How Japanese verbs conjugate

The three groups

• Group 1, godan (五段). The last kana changes row: かく → かかない, かきます, かけば. Most verbs are here, including every verb that does not end in る.
• Group 2, ichidan (一段). Drop る and add the ending: たべる → たべない, たべます, たべれば.
• Irregular. Only する (to do, and every noun + する) and 来る (to come).

How to tell them apart

1. If the verb ends in anything other than る, it is godan.
2. If it ends in る and the kana before it is from the い row (い き し ち に ひ み り) or え row (え け せ て ね へ め れ), it is usually ichidan: たべる, みる, おきる.
3. If the kana before る is from the あ, う or お row, it is godan: とる, のる, ある.
4. A short list of verbs look ichidan but are godan. Learn these as exceptions.

Verbs that look ichidan but are godan

帰る入る切る走る知る要る減る蹴る喋る限る握る滑る参る焦る嘲る遮る覆る罵る陥る混じる捻る湿る茂る練る散る照る競る

One model verb per group