kaku, kiku, hanasu
Understanding dictionary forms
3 types of verbs
Making stems from dictionary forms
Forms of verbs
The Japanese verbs have two main forms: the short form and the long form.
The short form is primarily used for making statements and is commonly employed when talking to people with whom you have a close relationship, such as friends and family. This form is informal and conveys a sense of familiarity and intimacy. In addition to being used at the end of sentences, the short form also serves as a qualifier for nouns. This means that it can function within sentences to modify nouns, providing additional information or context.
The long form is a formal way to express something in Japanese. It is appropriate to use when asking or explaining something to people, or when speaking in formal occasions. The long form is always used at the end of sentences, providing a level of politeness and respect that is suitable for conversations with strangers, superiors, or in professional settings. This formality helps to maintain proper etiquette and conveys a respectful tone in your communication.
We will begin by learning verbs in the affirmative-short form, which is the form found in dictionaries and serves as the fundamental base for converting verbs into other forms. You’ll start by learning the affirmative-short form (also known as the dictionary form), and then you will proceed to learn the long form of verbs. The table below shows the conjugation of the verb “kaku” (to write). You don’t need to memorize it now, as you will learn each conjugation step by step.
| Short form | Long form | |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Kaku (dictionary) | Kakimasu |
| Negative | Kakanai | KakimasenKakanaidesu |
| Past | Kaita | Kakimashita |
| Past-negative | Kakanakatta | KakimasendeshitaKakanakattadesu |
| Connective | Kaite | — |
| Connective-neg | Kakanaide | — |
| Ability, possibility | Kakeru | Kakemasu |
| Causative | Kakaseru | Kakasemasu |
| Passive | Kakareru | Kakaremasu |
| Assumption | Kakeba | — |
| Volitional | Kakou | Kakimashou |
Stems of verbs
As you can see, most of the forms start with “KAK,” which is the stem of the verb. In Japanese, verb conjugation involves modifying the stem by adding various functional parts to it. These functional parts include suffixes and endings that change the verb’s tense, mood, and politeness level.
KAK (stem)
KAK u (aff-short)
KAK imasu (aff-long)
KAK imashita (past-long)
KAK ita (past-short)
KAK ite (connective)
KAK eru (ability-short)
…..
Affirmative-Short form (Dictionary form)
In this lesson, we’ll learn the affirmative-short form (dictionary form), which is indicated in orange in the table below. This form is the starting point of verb conjugation, as it changes into many other forms. The dictionary form is the base form found in dictionaries. All Japanese verbs in their dictionary form end with an “u” sound.
| Short form | Long form | |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | Kaku (dictionary form) | Kakimasu |
| Negative | Kakanai | KakimasenKakanaidesu |
| Past | Kaita | Kakimashita |
| Past-negative | Kakanakatta | KakimasendeshitaKakanakattadesu |
Classification of verbs
Affirmative-short forms (dictionary forms) are divided into three types, each with its own conjugation patterns. While the differences in conjugation are not substantial, it is important to recognize that these distinctions exist. In this section, you will be introduced to the concept that there are three different types of dictionary forms.
| u-verb | Examples like “kaku,” “iku,” “nomu,” and “toru” end with u-sounds. |
| iru, eru-verb | Examples like “miru,” “taberu,” and “kakeru” end with either “iru” or “eru”. |
| irregular-verb | Suru and kuru (only 2 verbs) |
Finding the stems of each verb
Here is how to identify the stems of verbs. In Japanese education within Japan, the teaching traditionally employs Hiragana, which lacks distinct consonant letters, potentially causing confusion. To address this, we will adopt the Roman alphabet for clarity and consistency in learning.
U-verb
To derive stems from u-verbs, you simply remove the “u” sound from the dictionary form. These stems themselves do not inherently carry functional meanings; instead, functional meanings are imparted through the addition of suffixes.
Kaku >>> Kak
Iku >>> Ik
Nomu >>> Nom
Toru >>> Tor
Kau >>> Kawu >>> Kaw
IRUERU-verb
To derive stems from RU-verbs, remove “RU” from the dictionary form. It’s important to note that the stems of RU-verbs typically end with either an “i” sound or an “e” sound.
Miru >>> Mi
Taberu >>> Tabe
Kakeru >>> Kake
Irregular verb
Stems are irregular, but typically “S” for “Suru” and “K” for “Kuru.”
Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kau | buy |
| taberu | eat |
| toru | take, grab |
| kaku | write |
| iku | go |
| nomu | drink |
| shimeru | close |
| miru | see, watch, look |
| akeru | open |
Exercise
Questions
Exercise 1
Group the verbs into 3 types.
undousuru, tobu, homeru, daku, benkyousuru, komu, hajimeru, owaru, ireru, dasu, oku, nameru, utsuru, kuru, akeru, huru, suru
Exercise 2
Make the verbs into stems.
noru, matsu, saku, nameru, sawaru, ireru, dasu, akeru, shimeru
Answer
Answer 1
| U-verb | IRUERU-verb | Irregular |
|---|---|---|
| tobu, daku, komu, owaru, dasu, oku, utsuru, huru | homeru, hajimeru, ireru, nameru, akeru | undousuru, benkyousuru, kuru, suru |
Answer 2
Noru >>> Nor
Matsu >>> Mats
Saku >>> Sak
Nameru >>> Name
Sawaru >>> Sawar
Ireru >>> Ire
Dasu >>> Das
Akeru >>> Ake
Shimeru >>> Shime