The verbs in the Japanese language are much simpler than in Portuguese. Unfortunately, not all verbs in the Japanese language are willing to follow rules, becoming exceptions of a group or irregular verbs.
Japanese verbs are divided into 3 classes called godan, ichidan, and irregular verbs. The verbs of group 1 called godan [五段] end in [う], while the verbs of group 2 called ichidan [一段] end in [る] in their dictionary form.
The first group is named godan because there are five different ways to conjugate according to their ending. On the other hand, ichidan verbs have only one form of conjugation. Below we will give an example of these rules using the past tense conjugation:
- Godan verbs ending in [~う|~つ|~る] become [~った];
- Godan verbs ending in [~ぬ|~む|~ぶ] become [~んだ];
- Godan verbs ending in [~す] become [~した];
- Godan verbs ending in [~く] become [~いた];
- Godan verbs ending in [~ぐ] become [~いだ];
- Ichidan verbs ending in [~る] become [~た];
The third group consists of irregular verbs. These verbs do not follow the rules presented above, and it is worth noting that there are also some godan and ichidan verbs that do not follow the rules of the list above; these verbs are called exceptions or uncommon.
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Irregular Verbs in the Japanese Language
Most people say that the Japanese language has only 2 irregular verbs, which are suru [する] and kiru [来る]. Is this really true? Are there other irregular verbs in the Japanese language? In reality, what is an irregular verb?
Irregular verbs are quite flexible regarding the traditional rules of verbs in the Japanese language. Irregular verbs follow their own rules. We mentioned that there are regular verbs with exceptions, but irregular verbs exist on a different level.
In the case of suru [する], its conjugation is completely irregular compared to any godan or ichidan verb. See below:
| Dictionary | する | suru |
| Formal | します | shimasu |
| Informal Past | した | shita |
| Formal Past | しました | shimashita |
| Informal Negative | しない | shinai |
| Formal Negative | しません | shimasen |
| Informal Past Negative | しなかった | shinakatta |
| Formal Past Negative | しませんでした | shimasendeshita |
| TE Form – て | して | shite |
| Conditional | すれば | sureba |
| Volitional | しよう | shiyou |
| Passive | される | sareru |
| Causative | させる | saseru |
| Potential | できる | dekiru |
| Imperative | しろ | shiro |
The same thing happens with the verb kuru [来る]:
| Dictionary | 来る | kuru |
| Formal | 来ます | kimasu |
| Informal Past | 来た | kita |
| Formal Past | 来ました | kimashita |
| Informal Negative | 来ない | konai |
| Formal Negative | 来ません | kimasen |
| Informal Past Negative | 来なかった | konakatta |
| Formal Past Negative | 来ませんでした | kimasen deshita |
| TE Form – て | 来て | kite |
| Conditional | 来れば | kureba |
| Volitional | 来よう | koyou |
| Passive | 来られる | korareru |
| Causative | 来させる | kosaseru |
| Potential | 来られる | korareru |
| Imperative | 来い | Koi |
To see other irregularities and information about the verb suru, just read the articles listed below:
Uncommon Verbs and Exceptions in the Japanese Language
One of the first exceptions that a Japanese student notices is in the verb ir which is pronounced iku [行く]. Being a godan verb ending in [く], according to the rules it should be conjugated as iita [行た], but since it doesn’t make much sense to have two identical vowels in a row, the correct conjugation is itta [行った], which is practically the same sound as two vowels together.
The verb aru [ある] has the negative form as nai [ない] which is very irregular.
Imperative verbs often seem to have uncommon and irregular forms, such as the verb kureru [暮れる] which in the imperative form simply becomes kure [暮れ].
Honorific verbs can be considered as having their own standard, or breaking the rules as in the case of kudasaru [下さる] which becomes kudasai [下さい]. Other uncommon honorific verbs with various exceptions are: [仰る], [御座る], and [いらっしゃる].
In this article, we saw some information about irregular verbs and also uncommon godan and ichidan verbs with exceptions. We did not discuss each verb or its meaning in detail, but we recommend researching each of them individually using a tool like jisho.
Do you know other verbs that do not follow the rules in the Japanese language? I hope you enjoyed the article! If you liked it, share and leave your comments.
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