Basic Japanese Verbs

Verbs describe movement or action. You’ll need them whenever you want to talk about what you, somebody or something else does, did or wants to do. Essential stuff. Memorize the verbs below and you’ll be well equipped for most basic Japanese conversations.

Contents

Learn the Top 25 Must-Know Japanese Verbs
Important verbs
Vocabulary trainer: Basic Verbs in Japanese
Special Slang Verbs
More Japanese lessons

This lesson is part of the chapter “Learning Japanese“.

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Learn the Top 25 Must-Know Japanese Verbs

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Important verbs

English	Japanese	Japanese (Hiragana)	Japanese (Romanization)
(to) be	ある	ある	aru
(to) have	持っている	もっている	motte iru
(to) do / (to) make	する	する	suru
can / (to) know how to	出来る	できる	dekiru
(to) know (how)	知る	しる	shiru
(to) know / (to) be acquainted with	知っている	しっている	shitte iru
(to) understand	理解する	りかいする	rikai suru
(to) speak / (to) talk	話す	はなす	hanasu
(to) listen to	聴く	きく	kiku
(to) hear	聞く	きく	kiku
(to) see	見る	みる	miru
(to) feel	感じる	かんじる	kanjiru
(to) live	住む	すむ	sumu
(to) want	欲しい	ほしい	hoshii
(to) need	必要とする	ひつようとする	hitsuyou tosuru
(to) like	好き	すき	suki
(to) love	愛する	あいする	ai suru
(to) give	与える	あたえる	ataeru
(to) take	取る	とる	toru
(to) play	遊ぶ	あそぶ	asobu
(to) laugh	笑う	わらう	warau
(to) come	来る	くる	kuru
(to) go	行く	いく	iku
(to) go by […] (e.g. by car)	通り過ぎる	とおりすぎる	toori sugiru
(to) write	書く	かく	kaku
(to) read	読む	よむ	yomu
(to) count	数える	かぞえる	kazoeru
(to) pronounce	発音する	はつおんする	hatsuon suru
(to) spell	書き出す	かきだす	kakidasu
(to) conjugate	変化させる	へんかさせる	henka saseru
(to) remember	思い出す	おもいだす	omoidasu
(to) forget	忘れる	わすれる	wasureru
(to) eat	食べる	たべる	taberu
(to) try	試す	ためす	tamesu
(to) use	使う	つかう	tsukau
(to) open	開ける	あける	akeru
(to) close	閉める	しめる	shimeru
(to) greet / (to) welcome	挨拶する	あいさつする	aisatsu suru
(to) begin	始まる	はじまる	hajimaru
(to) end	終わる	おわる	owaru

Vocabulary trainer: Basic Verbs in Japanese

How do you say
(to) go by […] (e.g. by car)
in Japanese?

Correct answers: 0Wrong answers: 0

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Special Slang Verbs

Created by Japanesepod101.com

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