

Sono gakusei wa pen to enpitsu o motte imasu.
That student has a pen and a pencil.

私はよく友達と昼ご飯を食べます。

Watashi wa yoku tomodachi to hirugohan o tabemasu.
I often have lunch with my friends.

 


ya [や] Partial listing (and)

 

私達は京都や大阪などへ行ました。

Watashitachi wa Kyouto ya Ousaka (nado) e ikimashita.
We went to Kyoto, Osaka, etc.

 

ga [が] but

 

田中さんは来ますが、わたなべさんは来ません。

Tanaka san wa kimasu ga, Watanabe san wa kimasen.
Mr. Tanaka is coming, but Mr. Watanabe isn't.

 

ka [か] Enumeration (or)

 

お茶かコーヒーいかがですか。

Ocha ka kouhii ikaga desu ka.
How about tea or coffee?

 

kara [から、ので] Reason

 

忙しいから、映画に行ませんでした。

Isogashii kara, eiga ni ikimasen deshita.
Because I was busy, I didn't go to the movie.

 

nagara [ながら] Simultaneous action

 

歩きながら、問題について考えました。

Aruki nagara, mondai ni tsuite kangaemashita.
While walking, I thought about the problem.

 

ka [か] Question marker

Gakusei desu ka.
Are you a student?

 

ne [ね/ねぇ] Confirmation

 

学生ですね。

Gakusei desu ne.
You are a student, aren't you?

 

yo [よ] Emphasis

 

学生ですよ。

Gakusei desu yo.
So you're a student!

 

Verbs

Introduction

Japanese verbs do not have different forms for person, number or gender. Verbs are listed in what is known as the "dictionary" or "plain" form. All Japanese verbs, except for two irregular verbs, can be divided into two groups or conjugations which differ only in the way in which they form their stems and infinitives. The stem may change or have a suffix added to show tense, mood and politeness.

Type I or Group 1 verbs are all verbs whose dictionary form does not end in -eru or -iru, together with a few which have these endings. The stem is formed by dropping the final -u; the infinitive is formed by adding -i to the stem. Type I verbs are also called consonant or c-stem verbs or u-stem or u-dropping verbs.

 

              Dictionary              Stem              Infinitive              Meaning      

書く[かく]              kaku           kak-           kaki-              to write     

行く[いく]              iku           ik-           iki-              to go

読む[よむ]              yomu           yom-           yomi-              to read

待つ[まつ]              matsu           mat-           machi-              to wait

話す[はなす]              hanasu           hanas-           hanashi               to speak

思う[おもう]              omou           omo-           omoi-              to think, to believe

 

 

Verbs ending in -au, -iu and -ou are considered to be c-stem verbs as they formerly ended in -awa, -iwa and -owa, respectively.

Type II or Group 2 verbs, a much smaller group than the first, are most of the verbs which end in -eru or -iru in the dictionary form. The stem is formed by dropping the final -ru; the infinitive is the same as the stem. Type II verbs are also called vowel or v-stem verbs or ru-dropping verbs.

 

              Dictionary              Stem              Infinitive              Meaning      

始める[はじめる]       hajimeru      hajime-              hajime-        to begin

見る   [みる]     miru          mi-           mi-           to look, see

食べる[たべる]     taberu        tabe-         tabe-         to eat

 

 

The two irregular verbs, sometimes known as Type III or Group 3 verbs, are kuru and suru.

 

             Dictionary     Stem                Infinitive     Meaning      

来る          kuru          ki-           ki-           to come

する          suru          shi-          shi-          to do

 

 

Present and past polite forms

To form the present polite form add -masu to the infinitive for the positive and -masen for the negative. For the past polite form add -mashita to the infinitive for the positive and -masen deshita for the negative.

 

ときどき映画を見ます。

Tokidoki eiga o mimasu.

I sometimes watch movies.


たかはしさんは魚を食べません。

Takahashi san wa sakana o tabemasen.

Ms. Takahashi doesn't eat fish.


毎日漢字の勉強をしましたが、すぐ忘れました。

Mainichi kanji no benkyou o shimashita ga, sugu wasuremashita.
I studied kanji every day, but I soon forgot them.

一時間待ましたが、友達は来ませんでした。
Ichi-jikan machimashita ga, tomodachi wa kimasen deshita.
I waited an hour, but my friend didn't come.

 

Expressing "to be"

The meaning "is" or "are" may be expressed by the copula desu, and by the verbs arimasu and imasu. The copula desu is used when one thing is, or equals, another; arimasu refers to the existence of inanimate objects (including plants, which don't move about); and imasu refers to the existence of animate objects. The negative of desu is dewa arimasen or ja arimasen or dewa nai desu or ja nai desu. When describing the location of something, ni arimasu can often be replaced by desu. The verb arimasu can often be translated as "there is", "are" or "have".

 

ここは横浜駅です。

Koko wa Yokahama eki desu.

This is Yokahama station.



喫茶店は銀行と郵便局の間にあります。

Kissaten wa ginkou to Yuubinkyoku no aida ni arimasu.
The coffee shop is between the bank and the post office.

わたなべさんはどこにいますか。

Watanabe san wa doko ni imasu ka.
Where's Mr. Watanabe?

銀行はどこにありますか。

Ginkou wa doko ni arimasu ka.

Where's the bank?


アメリカ人ではありません。イギリス人です。

Amerikajin dewa arimasen. Igirisujin desu.
I'm not American. I'm English.

 

In situations demanding a high degree of courtesy, e.g., a sales clerk in a department store talking to a customer, the speaker is likely to use the formal and humble gozaimasu instead of arimasu and irasshaimasu instead of iru.

 

このホテルには、ファックスがありますか。はい、ございます。

Kono hoteru ni wa, fakkusu ga arimasu ka. Hai, gozaimasu.

Do you have a fax in this hotel? Yes, we do.



すみません、このセーターはいくらですか。それは9000円でございます。

Sumimasen, kono seetaa wa ikura desu ka. Sore wa kyuu-sen en de gozaimasu.

Excuse me, how much is this sweater? It's \9,000.

 

もしもし、田中さんはいらっしゃいますか。

Moshi, moshi. Tanaka san wa irasshaimasu ka.
Hello. Is Mr. Tanaka there?

 

Uses of deshou

The word deshou, which comes from desu, when used in a question followed by ka, is the equivalent of "I wonder...". When used with a rising intonation, it is asking for agreement so it is similar to ne but softer and less direct. Used with a falling intonation, the sentence is often translated using "probably", "must be" or "almost certainly". Also deshou may be used in place of desu for extra politeness.

 

これは何ですか。これは何でしょうか。

Kore wa nan desu ka. Kore wa nan deshou ka.

What's this? I wonder what this is?


あれはわたなべさんのうちでしょう。

Are wa Watanabe san no uchi deshou. [Rising intonation]

That's Mr. Watanabe's house, right?


北海道は今寒いでしょう。

Hokkaidou wa ima samui deshou. [Falling intonation]

It's probably cold in Hokkaido now.


すみませんが、田中さんでしょうか。

Sumimasen ga, Tanaka san deshou ka.
Excuse me, but would you be Mr. Tanaka?

 

Present and past plain forms

The plain form of verbs are used with immediate family and close friends and associates. The polite forms are more appropriate for general use. However, the plain forms function in various ways in a sentence other than as the main verb and so must be learned.

The plain form of the present tense is the dictionary form. For the negative add -nai to the stem for v-stem verbs, and -anai for c-stem verbs except for those verbs ending in -au, -iu and -ou where -wanai is added. The plain negatives of kuru and suru are konai and shinai, respectively. Also the plain negative of aru is nai.

 

ときどき映画を見

Tokidoki eiga o miru.

I sometimes watch movies.


たかはしさんは魚を食べない。

Takahashi san wa sakana o tabenai.
Ms. Takahashi doesn't eat fish.

 

答はないでしょう。

Kotae wa nai deshou.
There isn't an answer, is there?

 

To form the plain past tense for v-stem verbs add -ta to the stem. For c-stem verbs use the appropriate change in the following list:

 

- su => - shita              話す              hanasu              話した              hanashita talked

- ku => - ita              聞く              kiku               聞いた              kiita asked

- gu => - ida               泳ぐ              oyogu              泳いだ              oyoida swam

- ru => - tta               塗る              nuru               塗った              nutta painted

- tsu => - tta               持つ              motsu               持った              motta held

- u => - tta               思う              omou              思った              omotta thought

- bu => - nda               飛ぶ              tobu               飛んだ              tonda flew

- mu => - nda 飲む              nomu               飲んだ              nonda drank

- nu => - nda               死ぬ              shinu               死んだ              shinda died

 

The plain past tense of kuru and suru are kita and shita, respectively.

To form the negative of the plain past tense, add -nakatta to the stem of v-stem verbs and -anakatta to the stem of c-stem verbs.


yomu yomanakatta
   didn't read

食べる 食べなかった

taberu tabenakatta didn't eat

 

読む   読まなかった

yomu yomanakatta didn't read

 

 

As long as the verb at the end of a sentence is in the polite form, any verbs in the middle can be in the plain form without affecting the overall tone. This means that the plain form can be used when sentences are joined with kedo, for example, or when they finish with deshou.

 

体育の先生はいい人だけと、ちょっと変ですね。

Taiiku no sensei wa ii hito da kedo, chotto hen desu ne.

The physical education teacher is nice, but he's a bit strange, isn't he!

 

たかはしさんは英語がわかるでしょうか。

Takahashi san wa eigo ga wakaru deshou ka.

I wonder if Ms. Takahashi understands English?


兄は行かないけど、私は行ます。

Ani wa ikanai kedo, watashi wa ikimasu.
My older brother is not coming, but I am.


今日は金曜日だと思ったけど、違いますね。

Kyou wa kinyoubi da to omotta kedo, chigaimasu ne.
I thought it was Friday today, but it isn't, is it!

To give a reason for something, use either kara after the plain form of the verb or an -i adjective.

 

新幹線で行ったから、時間があまりかかりませんでした。

Shinkansen de itta kara, jikan ga amari kakarimasen deshita.
We went by Shinkansen, so it didn't take very long.

質問がまだ多いから、もう一度説明しましょう。

Shitsumon ga mada oui kara, mou ichido setsumei shimashou.
There are still a lot of questions, so let me explain again.

 

To express an opinion, use the phrase to omoimasu at the end of a sentence and put all verbs in the plain form. To express what someone else is thinking, use omotte imasu. The verb kangaeru also means "to think" but implies "to consider" whereas omou implies opinion or feeling.

 

たかはしさんはきません。たかはしさんは来ないと思います。

Takahashi san wa kimasen. Takahashi san wa konai to omoimasu.

Ms. Takahashi is not coming. I don't think Ms. Takahashi is coming.


マイクさんは日本はいい国だと思っています。

Maiku san wa, Nihon wa ii kuni da to omotte imasu.

Mike thinks that Japan is a great country.


チームのことを考えていました。

Chiimu no koto o kangaete imashita.
I was thinking about the team.

 

The noun tsumori means "intention", so the sentence ending tsumori desu after the plain form of the verb can usually be translated as "intend to" or "mean to do".

 

それは問題ですね。どうする積もりですか。

Sore wa mondai desu ne. Dou suru tsumori desu ka.
That's a problem, isn't it? What do you intend to do?

どんな車を買う積もりですか。

Donna kuruma o kau tsumori desu ka.
What kind of car do you intend to buy?

 

To express being able to do something, add koto ga dekimasu to the plain form of the verb. The plain past tense followed by koto ga arimasu ka is equivalent to "Have you ever ...".

 

マイクさんは漢字を書くことができますか。 (マイクさんは漢字を書けますか)

Maiku san wa kanji o kaku koto ga dekimasu ka. (Maiku san wa kanji o kakemasu ka.)

Mike, can you write kanji characters?


日本語を話すことができますか。 (日本語が話せますか。)

Nihongo o hanasu koto ga dekimasu ka. (Nihongo ga hanasemasu ka.)

Can you speak Japanese?


刺身を食べたことがありますか。

Sashimi o tabeta koto ga arimasu ka.
Have you ever eaten raw fish?

 

A sentence in the plain form ending in no desu or n' desu indicates that the speaker is explaining something, asking for an explanation, or giving empahasis.

 

色々な問題がありますね。どうするんですか。

Iroirona mondai ga arimasu ne. Dou suru n' desu ka.
There are all sorts of problems, aren't there? What are you going to do?

何をしているんですか。

Nani o shite iru n' desu ka.

What are you doing?


とても高いんですよ。だから買わないんです。

Totemo takai n' desu yo. Dakara kawanai n' desu.
It's really expensive! That's why I'm not buying it

 

To quote someone, follow the quotation by to iimasu (or whatever tense and form is appropriate). To say what someone has said without making a quotation, use to iimasu but put what was said into the plain form. It's common to omit da when reporting on questions. The verb iimasu may be used to ask how to say something in English or Japanese.

 

マイクさんは「早く走ることができません」といいました。

Maiku san wa, "Hayaku hashiru koto ga dekimasen," to iimashita.
Mike said, "I can't run fast".

マイクさんは「明日野球をします」といいました。

Maiku san wa, "Ashita yakyuu o shimasu," to iimashita.

Mike said, "I'm playing baseball tomorrow".


マイクさんは明日野球をするといいました。

Maiku san wa, ashita yakyuu o suru to iimashita.
Mike said he's playing baseball tomorrow.

私はアメリカ人かと聞きました。

Watashi wa Amerikajin ka to kikimashita.

He asked if I was American.


オートムン」は日本語で何と言いますか。「秋」と言います。

"Autumn" wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka. "Aki" to iimasu.

How do you say "autumn" in Japanese? It's "aki".

 

The gerund or -te form

The -te form of a verb which does not have a tense or mood combines with other verb forms. It may be formed from the plain past tense by changing the ending -ta to -te.

When the -te form is used to link two sentences where it may be translated as "and", the verb at the end of the sentence shows the overall tense of the sentence.

 

土曜日の朝に東京へ行ました。新しいスーツを書いました。

Doyoubi no asa ni Toukyou e ikimashita. Atarashii suutsu o kaimashita.
On Saturday morning I went to Tokyo. I bought a new suit.

土曜日の朝に東京へ行って、新しいスーツを書いました。

Doyoubi no asa ni Toukyou e itte, atarashii suutsu o kaimashita.
On Saturday morning I went to Tokyo, and bought a new suit.

 

To ask permission to do something, add mo ii desu ka to the -te form. To ask if it's alright not to do something, change the negative -nai form to -nakute and then add mo ii desu ka.

 

すみませんが、ここに座ってもいいですか。いいです。どうぞ。

Sumimasen ga, koko ni suwatte mo ii desu ka. Ii desu. Douzo.
Excuse me, but is it alright if I sit here? Yes, please go ahead.

これを全部食べなくてもいいですか。はい(食べなくても)いいですよ。

Kore o zenbu tabenakute mo ii desu ka. Hai, (tabenakute mo) ii desu yo.
Is it alright if I don't eat all of this? Yes, it's alright (if you don't eat it).

 

The same form may be used to give permission.

 

名前と住所を書かなくてもいいです。

Namae to juusho o kakanakute mo ii desu.
It's alright not to write your name and address.

 

To refuse permission, use the -te form of the verb followed by wa ikemasen.

 

その部屋に入ってはいけません。

Sono heya ni haitte wa ikemasen.
You musn't go into that room.

 

Progressive tense

To describe an event that is presently happening or not happening, use the appropriate form of the verb iru or imasu after the -te form.

 

ともこさんはいまなにをしていますか。

Tomoko san wa ima nani o shite imasu ka.

What is Tomoko doing at the moment?


その会社でもう働いていません。今銀行で働いています。

Sono kaisha de mou hataraite imasen. Ima ginkou de hataraite imasu.

I don't work at that company any more. Now I am working at a bank.


今英語を勉強していません。

Ima eigo o benkyou shite imasen.
I am not studying English now.

 

The past progressive is formed by using the -te formed followed by the past or the past negative.

 

トラコが椅子の上で寝ていました。

Torako ga isu no ue de nete imashita.

Torako was sleeping on the chair.



昨日の晩私はテレビを見ていませんでした。

Kinou no ban watashi wa terebi o mite imasen deshita.
I wasn't watching television last night.

 

Desiderative form

To express one's own wish to do something, add -tai to the infinitive followed by desu. Verbs ending in -tai are like -i adjectives, and so have a negative form ending in -taku arimasen and a past form ending in -takatta desu. To express a desire for a thing, use the -i adjective hoshii.

 

お茶が飲みたい。

Ocha ga nomitai.

I would like some tea.



昨日休みを取りたかったけど、大変忙しっくて、取ることができませんでした。

Kinou yasumi o toritakatta kedo, taihen isogashikute, toru koto ga dekimasen deshita.

I wanted to take yesterday off, but I couldn't because I was extremely busy.



彼女は、ボイフレンドがほしいといいました。

Kanojo wa, bouifurendo ga hoshii to iimashita.
She said she wants a boyfriend.

 

Passive form

To form the passive, add -rareru, raremasu to the stems of v-stem verbs, and -areru, -aremasu to the stems of c-stem verbs. For the negative, add -rarenai, -raremasen to the stems of v-stem verbs, and -arenai, -aremasen to the stems of c-stem verbs.

 

トラコはねずみを食べました。

Torako wa nezumi o tabemashita.

Torako ate the mouse.



ねずみはトラコに食べられました。

Nezumi wa Torako ni taberaremashita.

The mouse was eaten by Torako.


ねずみはトラコに食べられませんでした。

Nezumi wa Torako ni taberaremasen deshita.

The mouse was not eaten by Torako.



トラコはねずと遊びました。

Torako wa nezumi to asobimashita.

Torako played with the mouse.



ねずみはトラコに遊ばれました。

Nezumi wa Torako ni asobaremashita.
The mouse was played with by Torako.

 

Causative form

Add -saseru, -sasemasu to the stem of v-stem verbs (-sasenai, -sasemasen for the negative), and add -aseru, -asemasu to the stem of c-stem verbs (-asenai, -asemasen for the negative).

 

トラコを台所のテーブルから下りさせました。

Torako o daidokoro no teeberu kara orisasemashita.
I made Torako get off the kitchen table.

 

Conditional form

Drop the final -u from the plain form of the verb and add -eba. To form the negative, drop the -i from the negative plain form and add -kereba. With -i adjectives, drop the final -i and add -kereba; with negatives, drop the final -i from nai and add -kereba.

 

もしできれば、今年外国へ行たいんです。

Moshi dekireba, kotoshi gaikoku e ikitai n' desu.

If I can, I want to go abroad this year.


辞書を使わなければ、この日本語の宿題ができません。

Jisho o tsukawanakereba, kono Nihongo no shukudai ga dekimasen.
If I don't use a dictionary, I can't do this Japanese homework.

明日天気がよければ、どこかへ行ましょうか。

Ashita tenki ga yokereba, dokoka e ikimashou ka.

If the weather's nice tomorrow, shall we go somewhere?


高くなければ、書います。

Takaku nakereba, kaimasu.
If it's not too expensive, I'll buy it.

The expression -nakereba narimasen, where naru is the verb "to become", means literally "if you don't..., it's no good" or in other words "you must" or "you have to". The negative "don't have to ..." is expressed with -nakute mo ii desu.

 

自己紹介は日本語でなかればなりません。

Jiko shoukai wa Nihongo de nakereba narimasen.
Your self-introduction must be in Japanese.

今日終らなくてもいいです。

Kyou owaranakute mo ii desu.
You don't have to finish it today.

 

Giving and receiving

There are several verbs to expressing giving and receiving depending on the relative status of the giver and receiver and the diection of the action:

 

ageru   Give
sashiageru
   Give to superiors
yaru
   Give (informal)
kureru
   Give to speaker
kudasaru
   Give to speaker from superior
morau
   Receive
itadaku
   Receive from superiors

上げる        ageru        Give

差し上げる       sashiageru Give to superiors

やる          yaru dar (informal, give to animals)

くれる        kureru Give to speaker

下さる        kudasaru Give to speaker from superior

もらう        morau Receive

いただく       itadaku Receive from superiors

 

私はヒューさんに本を上げました。
Watashi wa H
yu-san ni hon o agemashita.

I gave Hugh a book.


私は先生に本を差し上げました。

Watashi wa sensei ni hon o sashiagemashita.

I gave the teacher a book.



私はトラコにおもちゃをやりました。

Watashi wa Torako ni omocha o yarimashita.

I gave Torako the toy.


ヒューさんは私に本をくれました。

Hyu-san wa watashi ni hon o kuremashita.
Hugh gave me the book.

先生は私に本を下さいました。

Sensei wa watashi ni hon o kudasaimashita.

The teacher gave me a book.


私はヒューさんに本をもらいました。

Watashi wa Huu-san ni hon o moraimashita.
I received the book from Hugh.

私は先生に本をいただきました。

Watashi wa sensei ni hon o itadakimashita.
I received a book from the teacher.

 

Starting an action

To express starting an action, use the stem of the verb expressing the action followed by the appropriate form of the verb hajimeru:

 

先週本を読み初めました。

Senshuu hon o yomihajimemashita.
I started reading the book last week.

 

Nominalization

Verbs may be made into nouns, or gerunds to use the English expression, by following the plain form with no or koto, although no cannot be used in the predicate.

 

私は読むのが好きです。

Watashi wa yomu no ga suki desu.

I like reading.


見ることは信じることです。

Miru koto wa shinjiru koto desu.
Seeing is believing.

 

Adjectives

Japanese adjectives are either verbal adjectives or adjectival nouns. Those in the first group, in their dictionary form, end only in -ai, -ii, -oi, or -ui, and are therefore sometimes called -i adjectives. Those in the second group have noun-like characteristics and when they modify nouns have the suffix -na and are sometimes called -na adjectives.

An -i adjective can modify a following noun.

 

私は小さいねこを飼っています。

Watashi wa chiisai neko o katte imasu.
I have a small cat.

 

The stem of an -i adjective is formed by dropping the final -i, so that, for example, the stem of chisaii is chisai-. An -i adjective may be conjugated to give different tenses:

 

Present:   [stem] + -i
Past:
   [stem] + -katta
Negative:
   [stem] + -kunai
Negative past:
   [stem] + -kunakatta
Gerund:
   [stem] + -kute

 

The associated verb is in the present tense.

 

この本は面白いです。

Kono hon wa omoshiroi desu.

This book is interesting.



あの本も面白かったです。

Ano hon mo omoshirokatta desu.

That book was interesting too.


今日は寒くないです。

Kyou wa samukunai desu.

Today it's not cold.



昨日も寒くなかったです。

Kinou mo samukunakatta desu.

Yesterday it wasn't cold either.



この本は面白くて楽しいです。

Kono hon wa omoshirokute tanoshii desu.
This book is interesting and enjoyable.

The -na adjectives can be used as predicates or as noun modifiers.

 

あの人は有名です。

Ano hito wa yuumei desu.

He is famous.



公園は静かではありませんでした。

Kouen wa shizuka dewa arimasen deshita.
The park wasn't quiet.

静かな部屋がほしいです。

Shizukana heya ga hoshii desu.
I want a quiet room.

The following colour words may be used alone as adjectives:

 

赤い         akai red             黄色い         kiiroi yellow

青い      aoi blue,green             黒い         kuroi black

茶色い         chairoi brown           白い         shiroi white

 

 

When these words are used as nouns, the final i is dropped:

 

車は赤井です。

Kuruma wa akai desu.

The car is red.



赤はいい色です。

Aka was ii iro desu.
Red is a nice colour.

The following colour words are nouns and must be followed with no:

 

茶色の            chairo no          brown            緑色の            midoriiro no             green

銀色の            giniro no          silver            紫の             murasaki no             purple

灰色の             haiiro no          gray            鼠色の            nezumiiro no             gray

黄色の            kiiro no          yellow             オレンジの            orenji no             orange

金色の            kiniro no         gold

 

 

Describing Nouns

Nouns may be modified in various ways. However as there are no relative pronouns for constructing relative clauses, the relative clause ending with the plain form of the verb comes before the word it modifies.

 

はるこは目が奇麗です。

Haruko wa me ga kirei desu.

Haruko has beautiful eyes.



はるこは御主人が医者です。

Haruko wa goshujin ga isha desu.

Haruko's husband is a medical doctor.



はるこはお腹が好きました。

Haruko wa onaka ga sukimashita.

Haruko was hungry.


はるこは英語ができます。

Haruko wa eigo ga dekimasu.

Haruko knows English. (Haruko is good at English.)



私は目が奇麗なはるこを見ます。

Watashi wa me ga kireina Haruko o mimasu.

I am looking at Haruko with the beautiful eyes.


あの人は御主人が医者のはるこです。

Ano hito wa goshujin ga isha no Haruko desu.

That person over there is Haruko whose husband is a medical doctor.



あの人はお腹がすいたはるこです。

Ano hito wa onaka ga suita Haruko desu.

That person over there is Haruko who is hungry.


あの人は英語ができるのはるこです。

Ano hito wa eigo ga dekiru no Haruko desu.
That person over there is Haruko who can speak English.

 

Adverbs

To form an adverb from an -i adjective, add -ku to the stem.

 

安い   yasui cheap  安く       yasuku cheaply

早い   hayai quick  早く       hayaku quickly

いい   ii good          よく       yoku well [Irregular]

 

 

昨日の晩トラコはよくねました。

Kinou no ban Torako wa yoku nemashita.
Torako slept well last night.

 

To form an adverb from a -na adjective, use ni after the adjective.

 

静か       shizuka quiet 静かに shizuka ni quietly

簡単 kantan simple        簡単に kantan ni simply

 

 

トラコは静かに歩きます。

Torako wa shizuka ni arukimasu.
Torako walks quietly.

 

Of course, there are many adverbs which are not derived from verbs.

 

kinou yesterday   amari not much   sukoshi a little
ky
ou today   bakkari only   tabun perhaps
ashita tomorrow
   chotto a little   taihen very
mainichi every day
   ikaga how   takusan a lot
maiasa every morning
   itsumo always   tokidoki sometimes
ima now
   mata again   totemo very
yagate soon
   mou more   yukkuri slowly
sugu immediately
   motto more   zenzen at all (with neg. verbs)
mada yet, still
   nakanaka completely

 

昨日               kinou yesterday

あまり               amari not much                       

少し               sukoshi a little

少ない              sukunai a few          

多い              ooi a lot

今日               kyou today

ばっかり              bakkari only

たぶん               tabun perhaps

明日              ashita tomorrow     

ちょっと              chotto a lottle       

大変               taihen very

毎日              mainichi every day

いかが               ikaga how

たくさん              takusan a lot

毎朝               maiasa every morning

いつも              itsumo always       

ときどき              tokidoki sometimes

今               ima now

また               mata again

とても               totemo very

やがて              yagate soon

もう              mou already

ゆっくり              yukkuri slowly

すぐ               sugu inmediately

もっと               motto more 

全然               zenzen at all (with negative verbs)

まだ               mada yet, still

なかなか              nakanaka completely

ほとんど               hotondo almost

はっきり               hakkiri clearly

どんどん               dondon quickly

めったに               metta ni seldom

突然              totsuzen suddenly

そっと              sotto smoothly, softly

きっと              kitto certainly

さらに               sara ni besides

そろそろ               sorosoro gradually

益々, ますます              masumasu more and more

              mae before

後, あと              ato after

のち               nochi               later

さっきほど、さっき sakkihodo, sakki until recently

さっさと               sassa quickly

再び               futatabi again

抑, そもそも              somosomo in the first place

すでに               sudeni already, too late

すっかり               sukkari completely

とくに               toku ni specially

取り敢えず               toriaezu at once

相変わらず               aikawarazu as ever

拘らず              kakawarazu despite

わざわざ               wazawaza on purpose

必ず               kanarazu certainly, whitout fail

一般に               ippan ni generally

大丈夫               daijoubu OK

一人で        hitori de alone

 

 

Comparisons

 

カナダは日本より大きいです。

Kanada wa Nihon yori oukii desu.

Canada is larger than Japan.


日本よりカナダは大きいです。

Nihon yori Kanada wa oukii desu.

Canada is larger than Japan.


日本よりカナダのほうが大きいです。

Nihon yori Kanada no hou ga oukii desu.

Canada is larger than Japan.


日本はカナダほど大きくないです。

Nihon wa Kanada hodo oukikunai desu.

Japan is not as large as Canada.


カナダと日本とではどちらが大きいですか。

Kanada to Nihon to dewa dochira ga oukii desu ka.

Which is larger, Canada or Japan?


トラコはねこの中で一番可愛いです。

Torako wa neko no naka de ichiban kawaii desu.

Torako is the most beautiful of all cats.


トラコはエドモントンで一番可愛いです。

Torako wa Edomonton de ichiban kawaii desu.

Torako is the most beautiful (cat) in Edmonton.


ねずみと犬とではどちらが可愛いですか。

Nezumi to inu to dewa dochira ga kawaii desu ka.

Which are the more attractive, mice or dogs?


前の例はばかですね。

Mae no rei wa baka deshita ne.
The last example was silly, wasn't it?

 

Numbers

0 零 rei (zero)

1 一  ichi               10 juu                100 hyaku                1000 sen

2 二  ni               20 二十 nijuu               200 二百 nihyaku               2千 2000 nisen

3 三 san               30 sanjuu               300 sanbyaku               3000 sanzen

4 四 shi/yon               40 yonjuu               400 yonhyaku               4000 yonsen

5 五 go               50 gojuu               500 gohyaku               5000 gosen

6 六 roku               60 rokujuu               600 roppyaku               6000 rokusen

7 七 shichi/nana               70 nanajuu               700 nanahyaku               7000 nanasen

8 八 hachi               80 hachijuu               800 happyaku               8000 hassen

9 九 ku/kyuu               90 kyuujuu               900 kyuuhyaku               9000 kyuusen

万 10,000 man/ichiman

100,000 juuman

1,000,000 hyakuman

10,000,000 senman/issenman

億 100,000,000 oku/ichioku

1,000,000,000 juuoku

 

The ordinal numbers are formed by adding banme to the cardinal numbers.

1ばんめ、2番目

ichibanme first   nibanme second

 

Specific Time

 

1 oclock ichiji 【一時】              1 minute ippun 【一分】

2 oclock niji 【2時】              2 minutes nifun 【2分】.

3 oclock sanji               3 minutes sanpun

4 oclock yoji               4 minutes yonpun

5 oclock goji              5 minutes gofun

6 oclock rokuji                6 minutes roppun

7 oclock shichiji               7 minutes nanafun

8 oclock hachiji               8 minutes happun

9 oclock kuji                9 minutes kyuufun

10 oclock juuji               10 minutes juppun

11 oclock juuichiji

12 oclock juuniji

半 han half Goji han desu. Its 5:30.

過ぎ sugi after Juuji juugofun sugi desu. Its 10:15.

まえ mae before Juuji juugofun mae desu. It's a quarter to ten..

午前 gozen a.m. Gozen hachiji desu. Its 8 a.m.

午後 gogo p.m. Gogo juuji desu. Its 10 p.m.

正午  shougo noon

 

 

 

Relative Time

一昨日 ototoi day before yesterday
昨日 kinou yesterday
今日 kyou today
明日 ashita tomorrow
明後日 asatte day after tomorrow

 

先々週 sensenshuu week before last
先週 senshuu last week
今週 konshuu this week
来週 raishuu next week
再来週 saraishuu week after next

朝 asa morning
昼 hiru noon
午後 gogo afternoon
夕方 y
uugata evening

 

先々月sensengetsu month before last
先月 sengetsu last month
今月 kongetsu this month
来月 raigetsu next month
再来月 sariagetsu month after next

一昨年 ototoshi year before last
昨年  kyonen last year
今年 kotoshi this year
来年 rainen next year
再来年 sarainen year after next

 

 

 

 

Counters

 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
?

General
hitotsu
futatsu
mittsu
yottsu
itsutsu
muttsu
nanatsu
yattsu
kokonotsu
t
ou
ikutsu

People
hitori

futari
2人

sannin
yonnin
gonin
rokunin
nananin
hachinin
ky
uunin
j
uunin
nannin

Stamps
ichimai

nimai
2枚
sanmai
yomai
gomai
rokumai
nanamai
hachimai
ky
uumai
j
uumai
nanmai

Pencils
ippon

nihon 2本
sanbon
yonhon
gohon
roppon
nanahon
happon
ky
uuhon
juppon
nanbon

Books
issatsu

nisatsu 2冊
sansatsu
yonsatsu
gosatsu
rokusatsu
nanasatsu
hassatsu
ky
uusatsu
jusatsu
nansatsu

Small animals
ippiki

nihiki 2匹
sanbiki
yonhiki
gohiki
roppiki
nanahiki
happiki
ky
uuhiki
jupiki
nanbiki

Floors
ikkai

nikai 2階
sangai
yonkai
gokai
rokai
nanakai
hakkai
ky
uukai
jukkai
nankai

 

Calendar

1st tsuitachi
2nd futsuka
3rd mikka
4th yokka
5th itsuka
6th muika
7th nanoka
8th y
ouka
9th kokonoka
10th t
ouka

 

11th juuichinichi
12th j
uuninichi
13th j
uusannichi
14th j
uuyokka
15th j
uugonichi
16th j
uurokunichi
17th j
uushichinichi
18th j
uuhachinichi
19th j
uukunichi
20th hatsuka

 

21st nijuuichinichi
22nd nij
uuninichi
23rd nij
uusannichi
24th nij
uuyokka
25th nij
uugonichi
26th nij
uurokunichi
27th nij
uushichinichi
28th nij
uuhachinichi
29th nij
uukunichi
30th sanj
uunichi
31st sanj
uuichinichi

 

月曜日 Monday getsuyoubi
火曜日 Tuesday kayoubi
水曜日 Wednesday suiyoubi
木曜日 Thursday mokuyoubi
金曜日 Friday kinyoubi
土曜日 Saturday doyoubi
日曜日 Sunday nichiyoubi

 

 

 

January 一月ichigatsu
February
2nigatsu
March sangatsu
April shigatsu
May gogatsu
June rokugatsu
July shichigatsu
August hachigatsu
September kugatsu
October j
uugatsu
November j
uuichigatsu
December j
uunigatsu

 

haru spring
natsu summer
aki autumn
fuyu winter

 

Family

Japanese use different words for members of their own family and for members of someone else's family:

Relation
grandmother
grandfather
mother
father

wife
husband
daughter
son
older sister
younger sister
older brother
younger brother
aunt
uncle

niece
nephew
cousin
child
grandchild
family
sibling

 

My / Your family

sobo obaasan 祖母/お婆さん
sofu oj
iisan 祖父/お爺さん
haha ok
aasan /お母さん
chichi ot
ousan /お父さん
kanai
家内/奥さんokusan
shujin goshujin
主人/御主人
musume musumesan
/娘さん
musuko musukosan
息子/息子さん
ane on
eesan /お姉さん
im
outo imoutosan /妹さん
ani oniisan
/お兄さん
ot
outo otoutosan /弟さん
oba obasan
叔母/叔母さん
oji ojisan
叔父/叔父さん
mei meigosan
/姪ごさん
oi oigosan
/甥ごさん
itoko itoko
従兄 
kodomo kodomosan
子供/子供さん
mago omagosan
孫/孫さん
kazoku gokazoku
家族/ご家族
ky
oudai gokyoudai兄弟/ご兄弟



 

The adjective giri no means related by marriage:

 

義理の息子

giri no musuko   son-in-law

 

 

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Kenji Yoshimi, David Young and Hugh Woods for their helpful comments on a first draft of these notes.

 

References

Akiyama, Nobuo and Carol Akiyama, 1995. Master the Basics. Japanese. Barron's Educational Series, Inc., Hauppauge, N. Y.

Association for Japanese Language Teaching, 1984. Japanese for Busy People I. Kodansha International, Tokyo.

The Hir
ou Japanese Center, 1989. The Complete Japanese Verb Guide. Charles E. Tuttle Company, Rutland, Vermont.

Nakao, Seigo, 1995. Random House Japanese-English English-Japanese Dictionary. Ballantine Books, New York.

Strugnell, Lynne, 1994. Essential Japanese. Berlitz Publishing Company, Inc., Princeton, N. J.

Yoshimi, Kenji, 1999. Class Notes.

 

Appendix. A few verbs

The first column gives the dictionary form, the second and third the -masu and -te forms.

上げる

上げます

上げて

give, raise

ageru

agemasu

agete

 

開ける

開けます

開けて

open

akeru

akemasu

akete

 

ある

あります

あって

be, exist, have

aru

arimasu

atte

 

遊ぶ

遊びます

遊んで

play

asobu

asobimasu

asonde

 

会う

会います

会って

meet

au

aimasu  

atte

 

違う

違います

違って

differ, be mistaken

chigau

chigaimasu

chigatte

 

です

be (copula)

da

desu

de

 

出かける

出かけます

出けかけて

go out

dekakeru

dekakemasu

dekakete

 

できる

できます

できて

can, be able, made of

dekiru

dekimasu

dekite

 

出る

出ます

出て

go out, appear

deru

demasu

dete

 

降る

降ります

降って

fall (rain, snow)

furu

furimasu

futte

 

ござる

ございます

ござって

be, exist, have (formal)

gozaru

gozaimasu

gozatte

 

入る

入ります

入って

go in, enter

hairu

hairimasu

haitte

 

始まる

始まります

始まって

begin

hajimaru

hajimarimasu

hajimatte

 

話す

話します

話して

speak, talk

hanasu

hanashimasu

hanashite

 

走る

走ります

走って

run

hashiru

hashirimasu

hashitte

 

働く

働きます

働いて

work

hataraku

hatarakimasu

hataraite

 

行く 行ます

行って

行って

go

iku

ikimasu

itte

 

生きる

生きます

生きて

live, become alive

ikiru

ikimasu

ikite

 

いらっしゃる

いらっしゃいます

いらっしゃいて

go, come, be (formal)

irassharu

irasshaimasu

irasshatte

 

入れる

入れます

入れて

put in

ireru

iremasu

irete

 

いる

います

いて

be, exist

iru

imasu

ite

 

いただく

いただきます

いただいて

receive (polite)

itadaku

itadakimasu

itadaite

 

言う

言います

言って

say, relate

iu

iimasu

itte

 

返る

返ります

返って

return

kaeru

kaerimasu

kaette

 

かかる

かかります

かっかて

take (time)

kakaru

kakarimasu

kakatte

 

かける

かけます

かけて

telephone

kakeru

kakemasu

kakete

 

書く

書きます

書いて

write

kaku

kakimasu

kaite

 

考える

考えます

考えて

think about, consider

kangaeru

kangaemasu

kangaete

 

借りる

借ります

借りて

borrow, rent

kariru

karimasu

karite

 

貸す

貸します

貸して

lend

kasu

kashimasu

kashite

 

買う

買います 

買って

buy,

飼う 

飼います 

飼って

possess (animals)

kau

kaimasu

katte

 

通う

通います

通って

commute

kayou

kayoimasu

kayotte

 

聞く

聞きます

聞いて

hear, ask

kiku

kikimasu

kiite

 

決める

決めます

決めて

decide, fix, choose

kimeru

kimemasu

kimete

 

下さる

下さいます

下さって

give to speaker (polite)

kudasaru

kudasaimasu

kudasatte

 

下る

下ります

下って

descend, go down

kudaru

kudarimasu

kudatte

 

比べる

比べます

比べて

compare

kuraberu

kurabemasu

kurabete

 

くれる

くれます

くれて

give to speaker

kureru

kuremasu

kurete

 

来る

来ます

来て

come

kuru

kimasu

kite

 

曲がる

曲がります

曲がって

turn

magaru

magarimasu

magatte

 

待つ

待ちます

待って

wait

matsu

machimasu

matte

 

見る

見ます

見て

see, watch

miru

mimasu

mite

 

貰う

貰ます

貰って

receive

morau

moraimasu

moratte

 

持つ

持ちます

持って

have, hold

motsu

mochimasu

motte

 

持って行く

持って行きます

持って行

take (to a place)

motte iku

motte ikimasu

motte itt

 

持って来る

持って来ます

持って来

bring

motte kuru

motte kimasu

motte kit

 

向ける

向けます

向けて

turn

mukeru

mukemasu

mukete

 

なる

なります

なって

become, get

naru

narimasu

natte

 

寝る

寝ます

寝て

go to bed, sleep

neru

nemasu

nete

 

上る

上ります

上って

rise, go up, climb

noboru

noborimasu

nobotte

 

飲む

飲みます

飲んで

drink

nomu

nomimasu

nonde

 

塗る

塗あす

塗って

paint

nuru

nurimasu

nutte

 

起きる

起きます

起きて

get up, wake up

okiru

okimasu

okite

 

思う

思います

思って

think

omou

omoimasu

omotte

 

下りる

下ります

下りて

get off

oriru

orimasu

orite

 

教える

教えます

教えて

teach, tell

oshieru

oshiemasu

oshiete

 

終る

終ります

終って

end, finish

owaru

owarimasu

owatte

 

泳ぐ

泳ぎます

泳いで

swim

oyogu

oyogimasu

oyoide

 

探す

探します

探して

look for

sagasu

sagashimasu

sagashite

 

咲く

咲ます

咲いて

bloom

saku

sakimasu

saite

 

差し上げる

差し上げます

差し上げて

give (polite)

sashiageru

sashiagemasu

sashiagete

 

閉める

閉めます

閉めて

close

shimeru

shimemasu

shimete

 

信じる

信じます

信じて

believe

shinjiru

shinjimasu

shinjite

 

死ぬ

死にます

死んで

die

shinu

shinimasu

shinde

 

住む

住ます

住んで

live

sumu

sumimasu

sunde

 

する

します

して

do

suru

shimasu

shite

 

座る

座ります

座って

sit down

suwaru

suwarimasu

suwatte

 

食べる

食べます

食べて

eat

taberu

tabemasu

tabete

 

飛ぶ

飛びます

飛んで

fly, jump

tobu

tobimasu

tonde

 

泊まる

泊まります

泊まって

stay overnight

tomaru

tomarimasu

tomatte

 

止まる

止まります

止まって

stop, halt

tomaru

tomarimasu

tomatte

 

取る

取ります

捕って

get, win

toru

torimasu

totte

 

疲れる

疲れます

疲れて

become tired

tsukareru

tsukaremasu

tsukarete

 

使う

使います

使って

use

tsukau

tsukaimasu

tsukatte

 

作る

作ります

作って

make

tsukuru

tsukurimasu

tsukutte

 

勤める

勤めます

勤めて

be employed

tsutomeru

tsutomemasu

tsutomete

 

動く

動きます

動いて

move, change

ugoku

ugokimasu

ugoite

 

産む

産みます

産んで

produce

umu

umimasu

unde

 

生む 

生みます 

生んで

give birth

umu

umimasu

unde

 

売る

売ります

売って

sell

uru

urimasu

utte

 

わかる

わかります

わかって

understand

wakaru

wakarimasu

wakatte

 

忘れる

忘れます

忘れて

forget

wasureru

wasuremasu

wasurete

 

やる

やります

やって

give (informal)

yaru

yarimasu

yatte

 

休む

休みます

休んで

rest

yasumu

yasumimasu

yasunde

 

呼ぶ

呼びます

呼んで

call

yobu

yobimasu

yonde

 

読む

読みます

読んで

read

yomu

yomimasu

yonde