Learn Japanese: Basic Verbs

Japanese verbs serve as the foundation for expressing everyday actions and are typically found at the end of a sentence. This lesson introduces thirty essential verbs that allow you to describe your daily routine, from waking up, 起きる (okiru), to going to sleep, 寝る (neru). By mastering these core terms, you will be able to communicate basic needs and activities, such as 食べる (taberu) for to eat or 買う (kau) for to buy.

One important pattern to notice is that all Japanese verbs in their dictionary form end in an "u" vowel sound. You will see this in words like 話す (hanasu), meaning to speak, and 読む (yomu), meaning to read. Generally, these verbs are categorized into two main groups: ichidan verbs and godan verbs. Ichidan verbs often end in the syllables -eru or -iru, such as 教える (oshieru) for to teach and 見る (miru) for to see. Godan verbs follow a different conjugation pattern and include words like 行く (iku), meaning to go, and 待つ (matsu), meaning to wait. Additionally, pay close attention to 来る (kuru), which means to come, as it is one of the few irregular verbs in the language. Understanding these basic forms is the first step toward building complex sentences and fluidly expressing your thoughts in Japanese.

Vocabulary list

English	Japanese
To eat	食べる taberu
To drink	飲む nomu
To see	見る miru
To listen	聞く kiku
To speak	話す hanasu
To read	読む yomu
To write	書く kaku
To walk	歩く aruku
To run	走る hashiru
To go	行く iku
To come	来る kuru
To return	帰る kaeru
To sleep	寝る neru
To wake up	起きる okiru
To buy	買う kau
To make	作る tsukuru
To use	使う tsukau
To wait	待つ matsu
To swim	泳ぐ oyogu
To sing	歌う utau
To play	遊ぶ asobu
To stand	立つ tatsu
To sit	座る suwaru
To open	開ける akeru
To close	閉める shimeru
To understand	分かる wakaru
To give	あげる ageru
To receive	もらう morau
To teach	教える oshieru
To learn	習う narau

Practice this lesson with spaced repetition, multiple study modes, and daily streaks.

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