JLPT N5 Grammar: Verb Groups — Group 1, Group 2 & Irregular Verbs

JLPT N5 Grammar: Verb Groups

Q: Why is 帰る Group 1 and not Group 2?

Despite ending in ‑eru, 帰る is historically a godan verb. Its stem changes across all five vowels (帰ら・帰り・帰る・帰れ・帰ろう), which proves it's godan.

Q: Are there really only two irregular verbs?

Yes — する and 来る. However, 行く has an irregular て form (行って, not いいて). It's still Group 1 for all other conjugations.

Q: How can I tell if a new verb ending in ‑iru/‑eru is Group 1 or 2?

Check the complete fake ichidan list. If the verb isn't there, it's likely Group 2. The pattern: if two or more kana come before る, it's probably Group 1.

Group 1 (godan), Group 2 (ichidan), and irregular — how to identify and conjugate every verb

JLPTジェイエルピーティー N5エヌゴ文法ぶんぽう動詞どうしのグループーぷ (五段ごだん・一段いちだん・不規則ふきそく)

⏱️ Study time: 8–12 minutes

Every Japanese verb belongs to one of three groups. Knowing which group a verb belongs to is the key to all conjugation — ます form, て form, negative, past, and everything else. This guide teaches you how to identify verb groups at a glance, avoid the "fake ichidan" traps, and conjugate every verb correctly.

🚀 JLPT N5 Warm-up Quiz

Q: What is the stem (for ます form) of the verb 書かく (to write)?

Answer: B (書き). 書かく is a Group 1 (godan) verb. Its stem changes the final ‑く to ‑き → 書かき. Group 1 verbs shift through the five vowel rows (a‑i‑u‑e‑o), which is why they're called "godan" (five‑level).

⚡ The Three Verb Groups at a Glance

Group	Japanese Name	Key Feature	Examples
Group 1	Godan (五段ごだん)	Dictionary form ends in ‑u; stem changes across five vowel rows	書かく, 飲のむ, 話はなす, 買かう
Group 2	Ichidan (一段いちだん)	Ends in ‑iru or ‑eru; stem simply drops る	食たべる, 見みる, 起おきる, 寝ねる
Irregular	不規則ふきそく	Only two verbs; must be memorised	する, 来くる

Group 1 — Godan Verbs (u‑verbs)

Godan means "five levels". The final sound of the verb changes across all five vowel rows (a‑i‑u‑e‑o) depending on the conjugation. Their dictionary form always ends in a ‑u sound: ‑く, ‑ぐ, ‑す, ‑つ, ‑ぬ, ‑ぶ, ‑む, ‑る, or ‑う.

書かく (kaku)
to write
Stem: 書かき

飲のむ (nomu)
to drink
Stem: 飲のみ

話はなす (hanasu)
to speak
Stem: 話はなし

買かう (kau)
to buy
Stem: 買かい

The stem rule is: change the final ‑u to the corresponding ‑i row sound. ‑く → ‑き, ‑む → ‑み, ‑す → ‑し, ‑う → ‑い, ‑る → ‑り, etc.

Group 2 — Ichidan Verbs (ru‑verbs)

Ichidan means "one level". The stem stays the same — you simply drop the final る for any conjugation. Nearly all ichidan verbs end in ‑iru or ‑eru, but not all verbs ending in ‑iru/‑eru are ichidan (some are godan traps).

食たべる (taberu)
to eat
Stem: 食たべ

見みる (miru)
to see
Stem: 見み

起おきる (okiru)
to get up
Stem: 起おき

寝ねる (neru)
to sleep
Stem: 寝ね

The stem rule is: simply drop る. That's it — just one shape for all conjugations.

Irregular Verbs — する & 来くる

There are exactly two irregular verbs in modern Japanese. They must be memorised because their stems don't follow normal rules.

Verb	Dictionary	Stem (ます)	Polite Form
する	suru (to do)	し	します
来くる	kuru (to come)	来き (ki)	来きます (kimasu)

Note: する also forms hundreds of compound verbs like 勉強べんきょうする (to study), 散歩さんぽする (to take a walk) — all follow the same irregular pattern.

⚠️ Complete "Fake Ichidan" Exception List

These verbs look like Group 2 (they end in ‑iru or ‑eru), but they are actually Group 1 (godan). Their stems follow the godan pattern, not the ichidan pattern. All N5 learners must memorise these.

Verb	Dictionary	Looks like	Actually	Stem (ます)	Polite Form
帰かえる	kaeru	Group 2	Group 1	帰かえり	帰かえります
切きる	kiru	Group 2	Group 1	切きり	切きります
知しる	shiru	Group 2	Group 1	知しり	知しります
入はいる	hairu	Group 2	Group 1	入はいり	入はいります
走はしる	hashiru	Group 2	Group 1	走はしり	走はしります
要いる	iru	Group 2	Group 1	要いり	要いります
減へる	heru	Group 2	Group 1	減へり	減へります
限かぎる	kagiru	Group 2	Group 1	限かぎり	限かぎります
滑すべる	suberu	Group 2	Group 1	滑すべり	滑すべります
練ねる	neru	Group 2	Group 1	練ねり	練ねります

💡 Memory tip: Almost all godan verbs whose dictionary form has two or more kana before the final る (e.g., かえ.る, はい.る, はし.る) are Group 1. Verbs with one kana before る (e.g., 見みる, 寝ねる) are usually Group 2 — but 切きる and 練ねる are the main exceptions to that pattern.

📊 Complete Polite Conjugation by Verb Group

This table shows every verb group with its stem rule and all four polite forms. Use it as a reference to check your conjugation work.

Group	Dictionary	Stem	ます	ません	ました	ませんでした
Group 1 (godan) ‑u → ‑i	書かく (write)	書かき	書かきます	書かきません	書かきました	書かきませんでした
	飲のむ (drink)	飲のみ	飲のみます	飲のみません	飲のみました	飲のみませんでした
	話はなす (speak)	話はなし	話はなします	話はなしません	話はなしました	話はなしませんでした
	買かう (buy)	買かい	買かいます	買かいません	買かいました	買かいませんでした
	帰かえる (return) ⚠️	帰かえり	帰かえります	帰かえりません	帰かえりました	帰かえりませんでした
Group 2 (ichidan) drop る	食たべる (eat)	食たべ	食たべます	食たべません	食たべました	食たべませんでした
	見みる (see)	見み	見みます	見みません	見みました	見みませんでした
	起おきる (get up)	起おき	起おきます	起おきません	起おきました	起おきませんでした
	寝ねる (sleep)	寝ね	寝ねます	寝ねません	寝ねました	寝ねませんでした
Irregular memorise	する (do)	し	します	しません	しました	しませんでした
Irregular memorise	来くる (come)	来き (ki)	来きます	来きません	来きました	来きませんでした

📝 The three stem rules in one sentence: Group 1: change final ‑u to ‑i row • Group 2: drop る • Irregular: memorise し and 来き (ki) — that's it!

🔍 How to Identify a Verb's Group Quickly

Step	Check	Result
1	Is it する or 来くる?	→ Irregular — Memorise
2	Does it end in ‑iru or ‑eru?	→ Likely Group 2 (Warning: check the fake ichidan list above)
3	Otherwise	→ Group 1 (godan)

Common Mistakes (and Fixes)

✕ Treating 帰かえる as a Group 2 verb → かえます

✓ 帰かえる is Group 1 → 帰かえります (kaerimasu)

✕ Conjugating する as a Group 1 verb → すります

✓ する is irregular → します (shimasu)

✕ 来くる's ます form as "くるます"

✓ 来くる → 来きます (kimasu); stem is き, not くる

✕ Conjugating 入はいる as Group 2 → はいます

✓ 入はいる is on the fake ichidan list → 入はいります (hairimasu)

JLPT N5 Practice Questions

Score: 0 / 3

1. Which group is 食たべる (taberu)?

2. Which verb is an irregular "fake ichidan" (godan)?

3. What is the ません form of 買かう (to buy)?

🎯 JLPT N5 tip: Verb group identification is tested in almost every question involving conjugation. If you can't tell a verb's group, you can't conjugate it correctly. Memorise the complete fake ichidan list above — these traps appear every year and are the most common source of conjugation errors.

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Taught by Anup Sensei at Gogaku Language & Training Center in Pokhara. With real Japan experience and a focus on exam essentials, he helps students pass the JLPT with confidence.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 帰かえる Group 1 and not Group 2?

Despite ending in ‑eru, 帰かえる is historically a godan verb. Its stem changes across all five vowels (帰かえら・帰かえり・帰かえる・帰かえれ・帰かえろう), which proves it's godan. It's on the fake ichidan list you must memorise.

Are there really only two irregular verbs?

Yes — する and 来くる. However, 行いく (iku) has an irregular て form (行いって, not いいて). Some textbooks call this a "semi‑irregular", but it's still Group 1 for all other conjugations.

How can I tell if a new verb ending in ‑iru/‑eru is Group 1 or 2?

Check the complete fake ichidan list above. If the verb isn't there, it's likely Group 2. The pattern: if two or more kana come before る (e.g., かえ.る), it's probably Group 1. When in doubt, look it up.

Continue Learning

Next: ます (masu) — the polite verb form.

Learn ます →

→ Explore the JLPT N5 Grammar Hub

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