# Japanese Verb Stems: How Japanese Verb Conjugation Works
> Form and use Japanese verb stems for conjugation. Covers godan, ichidan, irregular verbs plus practical uses like -tai, -mashou, and compounds.
**URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/japanese-verb-stems
**Last Updated:** 2025-12-29
**Tags:** fundamentals, vocabulary, phrases, grammar
---
When you're [learning Japanese](https://migaku.com/learn-japanese), you'll eventually hit a point where you realize that verbs are kind of the backbone of the whole language. So what is a Japanese verb stem, exactly? The verb stem (or <typo lang="ja" syntax="連用形[れんようけい;h]"></typo>, ren'youkei in traditional Japanese grammar) is basically the base form you get when you strip away certain endings from a verb. This stem becomes the foundation for tons of other conjugations you'll use constantly. Let me walk you through the basics!

<toc></toc>

---
## Why verb stems matter for Japanese grammar
The verb stem plays a huge role in verb conjugation. Seriously, once you know how to form stems correctly, you can create all sorts of expressions. Want to say you want to do something? Add たい (tai) to the stem. Want to suggest doing something together? Add ましょう (mashou). Want to make compound verbs? You'll use stems for that too.

I remember when I first started learning Japanese from a [textbook](https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/best-japanese-textbooks), they just threw conjugation tables at me without really explaining why stems mattered. It felt like memorizing random patterns. But once I understood that the stem was this consistent base I could build on, everything made way more sense.

---
## The three verb groups you need to know
Before we dive into forming stems, you need to understand that Japanese verbs fall into three groups. This matters because each group forms its stem differently.

### Ichidan verbs (Group 2)
Ichidan verbs, also called る (ru) verbs, are the easiest to work with. These verbs end in either える (eru) or いる (iru). To form the stem, you literally just drop the final る. That's it.

Examples:

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="食[た;k2]べる"></typo> (taberu) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="食[た,たべる;k2]べ"></typo> (tabe)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="見[み;k1]る"></typo> (miru) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="見[み,みる;k1]"></typo> (mi)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="起[お;k2]きる"></typo> (okiru) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="起[お,おきる;k2]き"></typo> (oki)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="寝[ね;h]る"></typo> (neru) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="寝[ね,ねる;h]"></typo> (ne)

The kanji stays the same, you just remove that final る character. Super straightforward.

### Godan verbs (Group 1)
Godan verbs, sometimes called う (u) verbs, are trickier. These verbs end in various う-line sounds: う, く, ぐ, す, つ, ぬ, ぶ, む, or る. Yeah, る shows up here too, which confuses the hell out of beginners. 

Despite that, る is on the う-line of the hiragana chart, so it makes sense that some る ending verbs could potentially be considered godan verbs, right? The Japanese language just loves keeping you on your toes.

For godan verbs, you change the final う-line vowel to an い-line vowel. Here's what that looks like:

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="書[か;k1]く"></typo> (kaku) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="書[か,かく;k1]き"></typo> (kaki)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ;k1]む"></typo> (yomu) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ,よむ;k1]み"></typo> (yomi)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="話[はな;k2]す"></typo> (hanasu) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="話[はな,はなす;k2]し"></typo> (hanashi)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="買[か;h]う"></typo> (kau) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="買[か,かう;h]い"></typo> (kai)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="待[ま;k1]つ"></typo> (matsu) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="待[ま;o]ち"></typo> (machi)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="死[し;h]ぬ"></typo> (shinu) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="死[し,しぬ;h]に"></typo> (shini)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="遊[あそ;h]ぶ"></typo> (asobu) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="遊[あそ;h]び"></typo> (asobi)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="飲[の;k1]む"></typo> (nomu) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="飲[の,のむ;k1]み"></typo> (nomi)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="帰[かえ;k1]る"></typo> (kaeru) becomes <typo lang="ja" syntax="帰[かえ,かえる;k1]り"></typo> (kaeri)

The pattern here is consistent. You're moving from the う-line to the い-line on the hiragana chart. Once you memorize the chart (which you should do anyway if you're serious about learning Japanese), this becomes pretty automatic.

### Irregular verbs
There are only two truly irregular verbs in Japanese: する (suru, to do) and <typo lang="ja" syntax="来[く;k1]る"></typo> (kuru, to come). Thank goodness there are only two, because they break all the rules.

For する, the stem is し (shi). For <typo lang="ja" syntax="来[く;k1]る"></typo>, the stem is <typo lang="ja" syntax="来[き,くる;k1]"></typo> (ki). You just have to memorize these. The good news is you'll use these verbs so frequently that you'll internalize them pretty quickly.

---
## How to use verb stems
Knowing how to form stems is one thing, but understanding what you can do with them is where things get practical. Here are the main uses you'll encounter constantly.

### Expressing desire with たい (Tai)
Add たい to any verb stem to say you want to do that action. This is super common in everyday conversation.

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="食[た,たべる;k2]べたい"></typo> (tabetai) means "want to eat"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="行[い,ゆく;h]きたい"></typo> (ikitai) means "want to go"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="見[み,みる;k1]たい"></typo> (mitai) means "want to see"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="買[か,かう;h]いたい"></typo> (kaitai) means "want to buy"

You can conjugate たい like an [adjective](https://migaku.com/blog/japanese/japanese-adjective-conjugation) too. <typo lang="ja" syntax="食[た,たべる;k2]べたくない"></typo> (tabetakunai) means "don't want to eat," and <typo lang="ja" syntax="食[た,たべる;k2]べたかった"></typo> (tabetakatta) means "wanted to eat."

### Making suggestions with ましょう (Mashou)
Add ましょう to the stem to suggest doing something together, like "let's do X."

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="食[た,たべる;k2]べましょう"></typo> (tabemashou) means "let's eat"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="行[い,ゆく;h]きましょう"></typo> (ikimashou) means "let's go"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="始[はじ,はじめる;h]めましょう"></typo> (hajimemashou) means "let's start"

This is the polite form. There's also a casual version using the volitional form, but that uses a different conjugation pattern.

### Creating the polite form with ます (Masu)
The masu form is probably the first verb conjugation you learned. You take the stem and add ます for present/future polite, ました (mashita) for past polite, or ません (masen) for negative polite.

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ,よむ;k1]みます"></typo> (yomimasu) means "read/will read" (Polite)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ,よむ;k1]みました"></typo> (yomimashita) means "read" (Past, polite)
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ,よむ;k1]みません"></typo> (yomimasen) means "don't read" (Polite)

### Continuous and progressive forms
Add ながら (nagara) to a stem to express doing two actions simultaneously.

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="音楽[おんがく;a,h] を 聞[き,きく;h]き ながら 勉強[べんきょう;h] する[;h]"></typo> (ongaku wo kikinagara benkyou suru) means "study while listening to music"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="歩[ある,あるく;k2]き ながら 話[はな;k2]す"></typo> (arukinagara hanasu) means "talk while walking"

You can also use the stem with certain auxiliary verbs to create other continuous forms, though this gets into more advanced territory.

### Compound verbs
This is where Japanese gets really interesting. You can combine verb stems with other verbs to create new meanings. These are called compound verbs, and they're everywhere in Japanese.

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="走り出[はしりだ;k4]す"></typo> (hashiridasu) combines <typo lang="ja" syntax="走[はし;k2]る"></typo> (hashiru, to run) with <typo lang="ja" syntax="出[だ;k1]す"></typo> (dasu, to put out), meaning "to start running"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="飛び込[とびこ;k3]む"></typo> (tobikomu) combines <typo lang="ja" syntax="飛[と;h]ぶ"></typo> (tobu, to jump) with <typo lang="ja" syntax="込[こ;k1]む"></typo> (komu, to be crowded), meaning "to jump into"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="持ち帰[もちかえ;h,k3]る"></typo> (mochikaeru) combines <typo lang="ja" syntax="持[も;k1]つ"></typo> (motsu, to hold) with <typo lang="ja" syntax="帰[かえ;k1]る"></typo> (kaeru, to return), meaning "to take home"

Native speakers create these combinations all the time. Understanding stems helps you decode them when you encounter new ones.

### Nominalization
You can use verb stems as nouns in certain contexts. This turns the action into a thing.

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="始[はじ;h]まり"></typo> (hajimari) from <typo lang="ja" syntax="始[はじ;h]まる"></typo> (hajimaru) means "beginning"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="終[お,おわる;h]わり"></typo> (owari) from <typo lang="ja" syntax="終[お;h]わる"></typo> (owaru) means "end"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="休[やす;o]み"></typo> (yasumi) from <typo lang="ja" syntax="休[やす;k2]む"></typo> (yasumu) means "rest" or "vacation"

Some of these nominalized forms are so common that they function as standalone nouns in the language.

### Connecting stems to particles and adjectives
Verb stems also interact with particles in specific ways. The particle に (ni) can attach to certain verb stems to indicate purpose, like <typo lang="ja" syntax="買い物[かいもの;h] に 行[い;h]く"></typo> (kaimono ni iku, "go shopping"), where <typo lang="ja" syntax="買い物[かいもの;h]"></typo> (kaimono) comes from the stem of <typo lang="ja" syntax="買[か;h]う"></typo> (kau, to buy).

Some verb stems can function similarly to adjective stems when combined with certain suffixes. The suffix やすい (yasui, easy to) and にくい (nikui, hard to) attach directly to verb stems.

- <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ,よむ;k1]み やすい[;k2]"></typo> (yomiyasui) means "easy to read"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ,よむ;k1]み にくい"></typo> (yominikui) means "hard to read"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="食[た,たべる;k2]べ やすい[;k2]"></typo> (tabeyasui) means "easy to eat"
- <typo lang="ja" syntax="使[つか,つかう;h]い にくい"></typo> (tsukainikui) means "hard to use"

Understanding how stems work with these constructions expands your ability to express nuanced meanings.

---
## The traditional grammar perspective
Now, in linguistics and Japanese grammar (as in <typo lang="ja" syntax="国語[こくご;h] 文法[ぶんぽう;h]"></typo>, kokugo bunpou or traditional Japanese grammar), what a verb stem is may be different (or was that the verb root?). 

Traditional Japanese grammar identifies six verb bases, and what we're calling the "verb stem" here is specifically the <typo lang="ja" syntax="連用形[れんようけい;h]"></typo> (ren'youkei), or continuative form.

The six traditional bases are:

1. <typo lang="ja" syntax="未然形[みぜんけい;h]"></typo> (mizenkei): Irrealis or a-stem
2. <typo lang="ja" syntax="連用形[れんようけい;h]"></typo> (ren'youkei): Continuative or i-stem (what we've been discussing)
3. <typo lang="ja" syntax="終止形[しゅうしけい;h]"></typo> (shuushikei): Terminal or dictionary form
4. <typo lang="ja" syntax="連体形[れんたいけい;h]"></typo> (rentaikei): Attributive form
5. <typo lang="ja" syntax="仮定形[かていけい;h]"></typo> (kateikei): Hypothetical form
6. <typo lang="ja" syntax="命令形[めいれいけい;h]"></typo> (meireikei): Imperative form

For most learners, you don't need to memorize all these traditional names. Modern Japanese textbooks usually simplify things by focusing on the masu-stem (<typo lang="ja" syntax="連用形[れんようけい;h]"></typo>) because that's what you'll use most frequently. But if you're reading more advanced grammar resources or studying for something like the JLPT, you might encounter these terms.

---
## Common mistakes and tricky cases
### Confusing ichidan and godan る verbs
This trips up everyone. Some verbs ending in る are ichidan (just drop the る), while others are godan (change る to り). How do you know which is which?

If a verb ends in える or いる, it's probably ichidan. But there are exceptions. Verbs like <typo lang="ja" syntax="帰[かえ;k1]る"></typo> (kaeru, to return), <typo lang="ja" syntax="走[はし;k2]る"></typo> (hashiru, to run), and <typo lang="ja" syntax="入[はい;k1]る"></typo> (hairu, to enter) are godan despite ending in eru or iru sounds.

### Forgetting vowel changes in godan verbs
Beginners often forget to change the vowel when forming godan stems. They might say <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ,よむ;k1]むたい"></typo> instead of <typo lang="ja" syntax="読[よ,よむ;k1]みたい"></typo>. Remember, that final character has to shift from the う-line to the い-line.

### Irregular verb confusion
する and <typo lang="ja" syntax="来[く;k1]る"></typo> are irregular, but compound verbs using these are also irregular. So <typo lang="ja" syntax="勉強[べんきょう;h] する[;h]"></typo> (benkyou suru, to study) has the stem <typo lang="ja" syntax="勉強[べんきょう;h] し[,する;h]"></typo> (benkyou shi), and <typo lang="ja" syntax="持[も,もつ;k1]って くる[;k1]"></typo> (motte kuru, to bring) has the stem <typo lang="ja" syntax="持[も,もつ;k1]って き[,くる;k1]"></typo> (motte ki).

---
## Practical application and practice
The best way to internalize verb stems is through actual use. 

1. When you're reading Japanese content or watching shows, pay attention to how verbs conjugate. You'll start noticing patterns everywhere.
2. When you're creating sentences yourself, think about what you want to express. Want to talk about desire? Find the stem and add たい. Want to be polite? Find the stem and add ます. Want to suggest something? Find the stem and add ましょう.
3. If you want to practice with real Japanese content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words and conjugations instantly while reading articles or watching videos. You can see verbs in context and get immediate breakdowns of how they're conjugated. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.

<img src="https://migaku-cms-assets.migaku.com/3_screens_purple_4_d5cfbe4d1c/3_screens_purple_4_d5cfbe4d1c.png" width="1620" height="1000" alt="Learn Japanese verb conjugation with Japanese dictionary with Migaku" />

<prose-button href="/learn-japanese" text="Learn Japanese with Migaku"></prose-button>

---
## The ultimate fast track to master the stem form?
Encounter verbs in context, and actively identify their stems! This active processing helps way more than passive reading. Your brain starts recognizing the patterns automatically, and eventually you'll conjugate verbs without consciously thinking about the rules. Reading native content helps too. Manga, light novels, news articles, social media posts - they all use verb conjugations constantly.

> If you consume media in Japanese, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. _Period_.

Invest your time, and it will pay the best interest one day!