Japanese Verb Groups (1, 2, and 3)

In Japanese, all verbs are classified into one of three groups based on their dictionary (plain) form. Knowing which group a verb belongs to is crucial because it determines how it conjugates into polite forms, past tense, and negative forms. Group 1 verbs (Godan verbs) end in a 'u' sound in their dictionary form (such as 'u', 'ku', 'gu', 'su', 'tsu', 'nu', 'bu', 'mu', 'ru'). When conjugating to the polite form, this final vowel changes to an 'i' sound before adding '-masu' (e.g., 'iku' becomes 'ikimasu').

Group 2 verbs (Ichidan verbs) end in either '-iru' or '-eru' in their dictionary form (like 'taberu' or 'miru'). Conjugating Group 2 verbs is very simple: you just drop the final '-ru' and add the desired ending (e.g., 'taberu' becomes 'tabemasu'). Group 3 consists of only two irregular verbs: 'kuru' (to come) and 'suru' (to do). These verbs conjugate completely irregularly and must be memorized (e.g., 'suru' becomes 'shimasu', and 'kuru' becomes 'kimasu'). Mastering these verb groups is the foundation of Japanese conjugation.