Godan Verbs (u-verbs) in Japanese

Overview

Godan verbs (五段動詞, also called u-verbs or Group I verbs) are the larger of the two main verb classes in Japanese. The name "godan" means "five-grade" because these verbs use all five vowel rows (a, i, u, e, o) when they conjugate. They are also called u-verbs because their dictionary form always ends in an -u sound: 書く (kaku, "write"), 話す (hanasu, "speak"), 読む (yomu, "read"), 飲む (nomu, "drink").

At the CEFR A1 level, learning to identify and conjugate godan verbs is a major milestone. These verbs make up the majority of Japanese verbs, and their conjugation patterns -- while more complex than ichidan (ru-verbs) -- follow regular rules that apply across the entire class.

The key challenge is that when a godan verb conjugates, the final syllable changes to a different row of the Japanese syllabary. For example, 書く (kaku) becomes 書きます (kakimasu) in polite form, 書かない (kakanai) in plain negative, and 書いて (kaite) in て-form. Each of these changes follows a predictable pattern based on the verb's ending consonant.

How It Works

Identifying Godan Verbs

A verb is godan if its dictionary form ends in:

• -う (u): 買う (kau, "buy")
• -く (ku): 書く (kaku, "write")
• -ぐ (gu): 泳ぐ (oyogu, "swim")
• -す (su): 話す (hanasu, "speak")
• -つ (tsu): 待つ (matsu, "wait")
• -ぬ (nu): 死ぬ (shinu, "die") -- the only -nu verb
• -ぶ (bu): 遊ぶ (asobu, "play")
• -む (mu): 読む (yomu, "read")
• -る (ru): 帰る (kaeru, "return") -- when NOT -iru/-eru pattern

Watch out: Some verbs ending in -iru/-eru are godan, not ichidan: 帰る (kaeru, "return"), 走る (hashiru, "run"), 切る (kiru, "cut"), 知る (shiru, "know"). These must be memorized individually.

Conjugation to ます-form (Polite)

Change the final -u sound to the -i row, then add ます:

Dictionary form	Stem change	ます form
書く (kaku)	書き (kaki)	書きます (kakimasu)
話す (hanasu)	話し (hanashi)	話します (hanashimasu)
読む (yomu)	読み (yomi)	読みます (yomimasu)
買う (kau)	買い (kai)	買います (kaimasu)
待つ (matsu)	待ち (machi)	待ちます (machimasu)
泳ぐ (oyogu)	泳ぎ (oyogi)	泳ぎます (oyogimasu)
遊ぶ (asobu)	遊び (asobi)	遊びます (asobimasu)
帰る (kaeru)	帰り (kaeri)	帰ります (kaerimasu)

The Five Vowel Rows

This shows how the final syllable changes across conjugation forms (using 書く as an example):

Row	Ending	Form	Example
a-row	か	Negative (ない)	書かない (kakanai)
i-row	き	ます / たい	書きます (kakimasu)
u-row	く	Dictionary form	書く (kaku)
e-row	け	Potential / conditional	書ける (kakeru)
o-row	こ	Volitional (let's)	書こう (kakou)

Common Godan Verbs

Verb	Reading	Meaning
行く	いく (iku)	go
帰る	かえる (kaeru)	return home
書く	かく (kaku)	write
聞く	きく (kiku)	listen, ask
話す	はなす (hanasu)	speak
読む	よむ (yomu)	read
飲む	のむ (nomu)	drink
買う	かう (kau)	buy
待つ	まつ (matsu)	wait
歩く	あるく (aruku)	walk

Examples in Context

Japanese	English	Note
日本語を話します。	I speak Japanese. (hanashimasu)	-su → -shimasu
本を読みます。	I read books. (yomimasu)	-mu → -mimasu
毎日歩きます。	I walk every day. (arukimasu)	-ku → -kimasu
音楽を聞きます。	I listen to music. (kikimasu)	-ku → -kimasu
水を飲みます。	I drink water. (nomimasu)	-mu → -mimasu
友達を待ちます。	I wait for a friend. (machimasu)	-tsu → -chimasu
手紙を書きます。	I write a letter. (kakimasu)	-ku → -kimasu
新しい靴を買います。	I buy new shoes. (kaimasu)	-u → -imasu
家に帰ります。	I return home. (kaerimasu)	-ru (godan) → -rimasu
プールで泳ぎます。	I swim at the pool. (oyogimasu)	-gu → -gimasu

Common Mistakes

Confusing godan -ru verbs with ichidan verbs

• Wrong: Conjugating 帰る as 帰ます (dropping る like ichidan)
• Right: 帰ります (kaerimasu -- change る to り, then add ます)
• Why: 帰る (kaeru) is godan despite ending in -ru. The key is that the vowel before る is -ae, not a pure -i or -e sound from the ichidan pattern. When unsure, check a dictionary.

Forgetting the stem change

• Wrong: 書くます
• Right: 書きます
• Why: You must change the final syllable to the i-row before adding ます. The dictionary form ending is replaced, not kept.

Irregular verb 行く

• Wrong: 行いて for the て-form of 行く
• Right: 行って (itte)
• Why: 行く (iku, "go") is technically godan but has an irregular て-form. Instead of the expected 行いて, it becomes 行って. This is a must-memorize exception.

Practice Tips

• Sort new verbs into godan vs. ichidan immediately. Every time you learn a new verb, identify its class. This habit prevents conjugation confusion later. Check: does it end in -iru/-eru? If not, it is godan. If yes, verify in a dictionary.

• Drill the i-row conversion. Practice converting dictionary forms to ます-form rapidly: 書く→書きます, 話す→話します, 読む→読みます. Speed builds fluency.

• Learn verbs in pairs with their particles. Instead of just 読む, learn 本を読む (read a book). This gives you complete, usable sentence patterns.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Particles は/が/を/に -- you need particles to form sentences with verbs
• Next steps: Polite Form ます -- the polite conjugation built on the i-row stem
• Next steps: て-Form -- the versatile connecting form essential for intermediate grammar