The three verb families: Godan, Ichidan, and Irregular

Unlock every conjugation in Japanese by identifying a verb's family: Godan (5-step / u-verbs), Ichidan (1-step / ru-verbs), or the two Irregulars (する and くる).

Unit 7· Verbs & Polite Forms(Part 1 of 8)JLPTN5

The Three Verb Families (五段 · 一段 · 変格)

Group 1: Godan (u-verb)

書(か)く

write (kak-u)

Group 2: Ichidan (ru-verb)

食(た)べる

eat (drop ru)

Group 3: Irregular

する · くる

do / come

kaku (Godan) · taberu (Ichidan) · suru / kuru (Irregular)

Japanese verbs are strictly divided into three predictable conjugation families.

Ichidan vs Godan Conjugation Mechanics

Micro-Shift

食べる(たべる) → 食べます(たべます)。

Simply drop る, add ます directlyEat → eat (polite).

Ichidan verbs end in -iru or -eru. Simply drop る and add ます directly.

Example Sentences

朝(あさ)ごはんbreakfast を食(た)べるeat よ
I'm going to eat breakfast!
Word Details →
水(みず)water を飲(の)む？drink
Want to drink water?
Word Details →

Verb Endings Matrix

8 rules

Form	Ending change	Example
Group 2 · Ichidan	るて	食べる食べて
Group 1 · Godan	う · つ · るって	買う買って
Group 1 · Godan	くいて	書く書いて
Group 1 · Godan	ぐいで	泳ぐ泳いで
Group 1 · Godan	すして	話す話して
Group 1 · Godan	ぬ · ぶ · むんで	飲む飲んで
Group 3 · Irregular	行くいって	行く行って
Group 3 · Irregular	する · くるして / きて	する / 来るして / きて

Mental Model: The Three Verb Families

Every single Japanese verb belongs to one of three groups. Knowing a verb's family tells you instantly how to conjugate it into past tense (〜た), negative (〜ない), polite (〜ます), potential (〜る), or requests (〜てください):

Group 2: 一段 (Ichidan / ru-verbs): The easiest group. The stem is rock-solid and never changes. Conjugating is frictionless: simply drop る and attach your ending! Examples: 食べる(たべる) → 食べます, 見る(みる) → 見ない, 起きる(おきる) → 起きた.
Group 1: 五段 (Godan / u-verbs): The dynamic five-step group. The final syllable shifts across the 5 vowel rows (A, I, U, E, O) of the kana chart depending on the grammar ending! Negative (A-row): 書かない(かかない) · Polite (I-row): 書きます(かきます) · Dictionary (U-row): 書く(かく) · Potential (E-row): 書ける(かける) · Volitional (O-row): 書こう(かこう).
Group 3: 不規則 (Irregular / 変格動詞): Strictly two verbs: する (to do) and 来る(くる) (to come).

The Two-Step Identification Algorithm

When you encounter a new verb in the dictionary, run this rapid mental test:

Step 1: Does the dictionary form end in る?
If NO (ends in う, く, ぐ, す, つ, ぬ, ぶ, む): It is 100% Godan! No exceptions exist (飲む, 話す, 待つ, 買う are all Godan).
If YES (ends in る): Proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Look at the vowel sound directly before る:
If the vowel is a, u, or o: It is Godan (分かる(わかる), 取る(とる)).
If the vowel is i or e: It is 90% Ichidan (食べる(たべる), 見る(みる), 教える(おしえる)).

The Traitor Verbs (The Stealth Godan List)

About 10% of verbs that end in i-ru or e-ru are historically Godan verbs. Memorize these five common traitors:

帰る(かえる) (to return home) — Godan! Polite: 帰ります(かえります), past: 帰った(かえった) (never *かえます).
入る(はいる) (to enter) — Godan! Polite: 入ります(はいります), past: 入った(はいった).
走る(はしる) (to run) — Godan! Polite: 走ります(はしります), past: 走った(はしった).
知る(しる) (to know) — Godan! Polite: 知ります(しります), past: 知った(しった).
切る(きる) (to cut) — Godan! Contrasts with 着る(きる) (“to wear”), which is regular Ichidan!

All the forms of one verb

Japanese	Meaning
飲むのむnomu	dictionary formplain present & future
飲みますのみますnomimasu	polite (〜ます)present & future
飲んでのんでnonde	て-formlinks actions — many patterns build on it
飲んだのんだnonda	past (〜た)plain speech — polite: 〜ました
飲まないのまないnomanai	negative (〜ない)plain speech — polite: 〜ません
飲みたいのみたいnomitai	want-to (〜たい)wanting to do it

Conversation

In Dialogue

Kenji
何時に起きます(おきます)か。
What time do you wake up?
Yuki
毎朝七時に起きます(おきます)。それから朝ごはんを食べます(たべます)。
I wake up at seven every morning. Then I eat breakfast.

Tips and Common Traps

Hana· Key point
The Ichidan quick test: Look at the vowel sound directly before final る. If it sounds like 'i' or 'e' (like 食べる(たべる) or 見る(みる)), it is almost always an Ichidan verb: drop る and attach your ending!
Maru· Common trap
Beware the False-Ru traps! A handful of super common verbs end in -iru or -eru but are secretly Godan (U-verbs)! Memorize the big 5: 帰る(かえる) (return), 入る(はいる) (enter), 走る(はしる) (run), 切る(きる) (cut), and 知る(しる) (know). Conjugate them as Godan: 帰ります, never *帰ます!

Quick Check

田中(たなか)さんは家(いえ)に____。(帰(かえ)る)Tanaka returns home. (Verb: 帰る)

How does the exception verb 帰る (かえる) conjugate into polite ます-form?