Japanese Verbs List: 50 Common Verbs for Beginners

A useful Japanese verbs list should show more than English meanings. You also need the dictionary form and conjugation group because that determines every later ending. The 50 verbs below cover movement, daily routines, communication, learning, and common actions. Begin with the first twenty, sort them into godan, ichidan, and irregular groups, then conjugate each one into polite, negative, past, and te-form.

Written by YoruLearn Team · Last reviewed: August 2026

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50 Common Japanese Verbs List

#	Verb	Romaji	Meaning	Group
1	ある	aru	to exist; inanimate	Godan
2	いる	iru	to exist; animate	Ichidan
3	する	suru	to do	Irregular
4	来る	kuru	to come	Irregular
5	行く	iku	to go	Godan
6	帰る	kaeru	to return	Godan
7	食べる	taberu	to eat	Ichidan
8	飲む	nomu	to drink	Godan
9	見る	miru	to see	Ichidan
10	聞く	kiku	to ask; listen	Godan
11	話す	hanasu	to speak	Godan
12	読む	yomu	to read	Godan
13	書く	kaku	to write	Godan
14	買う	kau	to buy	Godan
15	売る	uru	to sell	Godan
16	使う	tsukau	to use	Godan
17	作る	tsukuru	to make	Godan
18	会う	au	to meet	Godan
19	待つ	matsu	to wait	Godan
20	持つ	motsu	to hold; have	Godan
21	分かる	wakaru	to understand	Godan
22	知る	shiru	to know	Godan
23	思う	omou	to think	Godan
24	言う	iu	to say	Godan
25	起きる	okiru	to wake up	Ichidan
26	寝る	neru	to sleep	Ichidan
27	働く	hataraku	to work	Godan
28	休む	yasumu	to rest	Godan
29	勉強する	benkyou suru	to study	Suru verb
30	練習する	renshuu suru	to practise	Suru verb
31	教える	oshieru	to teach; tell	Ichidan
32	覚える	oboeru	to remember	Ichidan
33	忘れる	wasureru	to forget	Ichidan
34	始める	hajimeru	to begin something	Ichidan
35	始まる	hajimaru	to begin	Godan
36	終わる	owaru	to finish	Godan
37	入る	hairu	to enter	Godan
38	出る	deru	to leave; exit	Ichidan
39	開ける	akeru	to open something	Ichidan
40	開く	aku	to open	Godan
41	閉める	shimeru	to close something	Ichidan
42	閉まる	shimaru	to close	Godan
43	乗る	noru	to ride	Godan
44	降りる	oriru	to get off	Ichidan
45	歩く	aruku	to walk	Godan
46	走る	hashiru	to run	Godan
47	座る	suwaru	to sit	Godan
48	立つ	tatsu	to stand	Godan
49	送る	okuru	to send	Godan
50	もらう	morau	to receive	Godan

The Four Labels in This Verb List

Label	What changes	Example
Godan	The final kana shifts to another vowel row	書く → 書きます
Ichidan	Drop る before most endings	食べる → 食べます
Suru verb	A noun combines with する	勉強する → 勉強します
Irregular	Learn the special stem	来る → 来ます

Review Japanese verb groups before using the full conjugation chart.

A Seven-Day Verb Study Plan

Day 1: Learn five movement verbs.
Day 2: Add five routine verbs and review day one.
Day 3: Sort all ten by group.
Day 4: Produce masu and negative forms.
Day 5: Produce past and te-forms.
Day 6: Write one short sentence per verb.
Day 7: Test mixed recall without looking at the group label.

5 Common Mistakes When Learning Japanese Verbs

Learning meaning without group. The group controls conjugation.
Assuming every ru-verb is ichidan. Common exceptions are godan.
Studying only the polite form. Dictionaries and grammar guides use the plain form.
Ignoring transitive pairs. Open, close, start, and stop often come in pairs.
Reviewing isolated forms. Put each verb into a short sentence with a particle.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Japanese verbs should a beginner know?

A first set of 50 high-utility verbs is enough to practise core conjugation and build many daily sentences. N5 study later expands that coverage.

What are the Japanese verb groups?

The main beginner groups are godan, ichidan, and irregular verbs. Suru compounds are commonly labelled separately for convenience.

Should I learn dictionary form or masu form first?

Learn both together. Dictionary form helps with grammar and reference tools; masu form supports neutral polite speech.

Are all Japanese ru-verbs ichidan?

No. Many are ichidan, but frequent verbs such as hairu, kaeru, hashiru, and shiru are godan.

What is the most important Japanese verb?

Suru is one of the most productive because it means to do and combines with many nouns to create verbs.

How do I memorize Japanese verbs?

Group them by meaning and conjugation type, then practise four core forms in short sentences with spaced review.

Related Japanese Study Guides

Verb Conjugation ChartCompare all major forms at a glance. Japanese Verb GroupsIdentify godan, ichidan, and irregular verbs. Transitive vs Intransitive VerbsLearn action and state pairs. Japanese Masu FormBuild polite present and past forms.

Practise Verbs as a Connected System

YoruLearn combines vocabulary recall with conjugation drills and sentence-level review so common verbs stay usable.

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