Japanese Verb Aru (ある): Usage and Conjugation Guide of Verb ある

You've probably seen aru in textbooks, heard it in anime, and noticed it pops up way more often than you'd expect for something that just means "to exist" or "to be", when learning Japanese. The verb ある (aru) is how Japanese expresses existence, location, and possession for inanimate objects. When you want to say a book is on the table, that you have a car, or that there's a convenience store nearby, you're going to need ある. Pretty straightforward, right? Well, there are some quirks you need to know about.

What does aru mean in Japanese

The basic meaning of ある (aru) is "to exist" or "to be located." But here's where it gets interesting for English speakers: we don't really have a direct equivalent. In English, we use "to be" for almost everything. "The book is here." "I am here." Same verb, different subjects.

Japanese splits this concept into two separate verbs based on what you're talking about.

So when you're talking about books, chairs, buildings, money, or abstract concepts like time, you use ある.

The polite form is あります (arimasu), which you'll use in most everyday conversations. The casual ある form shows up in informal speech with friends, in written Japanese, and in subordinate clauses.

Conjugation and tense

The verb ある conjugates differently from most Japanese verbs because it's irregular. Here are the main forms you need:

Present/Future Affirmative:

Present/Future Negative:

Past Affirmative:

Past Negative:

Example sentences:

Basic sentence patterns with aru

The most common pattern you'll see with ある uses the particle が (ga) to mark what exists:

Example:
。
There is a book. / A book exists.

When you want to specify where something exists or is located, you add に (ni) to mark the location:

Example:

There is a book on the table.

You can flip this around to emphasize the location:

Example:
。
The book is on the table.

The particle choice matters here. When you use が (ga), you're introducing new information or answering "what exists?" When you use は (wa), you're talking about a specific thing and stating where it is.

Expressing possession with aru

English speakers often get confused because we'd say "I have a book" but Japanese says something that literally translates closer to "As for me, a book exists." The sentence structure looks like this:

Example:
。
I have a car. (Literally: As for me, a car exists.)

This feels backwards at first, but you get used to it. The person isn't doing anything to the object. The object just exists in relation to the person. Correct me if I'm wrong, but these don't actually ever literally mean "to have", do they? You're right. There's no true "to have" verb in Japanese. Possession is expressed through existence. The thing exists in your sphere, so you "have" it.

Grammar patterns using aru

Beyond basic existence, ある shows up in several grammar patterns you'll encounter:

This is different from just ある. It shows someone opened it on purpose.

Asking questions with aru

Turn any ある statement into a question by adding か (ka) at the end:

Example:

Common question and answer patterns:

Q: トイレはどこにありますか？
Where is the bathroom?
A: あそこにあります。
It's over there.

Q: ？
Do you have questions?
A: いいえ、ありません。
No, I don't.

The big distinction: Aru vs iru

Okay, this is probably the most important thing to understand about ある. Japanese has two existence verbs: ある (aru) for inanimate things and いる (iru) for animate things.

Use ある (aru) for:

Use いる (iru) for:

Someone asked me once: "Are plants iru or aru?" Good question! Plants use ある because they're considered inanimate in Japanese grammar. So (ki, tree) and (hana, flower) both take ある, even though they're living things. Yeah, it's a bit weird when you think about it, but that's how the language works.

What is the difference between aru and arimasu

This question comes up constantly. The answer is simple:

You use あります (arimasu) in:

You use ある (aru) in:

Example of mixing forms:
。
When I went to the library, the book I wanted to read was there.

Common mistakes and tricky cases

Mistake 1: Using ある for people

Mistake 2: Confusing particles The particle choice changes the meaning:

First sentence answers "what's in the room?" Second sentence answers "where is the desk?"

Mistake 3: Using ある in progressive tense Didn't we say earlier that ある is not used in that case? Well, ある doesn't really have a progressive form like ている (te-iru). You can't say あっている to mean "is existing" in the same way you'd say (tabete iru) for "is eating." The verb ある already describes a state, so it doesn't need a progressive form.

Mistake 4: Forgetting the irregular negative The negative of ある is ない (nai), which looks nothing like the verb stem. Don't try to make it あらない or something logical. Just memorize ない.

So, are you ready to be a master of Japanese

Start paying attention to ある when you're reading Japanese or watching shows. You'll see it everywhere once you know what to look for. Try making your own sentences describing what's in your room, what you have in your bag, or what buildings are near your house. The more you use it, the more natural it becomes.

The grammar might seem fussy at first with all the particle choices and the ある versus いる distinction, but Japanese is actually being really precise about things English glosses over. Once you internalize these patterns, you'll find you can express location and possession with more nuance than you could in English.

Anyway, if you want to practice recognizing ある and other Japanese grammar in real content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words and grammar patterns instantly while watching shows or reading articles. Makes learning from actual Japanese way more practical. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

Can't believe I'm learning the ある grammar point so fast!

The key points to remember: use ある for inanimate objects, いる for animate beings. Mastering ある takes practice, but you'll use it and see it so often that it becomes second nature pretty quickly, if you adopt the immersion and media consumption approach.

The more you learn, the more you realize how much fun it is to learn!