Verb Basics
ru-verbs / u-verbs / する・来る
Identify and classify every Japanese verb. The ru-verb / u-verb / irregular distinction decides how every later conjugation works.
A verb alone is a complete sentence
Japanese only requires a verb. 「食べる」 on its own is a full sentence whose subject is whoever context implies — "I eat", "she eats", or "they eat". Unlike English, the verb need not be tied to a stated subject.
Three verb classes
Every Japanese verb belongs to one of three classes: ru-verb, u-verb, or one of two irregulars (する, 来る). The class is fixed for each verb and decides how every later conjugation — negation, past tense, politeness — is formed.
Ru-verbs
Ru-verbs always end in る, with the syllable before る on the い-row (き・し・ち・に・ひ・み・り) or え-row (け・せ・て・ね・へ・め・れ). Examples: 食べる (たべる), 見る (みる), 寝る (ねる), 出る (でる).
U-verbs
U-verbs end in any /u/ sound — う, く, ぐ, す, つ, ぬ, ぶ, む, or る. When a u-verb ends in る, the syllable before is on the あ・う・お row. Examples: 飲む (のむ), 買う (かう), 待つ (まつ), 売る (うる).
U-verbs that look like ru-verbs
A small group of u-verbs end in -iru or -eru and look exactly like ru-verbs. They must be memorized: 帰る (かえる, to go home), 切る (きる, to cut), 知る (しる, to know), 入る (はいる, to enter), 走る (はしる, to run). When in doubt, check a dictionary.
The two irregulars: する and 来る
する ("to do") and 来る (くる, "to come") follow neither pattern and must be memorized for every form. する is also used to build compound verbs like 料理する ("to cook") and 勉強する ("to study").
Vocabulary in this lesson
About Japanese verbs — ru-verbs, u-verbs, and irregulars
In Japanese a single verb can be a whole sentence — 「食べる」 means "(someone) eats" with no subject needed. Before you can conjugate anything, you have to know a verb's class, because the class decides every later form. Every verb is one of three types: ru-verbs, u-verbs, or one of just two irregulars, する ("to do") and 来る ("to come"). A small group of u-verbs end in -iru or -eru and disguise themselves as ru-verbs, so those have to be memorised. Getting these classes straight is the single most important step in core JLPT N5 grammar.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three types of Japanese verbs?
Every Japanese verb is a ru-verb, a u-verb, or one of two irregulars (する and 来る). The class you assign a verb determines how you form its negative, past, polite, and every other conjugation.
How do I tell a ru-verb from a u-verb?
Ru-verbs end in る with the syllable before it on the い-row or え-row (たべる, みる). U-verbs end in any /u/ sound — う, く, ぐ, す, つ, ぬ, ぶ, む, or る. If a verb ends in る but the sound before it is not い/え, it is a u-verb.
What are the two irregular verbs?
する ("to do") and 来る (くる, "to come"). They follow neither the ru-verb nor the u-verb pattern, so their forms are memorised individually — but there are only two, and they appear constantly.
Why do some u-verbs look like ru-verbs?
A handful of u-verbs end in -iru or -eru — for example はいる (to enter) and かえる (to return) — which is exactly what a ru-verb looks like. There is no rule for these; they simply have to be memorised as u-verbs.
Do I really need to learn verb classes?
Yes — it is the foundation for everything. The negative, past, te-form, and polite forms all branch off the verb class, so time spent classifying verbs now saves confusion in every later lesson.
Credit
These lessons follow the structure, sequence, and grammar-first approach of Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese. We are grateful to Tae Kim for making his guide freely available; the explanations here are our own retelling, and the interactive drills are original to this site.