I-nuki and Ra-nuki Kotoba: Casual Omissions in Japanese

Japanese conversation can seem to lose a sound just when you think you have caught the verb. A line such as 見てる (miteru) is not a new verb hiding in the wild; it is a familiar form spoken more loosely. The trick is knowing which shortcuts are ordinary contractions and which ones change a verb form.

Two labels often appear together: い抜き言葉 (i-nuki kotoba) and ら抜き言葉 (ra-nuki kotoba). Both literally point to something being removed, but they do not describe the same pattern. Once that distinction clicks, fast dialogue becomes much easier to follow.

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What does nuki kotoba mean?

Nuku (抜く) means “to remove” or “to leave out,” and kotoba (言葉) means “word” or “expression.” In everyday discussion, the phrase is used for forms in which part of a familiar expression has disappeared in speech.

That broad idea is useful, but it should not turn every shortened sentence into one category. Japanese speakers also omit particles when context is obvious, shorten polite endings, and use contractions that have their own patterns. I-nuki concerns an い in forms such as 〜ている; ra-nuki concerns the ら in certain potential forms. They may occur in the same casual sentence, but they are different changes.

I-nuki: 〜ている becomes 〜てる

The most familiar kind of i-nuki is the shortening of 〜ている to 〜てる. In relaxed speech, 見ている (mite iru, “is watching”) commonly becomes 見てる (miteru). The meaning has not changed; the rhythm has.

• 食べている → 食べてる
  tabete iru → tabeteru
• 話している → 話してる
  hanashite iru → hanashiteru
• 待っていた → 待ってた
  matte ita → matteta
• 読んでいない → 読んでない
  yonde inai → yondenai

These forms are common in speech, dialogue, messages, and relaxed writing. They are worth recognizing early because they appear constantly in anime, dramas, and ordinary conversation. For your own formal writing or carefully polite speech, start from the full form you learned: 〜ている, 〜ていた, and 〜ていない.

Ra-nuki: a potential form without ら

Ra-nuki kotoba is more specific. It refers to forms such as 食べれる (tabereru) where the ら of the standard potential form 食べられる (taberareru) has been removed. The same pattern is heard with verbs such as 見る and 来る.

• 食べられる → 食べれる
  “can eat”
• 見られる → 見れる
  “can see” or “can watch”
• 来られる → 来れる
  “can come”

This matters because 〜られる can do more than express ability. Depending on the verb and context, it may also be associated with passive or respectful meanings. The shortened 〜れる form is used for the potential meaning; it is not a universal rule for deleting ら wherever it appears.

Hear it freely; produce it carefully. Ra-nuki forms are widespread in casual Japanese, but the fuller potential form is the safer choice in formal writing, tests, and situations where you want neutral standard Japanese.

Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs has noted both the long history of ra-nuki in spoken language and the fact that it has traditionally been treated as nonstandard in formal common Japanese. That is a better guide than calling it either “always wrong” or “always fine”: register and audience still matter.

Shortening is not always nuki kotoba

Consider this pair:

今、友達と電話をしている。
Ima, tomodachi to denwa o shite iru.

今、友達と電話してる。
Ima, tomodachi to denwa shiteru.

The second sentence does contain i-nuki: している became してる. It also omits the particle を. Those are separate features of casual speech, so it is clearer not to give one label to the whole sentence.

The same applies here:

さっきはテレビを見ていました。
Sakki wa terebi o mite imashita.

さっきテレビ見てた。
Sakki terebi miteta.

The casual version is natural in the right setting, but several things changed at once: particles were left out and 見ていた was shortened to 見てた. Learning to notice each piece is more useful than trying to memorize the whole line as a fixed expression.

How to use these forms while learning Japanese

First, learn the standard form well enough that you can recognize what has been shortened. A solid grasp of Japanese dictionary and masu forms gives you a dependable base before conversation starts bending the edges.

Then listen without panic. If you hear 見れる, the speaker is not necessarily using a mysterious verb; they are likely using a casual potential form of 見る. If you hear 〜てる, look for the fuller 〜ている behind it. Context, tense, and the words around it will usually make the meaning clear.

Finally, match your choice to the situation. Casual forms help dialogue sound natural, especially when you are quoting someone or chatting with friends. The fuller forms remain the dependable choice for schoolwork, business communication, and careful writing. For more terminology that helps make these distinctions, see this glossary of Japanese grammar and language terms.

Japanese does not become less systematic when people speak quickly. It simply asks you to hear the standard form and the casual version as two connected layers of the same language.