Godan Verbs 五段活用動詞
In this lesson, we will learn about the godan verb class, commonly known as “u-verbs” due to all such verbs ending in /-u/. Although the means by which these verbs conjugate is no different than ichidan verbs, the bases of godan verbs look very different. In addition to this, sound changes occur with certain conjugations. Half of all verbs fall into this class, so learning these rules will be crucial.
Before we get into new content, let’s recap on important terminology we have discussed thus far which will be relevant to the overall topic of this lesson.
- Verb: A word that describes an action, state, or occurrence. It may constitute the predicate at the end of a sentence or be part of a noun-predicate when used as a participle/modifier.
- Predicate: The part of a sentence that makes a statement about the subject.
- Intransitive Verb: A verb that only takes a subject and does not take an object. Abbreviated in definitions as “intr.”
- Transitive Verb: A verb that takes both a subject and an object. Abbreviated in definitions as “trans.”
- Auxiliary: An ending that helps construct verbal conjugations.
- Object: A noun that is directed by the main verb of the sentence.
- Direct Object: A word that receives the action of the main verb of the sentence.
- Case Particle: A particle that denotes a particular grammatical function/case.
- Base: One of the six forms that a verb may take which is then followed by endings (auxiliaries, etc.).
- Terminal/Predicative Form: Known in Japanese as the Shūshikei 終止形, it marks the end of a complete sentence/the predicate.
- Attributive Form: Known in Japanese as the Rentaikei 連体形, it is used to make a verb, adjective, etc. into a modifier that goes directly before a noun.
- Basic Form: The basic form of any given phrase is utilized in plain speech and in many grammatical circumstances. The basic form encompasses both the predicative and the attributive forms in the context of verbs and adjectives.
- Godan Verb: The Japanese name for this class relates to how all five vowels are present among the bases of said verbs, which is in contrast to ichidan verbs which only display one vowel in all their bases.
The Basic/Non-Past Form
五段活用動詞の基本形・非過去形
As we previously learned, the non-past tense of a verb stands for either the present tense or future tense, but it also corresponds to the English “infinitive form (the “to” or “dictionary” form)” of verbs. While no conjugation occurs to make the non-past in plain speech, the basic form (基本形) and its two iterations—the predicative form (終止形) and the attributive form (連体形)—are still in play.
Godan verbs differ from ichidan verbs by the stem ending in a consonant as opposed to a vowel. There are 9 possible consonants that can end the stem, each constituting a sub-type within godan verbs.
| Sub-Type | Meaning | Basic Form | Stem |
| K-Type カ行 | to write | 書く | kak- |
| G-Type ガ行 | to swim | 泳ぐ | oyog– |
| S-Type サ行 | to talk/speak | 話す | hanas– |
| T-Type タ行 | to win | 勝つ | kat– |
| N-Type ナ行 | to die | 死ぬ | shin– |
| B-Type バ行 | to choose | 選ぶ | erab– |
| M-Type マ行 | to read | 読む | yom– |
| R-Type ラ行 | to change (intr.) | 変わる | kawar– |
| W-Type ワ行 | to buy | 買う | kaw– |
The Japanese naming convention for the 9 sub-types refers to the first mora of each type’s respective “row” in the Table of 50 Sounds (五十音図).
There are a few anomalies that can be gleaned from this chart.
The first thing to take note of is the existence of /w/ in the stems of w-type godan verbs. The /w/ does surface in some conjugations, but it is thought that at one point, it would have appeared in all the bases of these verbs1.
The second thing to take note of is that the verb /shinu/ meaning “to die” is the only verb in Standard Japanese that ends in /nu/. As such, its conjugations will always be specifically noted out of necessity, not out of a need to sound morbid.
1. 小説を書く。
To write a novel.
2. いつか死ぬ。
To one-day die.
3. 世界が変わる。
The world will change.
4. 美味しい食べ物を買う。
To buy delicious food.
The Polite Non-Past Form w/ ～ます
非過去の丁寧形 （～ます）
It is time to learn how the auxiliary verb ～ます works with godan verbs. Although it always attaches to the “continuative form” (連用形), this base looks different with godan verbs. This is because each base of a godan verb corresponds to a different vowel that follows the stem to form it. To create the continuative form, the stem is followed by /i/.
| Sub-Type | Stem + /i/ =Continuative Form | + -～ます | Meaning |
| K-Type | kak– + /i/ → kaki– | 書きます | (does/will) write |
| G-Type | oyog– + /i/ → oyogi– | 泳ぎます | (does/will) swim |
| S-Type | hanas– + /i/ → hanashi– | 話します | (does/will) talk |
| T-Type | kat– + /i/ → kachi– | 勝ちます | (does/will) win |
| N-Type | shin– + /i/ → shini– | 死にます | (does/will) die |
| B-Type | erab– +/i/ → erabi– | 選びます | (does/will) choose |
| M-Type | yom– + /i/ → yomi– | 読みます | (does/will) read |
| R-Type | kawar– + /i/ → kawari– | 変わります | (does/will) change (intr.) |
| W-Type | kaw– + /i/ → kai– | 買います | (does/will) buy |
Grammar Note: Remember that the attributive form of ～ます is not grammatical in basic polite speech, and so it cannot be placed before a noun.
5. 私はいつもパチンコで勝ちます。
I always win at pachinko.
6. 日本が変わります。
Japan will change.
7. スペイン語を話します。
I speak Spanish.
8. よくマンガを読みます。
I often read manga.
9. 全員死にます。
Everyone dies/will die.
The Plain Past Form w/ ～た
常体語における過去形（～た）
To form the past tense in plain speech for godan verbs, the past tense marking auxiliary verb ～た still attaches to the continuative form (連用形)2, but the final consonant of the stem often irregularly undergoes a sound change. The sound change that occurs depends on the sub-type.
■K-Type Godan Verbs
- With the verb in its continuative form, drop the /k/ in the stem, then add ～た.
| Basic Form | Conjugation Process | Plain Past Tense w/ ～た |
| kaku 書く (to write) | ka | 書いた (wrote) |
■G-Type Godan Verbs
- With the verb in its continuative form, drop the /g/ in the stem, then add ～だ.
～た becomes voiced to compensate for /g/ being voiced.
| Basic Form | Conjugation Process | Plain Past Tense w/ ～た |
| 泳ぐ (to swim) | oyo | 泳いだ (swam) |
■S-Type Godan Verbs
- With the verb in its continuative form, add ～た. No irregularity occurs.
| Basic Form | Conjugation Process | Plain Past Tense w/ ～た |
| 話す | hanashi– + – /ta/ → hanashita | 話した (spoke) |
■N/B/M-Type Godan Verbs
- With the verb in its continuative form, drop the /i/ which makes said continuative form3, then add ～だ. The final consonant of the stem—[n~b~m]—becomes [n] to match the articulation of /d/.
| Basic Form | Conjugation Process | Plain Past Tense w/ ～た |
| 死ぬ | shin | 死んだ (died) |
| 選ぶ | erab | 選んだ (chose) |
| 読む | yom | 読んだ (read) |
■T/R/W-Type Godan Verbs
- With the verb in its continuative form, drop the /i/ which makes said continuative form4, then add ～た. In turn, the final consonant of the stem—[t~r~w]—becomes っ to match the articulation of [t].
| Basic Form | Conjugation Process | Plain Past Tense w/ –ta た |
| 勝つ | kat | 勝った |
| 変わる | kawar | 変わった |
| 買う | ka(w) | 買った |
To familiarize yourself with these conjugation rules, consider the following verbs.
| Sub-Type | Basic Form | Plain Past Tense w/ ～た |
| K-Type | 聞く (to listen/hear) | 聞いた (listened/heard) |
| G-Type | 急ぐ (to hurry) | 急いだ (hurried) |
| S-Type | 貸す (to lend) | 貸した (lent) |
| T-Type | 待つ (to wait) | 待った (waited) |
| N-Type | 死ぬ (to die) | 死んだ (died) |
| B-Type | 遊ぶ (to play) | 遊んだ (played) |
| M-Type | 休む (to rest) | 休んだ (rested) |
| R-Type | 売る (to sell) | 売った (sold) |
| W-Type | 歌う (to sing) | 歌った (sang) |
| K-Type※ | 行く (to go) | 行った※ (went) |
| W-Type※ | 言う (to say) | 言った※ (said) |
※ The verb 行く is irregular, as it conjugates like a t/r/w-type godan verb: 行いた5 X → 行った 〇.
※ The verb 言う is irregular not because of how ～た combines with it, but because of how both いった and ゆった are valid pronunciations, with the latter being indicative of casual speech.
10. アニソンを歌った。
I sang an anime song.
11. 悪口を言った人
Person who said slander
12. バターを売った。
I sold butter.
13. お金を貸した。
I lent money.
14. その黄色い鳥が死んだ。
That yellow bird died.
15. 図書館に行った。
I went to the library.
16. うわさを聞いた。
I heard a rumor.
17. 学校を休んだ。
I took off from school.
The Polite Past Form w/ ～ました
丁寧語における過去形（～ました）
Conjugating godan verbs into the past tense in polite speech is far easier than in plain speech because ～ます conjugates with ～た, resulting in ～ました, which as a whole still follows the continuative form (連用形) normally.
| Sub-Type | Basic Form | Plain Tense w/ ～ました |
| K-Type | 書く (to write) | 書きました (wrote) |
| G-Type | 嗅ぐ (to smell) | 嗅ぎました (smelled) |
| S-Type | 直す (to fix) | 直しました (fixed) |
| T-Type | 打つ (to hit/type) | 打ちました (hit/typed) |
| N-Type | 死ぬ (to die) | 死にました (died) |
| B-Type | 運ぶ (to transport) | 運びました (transported) |
| M-Type | 進む (to advance) (intr.) | 進みました (advanced) (intr.) |
| R-Type | 凍る (to freeze) (intr.) | 凍りました (froze) (intr.) |
| W-Type | 思う (to think) | 思いました (thought) |
| K-Type* | 行く (to go) | 行きました (went) |
| W-Type* | 言う (to say) | 言いました (said) |
18. 好きな香りを嗅ぎました。
I smelled a scent that I like.
19. タイプミスを直しました。
I fixed the typo(s).
20. 祖母は去年死にました。
My grandmother died last year.
21. 竹を運びました。
I carried/transported bamboo.
22. 同じことを思いました。
I thought the same thing.
The Plain Negative Form w/～ない
常体語における否定形（～ない）
To create the plain negative form with godan verbs, the auxiliary ～ない follows the irrealis form (未然形), which is made by following the stem with the vowel /a/. As for w-type godan verbs, /w/ is pronounced because /wa/ is a valid mora.
| Sub-Type | Basic Form | Irrealis Form | Plain Negative w/ ～ない |
| K-Type | 働く (to work) | Hataraka- | 働かない (does/will not work) |
| G-Type | 嗅ぐ (to smell) | Kaga- | 嗅がない (does/will not smell) |
| S-Type | 直す (to fix) | Naosa- | 直さない (does/will not fix) |
| T-Type | 撃つ (to shoot) | Uta- | 撃たない (does/will not shoot) |
| N-Type | 死ぬ (to die) | Shina- | 死なない (does/will not die) |
| B-Type | 叫ぶ (to shout) | Sakeba- | 叫ばない (does/will not shout) |
| M-Type | 噛む (to bite) | Kama- | 噛まない (does/will not bite) |
| R-Type | 帰る (to go home) | Kaera- | 帰らない (does/will not go home) |
| W-Type | 思う (to think) | Omowa- | 思わない (does/will not think) |
| K-Type* | 行く (to go) | Ika- | 行かない (does/will not go) |
| W-Type* | 言う (to say) | Iwa- | 言わない (does/will not say) |
Irregularity Note: Though not shown in the chart above, there is one r-type godan verb that is irregular with the auxiliary adjective ～ない: the verb ある, meaning “there is…” in contexts with inanimate entities. In the plain negative form, ない simply replaces ある altogether, in which it translates as “there is not…” Consequently, あらない does not exist.
23. 今夜は帰らない。
I won’t go home tonight.
24. うちの猫は、人には絶対に噛まない。
My cat doesn’t ever bite people.
25. 何も言わない。
I won’t say anything.
26. 風邪薬は風邪を治さない。
Cold medicine won’t cure a cold.
The Polite Negative Forms
(～ません or ～ないです)
丁寧語における否定形（～ません・ないです）
Godan verbs possess the same two polite negative form constructions as ichidan verbs. The only difference is how their bases look. With that, the methods are summarized as follows:
- Method 1: Attach the politeness marking auxiliary ～ます to the continuative form (連用形) of the verb—which ends in /i/—then attach the auxiliary verb ～ん to the irrealis form (未然形) of ～ます (ませ～).
- Method 2: Attach the negative marking auxiliary ～ない to the irrealis form (未然形) of the verb—which ends in /a/—then attach the politeness marking auxiliary ～です to the terminal/predicative form (終止形) of ～ない (ない～).
Method 1: ～ません (Proper Polite Form)
| Sub-Type | Basic Form | Polite Negative (Politer) |
| K-Type | 書く (to write) | 書きません (doesn’t/won’t write) |
| G-Type | 泳ぐ (to swim) | 泳ぎません (doesn’t/won’t swim) |
| S-Type | 示す (to show) | 示しません(doesn’t/won’t show) |
| T-Type | 勝つ (to win) | 勝ちません (doesn’t/won’t win) |
| N-Type | 死ぬ (to die) | 死にません (doesn’t/won’t die) |
| B-Type | 喜ぶ (to rejoice) | 喜びません (doesn’t/won’t rejoice) |
| M-Type | 畳む (to fold) | 畳みません (doesn’t/won’t fold) |
| R-Type | 掘る (to dig) | 掘りません (doesn’t/won’t dig) |
| W-Type | 習う (to review) | 習いません (doesn’t/won’t review) |
| K-Type* | 行く (to go) | 行きません (doesn’t/won’t go) |
| W-Type* | 言う (to say) | 言いません (doesn’t/won’t say) |
Method 2: ～ないです (Casual Polite Form)6
| Sub-Type | Basic Form | Polite Negative (Casual) |
| K-Type | 動く (to move) (intr.) | 動かないです (doesn’t/won’t move) (intr.) |
| G-Type | 泳ぐ (to swim) | 泳がないです (doesn’t/won’t swim) |
| S-Type | 刺す (to stab) | 刺さないです (doesn’t/won’t stab) |
| T-Type | 立つ (to stand) | 立たないです (doesn’t/won’t stand) |
| N-Type | 死ぬ (to die) | 死なないです (doesn’t/won’t die) |
| B-Type | 学ぶ (to learn) | 学ばないです (doesn’t/won’t learn) |
| M-Type | 飲む (to drink) | 飲まないです (doesn’t/won’t drink) |
| R-Type | 祈る (to pray) | 祈らないです (doesn’t/won’t pray) |
| W-Type | 吸う (to smoke) | 吸わないです (doesn’t/won’t smoke) |
| K-Type* | 行く (to go) | 行かないです (doesn’t/won’t go) |
| W-Type* | 言う (to say) | 言わないです (doesn’t/won’t say) |
27. 夫がまったく働きません。
My husband won’t work at all.
28. 僕は死にません！ (Male speech)
I won’t die!
29. 私はまだ帰りません。
I’m not going home yet.
30. 匂いもたまらない7です。
I can’t get enough of the smell.
31. 明日は行かないです。
I’m not going tomorrow.
32. 包丁はあんまり使わないですね。
I don’t often use kitchen knives, you see.
The Plain Negative Past Form (～なかった)
To conjugate a godan verb into its negative past form, first conjugate the verb into its irrealis form (未然形) ending in the vowel /a/ and attach ～なかった, which as we have learned is the combination of the negative auxiliary adjective ～ない and the past tense auxiliary verb ～た.
| Sub-Type | Basic Form | Plain Negative Past (Casual) |
| K-Type | 聞く (to hear/listen) | 聞かなかった (didn’t hear/listen) |
| G-Type | 嗅ぐ (to smell) | 嗅がなかった (didn’t smell) |
| S-Type | 離す (to separate) | 離さなかった (didn’t separate) |
| T-Type | 立つ (to stand) | 立たなかった (didn’t stand) |
| N-Type | 死ぬ (to die) | 死ななかった (didn’t die) |
| B-Type | 並ぶ (to line up) (intr.) | 並ばなかった (didn’t line up) |
| M-Type | 噛む (to bite) | 噛まなかった (didn’t bite) |
| R-Type | 切る (to cut) | 切らなかった (didn’t cut) |
| W-Type | 戦う (to fight) | 戦わなかった (didn’t fight) |
| K-Type* | 行く (to go) | 行かなかった (didn’t go) |
| W-Type* | 言う (to say) | 言わなかった (didn’t say) |
33. ワニが動かなかった。
The crocodile didn’t move.
34. とどめを刺さなかった。
I didn’t put an end to it.
35. ハリー・ポッターは死ななかった。
Harry Potter didn’t die.
36. 爪を噛まなかった。
I didn’t bite my nails
The Polite Negative Past Forms
(～ませんでした or ～なかったです)
丁寧語における過去の否定形（～ませんでした・なかったです）
As there is nothing irregular with how the polite marker auxiliary ～ます behaves with godan verbs, you are already familiar with the principles behind how the polite negative forms are created with them.
- Method 1: Attach the politeness marking auxiliary ～ます to the continuative form (連用形) of the verb—which ends in /i/—then attach the auxiliary verb ～ん to the irrealis form (未然形) of ～ます (ませ～). Then, attach ～でした to the attributive form (連体形) of ～ん (ん～).
- Method 2: Attach the negative marking auxiliary ～ない to the irrealis form (未然形) of the verb—which ends in /a/—then attach the past tense marking auxiliary ～た to the continuative form (連用形) of ～ない (なかり～). Then, attach です to the terminal/predicative form (終止形) of ～た (た～).
Method 1: ～ませんでした (Proper Polite Form)
| Sub-Type | Basic Form | Polite Negative-Past (Politer) |
| K-Type | 描く (to draw) | 描きませんでした (didn’t draw) |
| G-Type | 泳ぐ (to swim) | 泳ぎませんでした (didn’t swim) |
| S-Type | 話す (to talk/speak) | 話しませんでした (didn’t talk/speak) |
| T-Type | 待つ (to wait) | 待ちませんでした (didn’t wait) |
| N-Type | 死ぬ (to die) | 死にませんでした (didn’t die) |
| B-Type | 呼ぶ (to call) | 呼びませんでした (didn’t call) |
| M-Type | 読む (to read) | 読みませんでした (didn’t read) |
| R-Type | 触る (to touch) | 触りませんでした (didn’t touch) |
| W-Type | 笑う (to laugh) | 笑いませんでした (didn’t laugh) |
| K-Type* | 行く (to go) | 行きませんでした (didn’t go) |
| W-Type* | 言う (to say) | 言いませんでした (didn’t say) |
Method 2: ～なかったです (Casual Polite Form)
| Sub-Type | Basic Form | Polite Negative Past Form (Casual) |
| K-Type | 届く (to arrive) (intr.) | 届かなかったです (didn’t arrive) (intr.) |
| G-Type | 泳ぐ (to swim) | 泳がなかったです (didn’t swim) |
| S-Type | 殺す (to kill) | 殺さなかったです (didn’t kill) |
| T-Type | 立つ (to stand) | 立たなかったです (didn’t stand) |
| N-Type | 死ぬ (to die) | 死ななかったです (didn’t die) |
| B-Type | 呼ぶ (to call) | 呼ばなかったです (didn’t call) |
| M-Type | 読む (to read) | 読まなかったです (didn’t read) |
| R-Type | 蹴る (to kick) | 蹴らなかったです (didn’t kick) |
| W-Type | 会う (to meet) | 会わなかったです (didn’t meet) |
| K-Type* | 行く (to go) | 行かなかったです (didn’t go) |
| W-Type* | 言う (to say) | 言わなかったです (didn’t say) |
37. 薬を飲みませんでした。
I didn’t take (the) medicine.
38. 商品が届きませんでした。
Items didn’t arrive.
39. カニは死にませんでした。
The crab didn’t die.
40. タバコを吸いませんでした。
I didn’t smoke.
41. 彼女は本を読まなかったです。
She didn’t read the book.
42. 誰も死ななかったです。
No one died.
43. あまり話さなかったです。
I didn’t talk/speak much.
- Because [wi], [wu], [we], [wo] are no longer valid morae and must be rendered as [i], [u], [e], and [o] wherever /w/ would otherwise appear, it is logical to instead state that the /w/ is still there but silent. ↩︎
- The continuative form of all verbs is formed by attaching /i/ to the stem. In the case of godan verbs, this is very apparent as their stems end in consonants, and we recognize the continuative form of the verb for ending in /i/. This technicality helps distinguish the stem sound changes from cases of base irregularity. ↩︎
- The omission of /i/ in the continuative form of n/b/m-type godan verbs is a case of base irregularity, and it is this base irregularity which triggers the final consonant in the stem of these verbs to then assimilate in articulation with the [t] in ～た, but [t] becomes [d] becomes of the nasality of [n~b~m]. ↩︎
- The omission of /i/ in the continuative form of t/r/w-type godan verbs is also a case of base irregularity. The appearance of っ can be viewed as a simplification of what would otherwise result in consonant clusters. While consonant clusters are not allowed, geminate consonants are, which is why the final consonant in the stem of these verbs is said to assimilate in articulation with the [t] in ～た. ↩︎
- In some dialects, 行いた does exist, but this is not an accepted form in Standard Japanese. ↩︎
- As opposed to its appearance with copular/adjectival structures, ～ないです with verbs, despite its proliferate usage in colloquial Japanese, is deemed unnatural to approximately 1 out 3 people. However, this figure is rapidly decreasing, and using it should not hinder your speech from sounding ungrammatical among friends. That being said, though, with it still being a colloquialism, it is not deemed proper in writing, even among those who use it in conversation regularly. The same can be said for ～なかったです with verbs. ↩︎
- 堪（たま）る literally means “to endure,” and when used in the negative, it describes a situation the speaker does not resist because it is so irresistible. ↩︎