Existence Verbs いる/ある in Japanese

Overview

Japanese uses two different verbs to express existence: いる (iru) for animate beings (people, animals) and ある (aru) for inanimate objects (books, buildings, events). This distinction does not exist in English, where "there is" works for everything, so it requires a shift in thinking for English-speaking learners.

These verbs are among the most frequently used words in Japanese at the CEFR A1 level. You need them to say where things are, describe what you have, talk about family members and pets, and express whether something exists or is available. They pair naturally with the particles に (location) and が (subject).

Beyond basic existence, いる and ある are used in several important grammatical patterns. ある also expresses possession ("I have..."), scheduled events ("There is a meeting"), and experience when combined with other forms. いる combines with the て-form to create the progressive tense (食べている, "is eating"). Mastering these two verbs opens the door to many intermediate grammar patterns.

How It Works

Basic Rule

Verb	Use for	Example
いる (iru)	People, animals -- anything alive and moving	猫がいます (neko ga imasu) -- There is a cat
ある (aru)	Objects, plants, abstract things -- anything not alive/moving	本があります (hon ga arimasu) -- There is a book

Conjugation

いる (ichidan verb):

Form	Japanese
Polite present	います (imasu)
Polite negative	いません (imasen)
Polite past	いました (imashita)
Polite past negative	いませんでした (imasen deshita)

ある (godan verb, but irregular negative):

Form	Japanese
Polite present	あります (arimasu)
Polite negative	ありません (arimasen)
Polite past	ありました (arimashita)
Polite past negative	ありませんでした (arimasen deshita)
Plain negative	ない (nai) -- irregular (not あらない)

Sentence Patterns

Existence: [Place] に [Thing/Person] が いる/ある

• 公園に子供がいます。(kouen ni kodomo ga imasu) -- There are children in the park.
• テーブルの上に本があります。(teeburu no ue ni hon ga arimasu) -- There is a book on the table.

Possession: [Person] は [Thing] が ある / [Person] は [Person/Pet] が いる

• 私は車があります。(watashi wa kuruma ga arimasu) -- I have a car.
• 兄がいます。(ani ga imasu) -- I have an older brother.

Location question: [Thing] は どこ に ある/いる？

• トイレはどこにありますか？(toire wa doko ni arimasu ka) -- Where is the toilet?
• 先生はどこにいますか？(sensei wa doko ni imasu ka) -- Where is the teacher?

Animate vs. Inanimate -- Edge Cases

Uses いる	Uses ある
People	Books, furniture, buildings
Animals (pets, wild)	Plants, trees, flowers
Fish, insects	Food, drinks
Robots (in some contexts)	Vehicles (when parked)
	Events, meetings (ある = "take place")

Note: Taxis and buses with drivers sometimes use いる in casual speech, but ある is standard. Plants always use ある despite being alive.

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
猫がいます。	There is a cat. (neko ga imasu)	いる for animal
本があります。	There is a book. (hon ga arimasu)	ある for object
お金がありますか？	Do you have money? (okane ga arimasu ka)	ある for possession
公園に子供がいます。	There are children in the park.	いる + に for location
冷蔵庫に牛乳があります。	There is milk in the fridge.	ある + に for location
兄弟がいますか？	Do you have siblings? (kyoudai ga imasu ka)	いる for family
時間がありません。	I don't have time. (jikan ga arimasen)	ある negative
誰もいません。	Nobody is here. (daremo imasen)	いる with nobody
明日会議があります。	There is a meeting tomorrow.	ある for events
犬が三匹います。	There are three dogs. (sanbiki imasu)	いる with counter

Common Mistakes

Using ある for people or animals

• Wrong: 公園に子供があります。
• Right: 公園に子供がいます。
• Why: Children are animate beings, so they require いる, not ある. This is one of the most common A1 mistakes.

Using いる for objects

• Wrong: テーブルの上に本がいます。
• Right: テーブルの上に本があります。
• Why: Books are inanimate objects and require ある. Using いる for objects sounds like you are treating them as living creatures.

Forgetting the irregular negative of ある

• Wrong: あらない
• Right: ない (nai)
• Why: The plain negative of ある is ない, not the expected あらない. This is one of the few irregularities you must memorize.

Confusing ある (existence) with ある (event)

• Wrong: 東京に映画祭がいます。
• Right: 東京で映画祭があります。
• Why: Events use ある (not いる) with the particle で (not に) for the location. When ある means "takes place," the event location uses で.

Practice Tips

• Describe your room. Look around and list everything you see: 机の上にパソコンがあります。椅子の下に猫がいます。窓の近くに花があります。 This builds the に...がある/いる pattern naturally.

• Play the "animate or inanimate" game. Point at things throughout the day and decide: いる or ある? This trains your instinct for the animate/inanimate distinction.

• Practice possession questions. Ask yourself and others: 車がありますか？ ペットがいますか？ 兄弟がいますか？ These are common real-world conversation topics.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Particles は/が/を/に -- に and が are essential for existence sentences