Ichidan Verbs (ru-verbs)
一段動詞
Ichidan Verbs (ru-verbs) in Japanese
Overview
Ichidan verbs (一段動詞, also called ru-verbs or Group II verbs) are the simpler of the two main Japanese verb classes. The name "ichidan" means "one-grade" because these verbs only use one vowel row when conjugating -- you simply drop the final る (ru) and add the appropriate ending. This makes them significantly easier to conjugate than godan verbs.
All ichidan verbs end in -いる (-iru) or -える (-eru) in their dictionary form. Common examples include 食べる (taberu, "eat"), 見る (miru, "see"), 起きる (okiru, "wake up"), and 開ける (akeru, "open"). When you conjugate them, the る disappears and is replaced by the new ending: 食べる → 食べます (tabemasu), 見る → 見ます (mimasu).
At the CEFR A1 level, ichidan verbs are your friendliest verb class. Once you learn the pattern for one ichidan verb, you can conjugate all of them. The only tricky part is that some verbs ending in -iru/-eru are actually godan verbs (like 帰る kaeru, "return"), so you need to learn which class each verb belongs to.
How It Works
Identifying Ichidan Verbs
An ichidan verb:
- Always ends in る (ru)
- The syllable before る contains an -i or -e vowel sound
- Must be confirmed (some -iru/-eru verbs are godan)
| Ichidan (-iru) | Ichidan (-eru) | Godan look-alikes |
|---|---|---|
| 見る (miru) see | 食べる (taberu) eat | 帰る (kaeru) return |
| 起きる (okiru) wake up | 開ける (akeru) open | 走る (hashiru) run |
| 着る (kiru) wear | 寝る (neru) sleep | 切る (kiru) cut |
| 借りる (kariru) borrow | 教える (oshieru) teach | 入る (hairu) enter |
Conjugation Pattern
Simply drop る and add the ending:
| Form | Pattern | 食べる (taberu) | 見る (miru) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ます (polite) | stem + ます | 食べます | 見ます |
| ません (polite neg.) | stem + ません | 食べません | 見ません |
| ました (polite past) | stem + ました | 食べました | 見ました |
| ませんでした (polite past neg.) | stem + ませんでした | 食べませんでした | 見ませんでした |
| ない (plain neg.) | stem + ない | 食べない | 見ない |
| た (plain past) | stem + た | 食べた | 見た |
| て (te-form) | stem + て | 食べて | 見て |
Common Ichidan Verbs
| Verb | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 食べる | たべる (taberu) | eat |
| 見る | みる (miru) | see, watch |
| 起きる | おきる (okiru) | wake up, get up |
| 寝る | ねる (neru) | sleep, go to bed |
| 開ける | あける (akeru) | open |
| 閉める | しめる (shimeru) | close |
| 出る | でる (deru) | go out, leave |
| 入れる | いれる (ireru) | put in, insert |
| 着る | きる (kiru) | wear (upper body) |
| 教える | おしえる (oshieru) | teach, tell |
| 忘れる | わすれる (wasureru) | forget |
| 借りる | かりる (kariru) | borrow |
Examples in Context
| Japanese | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 朝ごはんを食べます。 | I eat breakfast. (tabemasu) | Drop る, add ます |
| 映画を見ます。 | I watch movies. (mimasu) | Drop る, add ます |
| 六時に起きます。 | I wake up at 6. (okimasu) | Drop る, add ます |
| ドアを開けます。 | I open the door. (akemasu) | Drop る, add ます |
| 毎日テレビを見ません。 | I don't watch TV every day. | Negative polite |
| 昨日早く寝ました。 | I went to bed early yesterday. | Past polite |
| 窓を閉めてください。 | Please close the window. | て-form + ください |
| 新しい服を着ます。 | I wear new clothes. (kimasu) | Upper body clothing |
| 漢字を忘れました。 | I forgot the kanji. | Past polite |
| 図書館で本を借ります。 | I borrow books at the library. | Drop る, add ます (ri + masu) |
Common Mistakes
Treating godan verbs as ichidan
- Wrong: 帰ます (dropping る from 帰る like ichidan)
- Right: 帰ります (kaerimasu -- godan conjugation)
- Why: 帰る (kaeru, "return") ends in -eru but is godan. The vowel sound before る is -ae (two syllables), not a clean -e. Always verify new -iru/-eru verbs in a dictionary.
Adding ます without dropping る
- Wrong: 食べるます
- Right: 食べます
- Why: You must remove the る before adding any ending. The る is replaced, not kept.
Confusing 着る (kiru, "wear") and 切る (kiru, "cut")
- Wrong: Conjugating 切る as 切ます (ichidan)
- Right: 切ります (kirimasu) -- 切る is godan
- Why: These two verbs sound identical in dictionary form but belong to different classes. 着る (wear) is ichidan: 着ます. 切る (cut) is godan: 切ります.
Forgetting that て-form is simple for ichidan
- Wrong: Applying godan て-form sound changes to ichidan verbs
- Right: Just drop る and add て: 食べて, 見て, 起きて
- Why: Ichidan て-form is always just stem + て. No sound changes needed, unlike godan verbs.
Practice Tips
Build a verb classification habit. Every time you encounter a new verb, immediately check: is it ichidan or godan? Mark it in your vocabulary notebook. This prevents conjugation errors before they start.
Practice conjugation chains. Take one ichidan verb and run through all forms: 食べる → 食べます → 食べません → 食べました → 食べませんでした → 食べて → 食べない → 食べた. Do this daily with different verbs.
Learn ichidan and godan verbs in contrasting pairs. 見る (miru, ichidan, "see") vs. 走る (hashiru, godan, "run"). Practicing them side by side reinforces the different conjugation patterns.
Related Concepts
- Prerequisite: Basic Particles は/が/を/に -- particles are needed to form complete verb sentences
Prerequisite
Basic Particles は/が/を/にA1More A1 concepts
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