# Verb Groups

https://langs123.com/en/japanese/verbs/verb-groups/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> Japanese verbs belong to group 1, group 2 or the irregular group 3 (**する**, **来****く****る**); the group decides how forms are built. The **ます**-form becomes the dictionary form by group: 飲の**み**ます → 飲の**む**、食たべ**ます** → 食たべ**る**、**します** → **する**

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Group 1 | Most verbs. The syllable before **ます** has an i-sound: **み**, **き**, **し**, **り**, **い**. | **飲****の****みます** / **書****か****きます** | to drink / to write |
| Group 2 | The syllable before **ます** has an e-sound (**べ**, **ね**) or, for some verbs, an i-sound (**み**, **き**). | **食****た****べます** / **見****み****ます** | to eat / to see, to watch |
| Group 3 | Two irregular verbs, **する** and **来****く****る**, and every noun with **する**. | **します** / **来****き****ます** | to do / to come |
| Dictionary form | The dictionary form ends in a u-sound: **う** / **く** / **ぐ** / **す** / **つ** / **ぬ** / **ぶ** / **む** / **る**. | **飲****の****む** / **食****た****べる** / **する** | to drink / to eat / to do |
| Group 1 | Group 1: the i-sound before **ます** becomes the matching u-sound; **ます** drops. | 飲の**み**ます → 飲の**む** / 書か**き**ます → 書か**く** | to drink / to write |
| Group 2 | Group 2: **ます** becomes **る**. | 食たべ**ます** → 食たべ**る** / 見み**ます** → 見み**る** | to eat / to see, to watch |
| Group 3 | Group 3: **します** becomes **する**, **来****き****ます** becomes **来****く****る**. | **します** → **する** / **来****き**ます → **来****く**る | to do / to come |
| Exceptions | A few verbs ending in **える** or **いる** belong to group 1: **帰****かえ****る**, **入****はい****る**. | **帰****かえ****る** / **入****はい****る** | to return, to go home / to enter |
| Trap | A noun plus **する** makes a verb of group 3: **勉強****べんきょう****する**, **りょうりする**. | 日本語にほんごを**勉強****べんきょう****します**。 / 毎日まいにち、**りょうりします**。 | I study Japanese. / I cook every day. |

## Overview

- Verbs fall into three groups; the group decides how a verb's forms are built.

| Group | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Group 1 | Most verbs. The syllable before **ます** has an i-sound: **み**, **き**, **し**, **り**, **い**. | **飲****の****みます** / **書****か****きます** / **話****はな****します** | to drink / to write / to speak |
| Group 2 | The syllable before **ます** has an e-sound (**べ**, **ね**) or, for some verbs, an i-sound (**み**, **き**). | **食****た****べます** / **見****み****ます** / **起****お****きます** | to eat / to see, to watch / to get up |
| Group 3 | Two irregular verbs, **する** and **来****く****る**, and every noun with **する**. | **します** / **来****き****ます** / **勉強****べんきょう****します** | to do / to come / to study |

- The dictionary form ends in a u-sound: **う** / **く** / **ぐ** / **す** / **つ** / **ぬ** / **ぶ** / **む** / **る**. **飲****の****む** / **食****た****べる** / **する** (to drink / to eat / to do)
- The dictionary form is the form a dictionary lists; the **て**-form and the plain forms are built on it. See The て-Form and The Plain Form.

## Form: group 1

- Group 1: the i-sound before **ます** becomes the matching u-sound; **ます** drops.

| Change | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **い** → **う** | 買か**い**ます → 買か**う** / 会あ**い**ます → 会あ**う** | to buy / to meet |
| **き** → **く** | 書か**き**ます → 書か**く** / 聞き**き**ます → 聞き**く** | to write / to listen, to ask |
| **ぎ** → **ぐ** | およ**ぎ**ます → およ**ぐ** / いそ**ぎ**ます → いそ**ぐ** | to swim / to hurry |
| **し** → **す** | 話はな**し**ます → 話はな**す** / か**し**ます → か**す** | to speak / to lend |
| **ち** → **つ** | 待ま**ち**ます → 待ま**つ** / 持も**ち**ます → 持も**つ** | to wait / to hold, to carry |
| **に** → **ぬ** | 死し**に**ます → 死し**ぬ** | to die |
| **び** → **ぶ** | あそ**び**ます → あそ**ぶ** / よ**び**ます → よ**ぶ** | to play / to call |
| **み** → **む** | 飲の**み**ます → 飲の**む** / 読よ**み**ます → 読よ**む** | to drink / to read |
| **り** → **る** | 帰かえ**り**ます → 帰かえ**る** / 作つく**り**ます → 作つく**る** | to return, to go home / to make |

## Form: group 2

- Group 2: **ます** becomes **る**.

| Change | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **ます** → **る** | 食たべ**ます** → 食たべ**る** / 見み**ます** → 見み**る** / 起おき**ます** → 起おき**る** / ね**ます** → ね**る** | to eat / to see, to watch / to get up / to sleep, to go to bed |

- A few verbs ending in **える** or **いる** belong to group 1: **帰****かえ****る**, **入****はい****る**. **帰****かえ****る** / **入****はい****る** (to return, to go home / to enter)

## Form: group 3

- Group 3: **します** becomes **する**, **来****き****ます** becomes **来****く****る**.
- A noun plus **する** makes a verb of group 3: **勉強****べんきょう****する**, **りょうりする**. 日本語にほんごを**勉強****べんきょう****します**。 / 毎日まいにち、**りょうりします**。 (I study Japanese. / I cook every day.)

| Change | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **します** → **する** | **します** → **する** / 勉強べんきょう**します** → 勉強べんきょう**する** | to do / to study |
| **来****き****ます** → **来****く****る** | **来****き**ます → **来****く**る | to come |

## Telling the group from the dictionary form

| Dictionary form ends in | Group | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **う** / **く** / **ぐ** / **す** / **つ** / **ぬ** / **ぶ** / **む** | Group 1 | **書****か****く** / **話****はな****す** / **飲****の****む** | to write / to speak / to drink |
| **る** after **あ** / **う** / **お** | Group 1 | **ある** / **分****わ****かる** / **作****つく****る** | to exist / to understand / to make |
| **る** after **い** / **え** | Group 2 | **食****た****べる** / **見****み****る** / **起****お****きる** | to eat / to see, to watch / to get up |
| Exceptions | Group 1 | **帰****かえ****る** / **入****はい****る** | to return, to go home / to enter |
| **する**, **来****く****る** | Group 3 | **する** / **勉強****べんきょう****する** / **来****く****る** | to do / to study / to come |

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 毎日まいにち、勉強べんきょうます。 | 毎日まいにち、勉強べんきょう**します**。 | a noun becomes a verb with **する**, so its polite form is **します** |
| パンを食たべります。 | パンを食たべ**ます**。 | a group 2 verb drops **る** before **ます** |
| コーヒーを飲のみる。 | コーヒーを飲の**む**。 | a group 1 verb changes its i-sound to the matching u-sound: **み** becomes **む** |
| うちへ帰かえます。 | うちへ帰かえ**ります**。 | **帰****かえ****る** and **入****はい****る** end in **える** and **いる** but belong to group 1 |
| 明日あした、ともだちが来きる。 | 明日あした、ともだちが来く**る**。 | the dictionary form is **来****く****る** and the **ます**-form is **来****き****ます** |