JLPT2026.11.11日本語で読む

JLPT N5: 27 Essential Japanese Verbs to Learn First

The core JLPT N5 verbs, grouped by situation, with readings, verb groups, polite forms, meanings, and example sentences.

Contents

The three verb groups
Verbs for going places
Verbs for everyday actions
Verbs for existence and states
Common mistakes
Tips for remembering them
Summary

These are the basic verbs that come up again and again on the JLPT N5. I have grouped them into three situations. Each one comes with its reading, verb group, polite ます form, English meaning, and a short example sentence.

There are roughly 100 verbs at N5, but you don't need all of them on day one. Start by getting these 27 down well enough to say each example sentence from memory.

The three verb groups

Japanese verbs fall into three groups based on how they conjugate. Which group a verb belongs to decides how you build its ます form and て form.

Group	How to spot it	Examples
Group 1 (godan / u-verbs)	Everything that isn't group 2 or 3. Ends in う, く, す, つ, ぬ, む, る, and so on	行く → 行きます、飲む → 飲みます
Group 2 (ichidan / ru-verbs)	Usually ends in -いる or -える. Drop る and add ます	食べる → 食べます、見る → 見ます
Group 3 (irregular)	Only two verbs: する and 来る	する → します、来る → 来ます

Verbs for going places

Verbs for going, coming, entering, and leaving. Learn each one together with its particle (に for a destination, を for the place you leave) and you will rarely get stuck in conversation.

Verb	Reading	Group	ます form	Meaning	Example
行く	いく	1	行きます	go	学校に行く。(I go to school.)
来る	くる	3	来ます（きます）	come	友達が来る。(My friend comes.)
帰る	かえる	1	帰ります	return home	家に帰る。(I go home.)
入る	はいる	1	入ります	enter	部屋に入る。(I enter the room.)
出る	でる	2	出ます	leave / go out	家を出る。(I leave the house.)
乗る	のる	1	乗ります	ride / get on	電車に乗る。(I get on the train.)
降りる	おりる	2	降ります	get off	バスを降りる。(I get off the bus.)
歩く	あるく	1	歩きます	walk	公園を歩く。(I walk in the park.)
走る	はしる	1	走ります	run	毎朝走る。(I run every morning.)

Verbs for everyday actions

Eating, sleeping, reading: the things you do many times a day. These show up more than anything else in N5 reading and listening.

Verb	Reading	Group	ます form	Meaning	Example
食べる	たべる	2	食べます	eat	ご飯を食べる。(I eat rice.)
飲む	のむ	1	飲みます	drink	水を飲む。(I drink water.)
寝る	ねる	2	寝ます	sleep / go to bed	早く寝る。(I go to bed early.)
起きる	おきる	2	起きます	wake up	7時に起きる。(I wake up at 7.)
着る	きる	2	着ます	wear (on the body)	シャツを着る。(I put on a shirt.)
脱ぐ	ぬぐ	1	脱ぎます	take off	靴を脱ぐ。(I take off my shoes.)
洗う	あらう	1	洗います	wash	手を洗う。(I wash my hands.)
聞く	きく	1	聞きます	listen / ask	音楽を聞く。(I listen to music.)
話す	はなす	1	話します	speak	日本語を話す。(I speak Japanese.)
読む	よむ	1	読みます	read	本を読む。(I read a book.)
書く	かく	1	書きます	write	手紙を書く。(I write a letter.)
見る	みる	2	見ます	see / watch	テレビを見る。(I watch TV.)
買う	かう	1	買います	buy	野菜を買う。(I buy vegetables.)
売る	うる	1	売ります	sell	りんごを売る。(I sell apples.)

Verbs for existence and states

ある, いる, わかる, and できる describe a state rather than an action. They usually take が instead of を, so watch the particle.

Verb	Reading	Group	ます form	Meaning	Example
ある	ある	1	あります	exist (things)	机の上に本がある。(There is a book on the desk.)
いる	いる	2	います	exist (people, animals)	部屋に猫がいる。(There is a cat in the room.)
わかる	わかる	1	わかります	understand	意味がわかる。(I understand the meaning.)
できる	できる	2	できます	can / be able to	日本語ができる。(I can speak Japanese.)

Common mistakes

Verbs that look like group 2 but are group 1

帰る (go home), 入る (enter), and 走る (run) end in -える or -いる, so they look like group 2. They are actually group 1. Their polite forms are 帰ります・入ります・走ります, not 帰ます. The N5 exam likes to test these, so learn them as a set.

ある vs. いる

Use ある for things that don't move on their own, and いる for people and animals. Memorize them with a subject, as in 本がある (there is a book) and 猫がいる (there is a cat), and you won't mix them up.

わかる and できる take が

You say 日本語がわかる, not 日本語をわかる. The same goes for できる: 料理ができる (I can cook).

Tips for remembering them

Learn them by situation. Verbs used in the same scene, like 行く・来る・帰る, are easier to recall together.
Learn whole sentences. A short example sentence teaches you the particle along with the verb.
Test yourself without looking. Cover the table and go from Japanese to English, then English to Japanese. Only review the ones you missed the next day.
Type them out. Typing sticks better than just reading.

On this site's practice page you can drill these verbs with word lists, quizzes, and romaji typing. It runs in your browser and is free.

Summary

Aim to say all 27 verbs in their ます form, along with the example sentences. At 10 verbs a day, you can get through the list in three days. On your second pass, start with the verbs from "Common mistakes" to make the most of your time.

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