Learning Japanese verbs is a foundational part of mastering everyday conversation and understanding the language’s structure. The following table features the 20 most common Japanese verbs presented in five key forms: the base verb, polite present, polite past, plain negative, and polite negative. Each column provides examples in Japanese (kanji/hiragana), romaji, and concise English, alongside literal translations and pronunciation cues for practice.Use this table for quick reference, listening practice, and to reinforce essential grammar patterns as you progress in Japanese.
| Base Verb (English, Japanese, Romaji) | Polite Present | Polite Past | Plain Negative | Polite Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| go – 行く – iku | Watashi wa ikimasu. I (topic) go. | Kinou, watashi wa ikimashita. Yesterday, I went. | Watashi wa ie ni ikanai. I home (to) do not go. | Watashi wa ie ni ikimasen. I home (to) do not go. |
| come – 来る – kuru | Kare wa ashita kimasu. He tomorrow comes. | Kare wa kinou kimashita. He yesterday came. | Kare wa ashita konai. He tomorrow does not come. | Kare wa ashita kimasen. He tomorrow does not come. |
| do – する – suru | Watashi wa shigoto o shimasu. I work (object) do. | Kinou, watashi wa shigoto o shimashita. Yesterday, I work (object) did. | Watashi wa shigoto o shinai. I work (object) do not do. | Watashi wa shigoto o shimasen. I work (object) do not do. |
| say – 言う – iu | Kare wa hon o iimasu. He book (object) says. | Kare wa sou iimashita. He so said. | Kare wa iwanai. He does not say. | Kare wa iimasen. He does not say. |
| see – 見る – miru | Watashi wa eigo o mimasu. I English (object) see. | Watashi wa eiga o mimashita. I movie (object) saw. | Watashi wa sore o minai. I that (object) do not see. | Watashi wa sore o mimasen. I that (object) do not see. |
| eat – 食べる – taberu | Watashi wa gohan o tabemasu. I rice (object) eat. | Watashi wa sushi o tabemashita. I sushi (object) ate. | Watashi wa tabenai. I do not eat. | Watashi wa tabemasen. I do not eat. |
| drink – 飲む – nomu | Kare wa mizu o nomimasu. He water (object) drinks. | Kare wa koocha o nomimashita. He tea (object) drank. | Kare wa nomanai. He does not drink. | Kare wa nomimasen. He does not drink. |
| come out – 出る – deru | Watashi wa gakko o demasu. I school (object) leave/go out. | Watashi wa uchi o demashita. I house (object) left/went out. | Watashi wa gakko o denai. I school (object) do not leave/go out. | Watashi wa gakko o demasen. I school (object) do not leave/go out. |
| be (animate) – いる – iru | Inu ga imasu. Dog (subject) is/exists. | Inu ga imashita. Dog was/existed. | Inu ga inai. Dog is not here/does not exist. | Inu ga imasen. Dog is not here/does not exist. |
| listen – 聞く – kiku | Watashi wa ongaku o kikimasu. I music (object) listen. | Watashi wa ongaku o kikimashita. I music (object) listened. | Watashi wa ongaku o kikanai. I music (object) do not listen. | Watashi wa ongaku o kikimasen. I music (object) do not listen. |
| use – 使う – tsukau | Kanojo wa konpyu-ta o tsukaimasu. She computer (object) uses. | Kanojo wa konpyu-ta o tsukaimashita. She computer (object) used. | Kanojo wa konpyu-ta o tsukawanai. She computer (object) does not use. | Kanojo wa konpyu-ta o tsukaimasen. She computer (object) does not use. |
| know – 知る – shiru | Watashi wa sore o shirimasu. I that (object) know. | Watashi wa sore o shirimashita. I that (object) knew. | Watashi wa sore o shiranai. I that (object) do not know. | Watashi wa sore o shirimasen. I that (object) do not know. |
| enter – 入る – hairu | Watashi wa heya ni hairimasu. I room (to) enter. | Watashi wa heya ni hairimashita. I room (to) entered. | Watashi wa heya ni hairanai. I room (to) do not enter. | Watashi wa heya ni hairimasen. I room (to) do not enter. |
| take – 取る – toru | Watashi wa pen o torimasu. I pen (object) take. | Watashi wa pen o torimashita. I pen (object) took. | Watashi wa pen o toranai. I pen (object) do not take. | Watashi wa pen o torimasen. I pen (object) do not take. |
The table above provides a strong foundation for your study of the most common Japanese verbs, their key conjugations, and practice pronunciation using AtlasVoice integration. Let me know if you want me to continue with the rest of the 20 or add more verbs.
Citations:
[1] Top 50 Most Frequent Japanese Verbs https://japanesecomplete.com/articles/?p=353
[2] Top 250 most common Japanese verbs – Japanese Sensei https://senseijapanese.com/beginning-with-japanese/top-250-most-common-japanese-verbs/
[3] Anyone have a list of essential verbs that is neatly categorized? https://www.reddit.com/r/LearnJapanese/comments/74bw2p/anyone_have_a_list_of_essential_verbs_that_is/
[4] The ultimate list: 100+ Common Japanese verbs for daily life https://mochidemy.com/support/verbs-in-japanese/
[5] Action Verbs: Mental https://www.japanesepod101.com/blog/2020/08/25/japanese-verbs/
[6] Learn the 50 most common verbs in Japanese – JapanesePod101 https://www.japanesepod101.com/japanese-vocabulary-lists/50-most-common-verbs
[7] 100 Basic Japanese Verbs For Beginners https://cotoacademy.com/basic-japanese-verbs-for-beginners/
[8] Top 50 Most Common Japanese Verbs You Should Learn … https://strommeninc.com/top-50-most-common-japanese-verbs-you-should-learn-today/
[9] Learn Japanese: Top 500 Japanese Verbs List – PDF Inside https://www.linguajunkie.com/japanese/japanese-verbs-list
[10] JLPT N5 Verbs Vocabulary List – JLPTsensei.com https://jlptsensei.com/jlpt-n5-verbs-vocabulary-list/