The most common Japanese verbs: 100 to learn first

100 common Japanese verbs

Verbs are in dictionary form, the form a dictionary lists and the one used in casual speech. Some English verbs are not verbs in Japanese: 欲しい (want) is an adjective and 好き (like) is a noun-adjective; the second section explains. This is the verbs pack the Contos web app uses for flashcard review.

How do you make the polite ます form?

Every verb in the list belongs to one of three groups, and the group decides how ます attaches. Ru-verbs (most verbs ending in -iru or -eru) drop る: 食べる → 食べます. U-verbs change their final -u to -i: 飲む → 飲みます, 待つ → 待ちます. The two irregular verbs are する → します and 来る → 来ます (kimasu).

Watch for u-verbs that look like ru-verbs. 走る (hashiru), 入る (hairu), 知る (shiru) and 切る (kiru, to cut) all end in -iru but take -ります: 走ります, 入ります, 切ります. 着る (kiru, to wear) is a normal ru-verb, so it becomes 着ます. The two kiru verbs sound the same and only the kanji and the ます form tell them apart.

Which entries need care: あげる, 知る, 欲しい and 好き

Giving depends on direction. あげる (ageru) is giving away from you or between other people. When someone gives to you, or to the person whose eyes the story sees through, Japanese uses くれる (kureru), which is not in this list but is just as common.

知る (shiru) means to find out. To say you know something, use 知っています; to say you don't, use 知りません, not 知っていません.

• 欲しい (hoshii, want) is an adjective for wanting a thing: 水が欲しい, I want water. To want to do something, add たい to the verb: 行きたい, I want to go.
• 好き (suki, like) is a noun-adjective: 猫が好きです, I like cats. The thing you like takes が.
• です (desu), the list's "to be", is the polite way to say "A is B": 学生です, I'm a student. Casual speech uses だ, and writing uses である. "There is" is a different verb: いる or ある.
• ある (aru), the list's "to have", is literally "there is": 時間があります, I have time. For people and animals it becomes いる: 兄がいます, I have an older brother. To hold or carry something is 持つ (motsu): 傘を持っています, I've got an umbrella with me.
• 着る (kiru) is for clothes on the top half or the whole body. Trousers, skirts and shoes take はく (haku); hats take かぶる (kaburu).
• 要る (iru, to need) takes が for the thing needed: 傘が要ります, I need an umbrella. 〜が必要です means the same; 必要とする is written style. 要る sounds like いる (to be) but conjugates as a u-verb: 要ります, not 要ます.

する verbs: a noun plus "do"

Fourteen verbs in the list are a noun followed by する: 勉強する is study + do, 電話する is phone call + do. They all conjugate like する itself, so learning one teaches you all fourteen. Most can also take を between the noun and する: 勉強をする means the same as 勉強する.