Verbs are where sentences happen, and a small set of them carries most everyday Japanese. Learn these 50 and you'll be able to express the majority of basic actions. Each is listed with its verb group so you know how to conjugate it — G1 = u-verb, G2 = ru-verb, G3 = irregular. (New to groups? See verb conjugation basics.)
Irregular and motion verbs
| Verb | Reading | Meaning | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| する | する | to do | G3 |
| 来る | くる | to come | G3 |
| 行く | いく | to go | G1 |
| 帰る | かえる | to return home | G1 |
| 入る | はいる | to enter | G1 |
| 出る | でる | to exit, leave | G2 |
| 歩く | あるく | to walk | G1 |
| 走る | はしる | to run | G1 |
| 泳ぐ | およぐ | to swim | G1 |
| 立つ | たつ | to stand | G1 |
| 座る | すわる | to sit | G1 |
Everyday action verbs
| Verb | Reading | Meaning | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | たべる | to eat | G2 |
| 飲む | のむ | to drink | G1 |
| 見る | みる | to see, watch | G2 |
| 聞く | きく | to listen, ask | G1 |
| 話す | はなす | to speak | G1 |
| 読む | よむ | to read | G1 |
| 書く | かく | to write | G1 |
| 買う | かう | to buy | G1 |
| 売る | うる | to sell | G1 |
| 使う | つかう | to use | G1 |
| 作る | つくる | to make | G1 |
| 持つ | もつ | to hold, have | G1 |
| 取る | とる | to take | G1 |
| 待つ | まつ | to wait | G1 |
| 会う | あう | to meet | G1 |
| 送る | おくる | to send | G1 |
| 呼ぶ | よぶ | to call | G1 |
| 洗う | あらう | to wash | G1 |
Thinking, speaking, and knowing
| Verb | Reading | Meaning | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 言う | いう | to say | G1 |
| 思う | おもう | to think | G1 |
| 分かる | わかる | to understand | G1 |
| 知る | しる | to know | G1 |
| 考える | かんがえる | to think, consider | G2 |
| 答える | こたえる | to answer | G2 |
| 教える | おしえる | to teach | G2 |
| 覚える | おぼえる | to memorize, learn | G2 |
| 忘れる | わすれる | to forget | G2 |
Daily life and routine
| Verb | Reading | Meaning | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 起きる | おきる | to wake up, get up | G2 |
| 寝る | ねる | to sleep | G2 |
| 働く | はたらく | to work | G1 |
| 休む | やすむ | to rest | G1 |
| 住む | すむ | to live, reside | G1 |
| 遊ぶ | あそぶ | to play | G1 |
| 歌う | うたう | to sing | G1 |
| 開ける | あける | to open (something) | G2 |
| 閉める | しめる | to close (something) | G2 |
| 借りる | かりる | to borrow | G2 |
| 着る | きる | to wear | G2 |
| 死ぬ | しぬ | to die | G1 |
Learn them the right way
A verb list is a starting point, not a study plan. Two things turn these into verbs you can actually use:
- Learn each verb with its group, so conjugation (the て-form, past, negative) is never a guess.
- Meet them in real sentences with audio, so you learn how each verb is actually used — which particles it takes, what sounds natural.
Cotobara does exactly this: every verb comes with native audio and example sentences, and spaced repetition keeps it fresh, so the words and their conjugations become automatic. Build from here with the 50 most common words and essential N5 vocabulary.
Start Cotobara for free — learn the most useful verbs in context, with audio, and remember them.