Volitional Form in Japanese

In Brief

The Japanese volitional form most often means “let’s do…” or expresses the speaker’s decision to act: 行く becomes 行こう (“let’s go / I’ll go”), and 食べる becomes 食べよう (“let’s eat / I’ll eat”). Use the plain form with people you speak to casually; use 〜ましょう for a polite suggestion. Context tells you whether the speaker is inviting someone or stating a personal intention.

Overview

The volitional form, called 意向形（いこうけい）in Japanese, is a verb form used when a speaker directs their will toward a future action. In plain language, it presents an action as something to do: 帰ろう can mean “let’s go home” when addressed to a group, or “I’ll go home” when the speaker is deciding privately.

This is an important B1 form because it does more than translate English “let’s.” It appears in everyday invitations, self-directed decisions, offers with 〜ようか, and larger patterns such as 〜ようと思う (“intend to / think I’ll”) and 〜ようとする (“try to / be about to”). Japanese often leaves the subject unstated, so tone and situation carry information that English normally makes explicit with I or we.

The plain volitional builds on the dictionary form of a verb. You therefore need to know whether a verb is godan (a verb whose final kana changes across vowel rows), ichidan (a verb that normally forms its stem by dropping final る), or irregular.

How It Works

Godan verbs: move to the お-row and add う

For a godan verb, change its final kana from the う-row sound to the matching お-row sound, then add う. The result is pronounced with a long ō sound: 書こう is read かこう (kakō), not as two sharply separated vowels.

Dictionary ending	Volitional ending	Dictionary form	Volitional	Meaning
う	おう	買う	買おう	let’s buy / I’ll buy
く	こう	書く	書こう	let’s write / I’ll write
ぐ	ごう	急ぐ	急ごう	let’s hurry / I’ll hurry
す	そう	話す	話そう	let’s talk / I’ll talk
つ	とう	待つ	待とう	let’s wait / I’ll wait
ぬ	のう	死ぬ	死のう	let’s die / I’ll die
ぶ	ぼう	遊ぶ	遊ぼう	let’s play / I’ll play
む	もう	読む	読もう	let’s read / I’ll read
る	ろう	帰る	帰ろう	let’s go home / I’ll go home

The common verb 行く follows the regular godan rule: 行く → 行こう.

Ichidan verbs: remove る and add よう

For an ichidan verb, remove final る and add よう.

Dictionary form	Stem	Volitional	Meaning
食べる	食べ	食べよう	let’s eat / I’ll eat
見る	見	見よう	let’s watch / I’ll watch
起きる	起き	起きよう	let’s get up / I’ll get up
考える	考え	考えよう	let’s think / I’ll think

Do not classify a verb only by seeing 〜る. Some る-verbs are godan: 帰る → 帰ろう, 入る → 入ろう, and 走る → 走ろう. Learn the verb class together with each new verb.

Irregular verbs

There are two essential irregular forms.

Dictionary form	Volitional	Meaning
する	しよう	let’s do / I’ll do
来る（くる）	来よう（こよう）	let’s come / I’ll come

Verbs ending in する follow the same pattern: 勉強する → 勉強しよう, 予約する → 予約しよう.

The polite form: 〜ましょう

The polite counterpart is made from the ます-stem (the part before ます) plus ましょう.

Dictionary form	Polite form	Volitional	Typical meaning
行く	行きます	行きましょう	let’s go
食べる	食べます	食べましょう	let’s eat
する	します	しましょう	let’s do it
来る	来ます	来ましょう	let’s come

〜ましょう is polite in style, but it still proposes a shared action. It is not automatically more tentative. With a customer or someone whose wishes you should not presume, a question such as 〜ませんか (“would you like to…?”) may give the listener more room to decline.

One form, two main readings

Japanese does not mark separate “I will” and “let’s” forms here.

• Shared action: 一緒に食べよう。 — “Let’s eat together.”
• Personal decision: よし、始めよう。 — “All right, I’ll start.”
• Deliberate intention in a larger pattern: 早く寝ようと思う。 — “I think I’ll go to bed early.”

Words such as 一緒に (“together”), the presence of listeners, and the surrounding conversation usually make the intended reading clear.

Adding か: proposals and offers

The plain volitional plus か often turns the thought into a casual question.

• 帰ろうか。 — “Shall we go home?”
• 私が持とうか。 — “Shall I carry it?”
• 何を食べようか。 — “What shall we eat?”

With 私が, the action is clearly an offer by the speaker rather than a shared activity.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
映画を見に行こう。	Let’s go see a movie.	Casual shared suggestion
そろそろ帰ろうか。	Shall we head home soon?	Casual proposal with か
今日は家でゆっくり休もう。	I’ll take it easy at home today.	Personal decision
次の駅で降りよう。	Let’s get off at the next station.	Godan verb: 降りる here is ichidan, so 降りよう
もう一度考えよう。	Let’s think about it once more.	Ichidan verb
明日から運動しようと思います。	I think I’ll start exercising tomorrow.	Intention softened with と思います
一緒に勉強しましょう。	Let’s study together.	Polite shared suggestion
ここで少し休みましょうか。	Shall we take a short break here?	Polite and consultative
荷物が重そうですね。私が持ちましょうか。	Your bag looks heavy. Shall I carry it?	Polite offer by the speaker
週末は何をしようか。	What shall we do this weekend?	Asking for a joint decision
まだ時間があるから、歩いて行こう。	We still have time, so let’s walk.	Reason followed by suggestion
忘れないように、今メモしよう。	I’ll make a note now so I don’t forget.	Self-directed decision
電車が出ようとしている。	The train is about to leave.	Advanced pattern: ようとする
何度説明しても、彼は聞こうとしない。	No matter how often I explain, he will not even try to listen.	Volitional + としない

Common Mistakes

Treating every る-verb as ichidan

• Wrong: 帰よう。
• Right: 帰ろう。
• Why: 帰る is a godan verb. Change final る to ろう. By contrast, the ichidan verb 食べる becomes 食べよう.

Adding よう directly to a godan dictionary form

• Wrong: 行くよう。 (intended: “Let’s go.”)
• Right: 行こう。
• Why: For godan verbs, change the final kana to its お-row partner and add う: く → こう. Note that 行くよう can occur in other grammatical structures, but it is not the volitional of 行く.

Using the plain volitional in a formal situation

• Wrong: 会議を始めよう。 (to clients in a formal meeting)
• Right: 会議を始めましょう。
• Why: 始めよう is casual. The polite style is the ます-stem plus ましょう.

Assuming 〜ましょう is always a gentle invitation

• Awkward: 明日、私の家に来ましょう。 (when you mean “Would you like to come to my house?”)
• Better: 明日、私の家に来ませんか。
• Why: ましょう confidently proposes an action, while ませんか asks whether the other person is willing. When the listener’s preference matters, the question is often softer.

Using だろう to mean “let’s”

• Wrong: 食べるだろう。 (intended: “Let’s eat.”)
• Right: 食べよう。
• Why: Although both may be translated with English will in some contexts, だろう expresses probability or conjecture (“probably”), not volition.

Trying to build a regular negative volitional

• Wrong: 行かないよう。 (intended: “Let’s not go.”)
• Right: 行くのはやめよう。 / 行かないことにしよう。
• Why: Modern Japanese has no everyday negative counterpart formed simply by attaching よう to ない. Rephrase as “let’s stop going” or “let’s decide not to go.” The form 〜まい exists, but it is stylistically marked and is discussed below.

Usage Notes

The plain volitional is common among friends, family members, and close colleagues. It can sound energetic and inclusive: 頑張ろう！ means “Let’s do our best!” It is also common in slogans and group encouragement because it rallies people around a shared action.

A bare volitional can also sound like talking to oneself. Someone looking at the time might say もう寝よう (“I’ll go to bed now”). English requires an explicit subject, but Japanese normally does not. Do not force we into every translation.

Compare three useful ways to suggest an action:

Form	Example	Typical nuance
Plain volitional	行こう。	Casual, confident “Let’s go”
Polite volitional	行きましょう。	Polite, confident “Let’s go”
Negative question	行きませんか。	“Would you like to go?”; easier to decline

〜ましょうか has two common uses. With a shared action, it asks for agreement: 始めましょうか (“Shall we begin?”). When the speaker performs the action, it offers help: 窓を開けましょうか (“Shall I open the window?”). Context—and words such as 私が—shows who will act.

For personal plans, a bare volitional often presents a decision made at that moment. 〜ようと思う makes the intention explicit and usually sounds less abrupt: 来年、日本へ行こうと思っています means “I’m planning to go to Japan next year.”

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

Volitional + と思う: intention

〜ようと思う reports the speaker’s thought or intention. The non-past と思う can suggest a decision or thought held now, while 〜ようと思っている often presents an intention that has been held for some time or remains an ongoing plan.

• 今夜は早く寝ようと思います。 — “I think I’ll go to bed early tonight.”
• 来年、留学しようと思っています。 — “I’m planning to study abroad next year.”

This construction normally describes the speaker’s own intention. Asking 何をしようと思っていますか is possible because it directly requests the listener’s plan. Statements about a third person often require evidence or reporting context rather than claiming direct access to that person’s mind.

Volitional + とする: attempt or imminent action

With とする, the volitional describes movement toward carrying out an action.

• ドアを開けようとしたが、開かなかった。 — “I tried to open the door, but it would not open.”
• 家を出ようとしたとき、電話が鳴った。 — “Just as I was about to leave home, the phone rang.”

Whether it means “try to” or “be about to” depends on the verb and context. The negative 〜ようとしない often means that someone shows no willingness to try: 子どもが野菜を食べようとしない (“The child will not even try to eat vegetables”).

Rhetorical questions with 〜ようか

In formal writing or forceful speech, 〜ようか can be rhetorical rather than a real proposal. そんなことが信じられようか means “How could anyone believe such a thing?” or “Who could believe that?” This elevated use is different from the everyday 帰ろうか and is mainly something to recognize.

The negative form 〜まい

〜まい can express “will not” or “probably not,” depending on context: もう二度と行くまい (“I will never go again”). It occurs more in writing, solemn declarations, and stylized speech than in ordinary conversation. It is not the normal casual way to say “let’s not”; everyday Japanese usually rephrases with 〜のはやめよう or 〜ないことにしよう.

Sound changes in casual speech

In fast conversation, 〜よう may be pronounced with a strongly compressed long vowel, but the spelling does not change. Learn forms as complete sound units—行こう, 食べよう, しよう—rather than pronouncing every written vowel separately.

Practice Tips

1. Sort verbs before conjugating. Make three short lists: godan, ichidan, and irregular. Convert five verbs from each list, saying both the dictionary and volitional forms aloud: 書く → 書こう, 見る → 見よう, する → しよう.
2. Practice both possible subjects. For each form, create one shared suggestion and one personal decision. For example, translate 食べよう once as “Let’s eat” and once in a context where it means “I’ll eat.” This trains you to rely on context rather than a fixed English equivalent.
3. Build mini-dialogues. Pair a proposal with a response: 映画を見ようか。— うん、そうしよう。 (“Shall we watch a movie? — Yes, let’s do that.”) Then repeat it politely with 見ましょうか.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Plain/Dictionary Form — helps you identify the base verb and its conjugation class.
• Next step: ようと思う (intend to) — combines the volitional with と思う to express a plan or intention.