Verb Groups: How to Tell Ichidan, Godan, and Irregular Apart [JLPT N5]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

Ichidan, godan, or irregular? — get the group right and every conjugation follows.

「帰る」 looks like a ru-verb but is a u-verb — the verb-group trap

Sorting verbs into three groups (ichidan / godan / irregular) is the first step of every conjugation: get the group wrong and the て-form, ない-form, た-form, ます-form, potential, passive, causative all go wrong too. From the dictionary form: 「る」 preceded by an い/え-row sound → usually ichidan (食べる・見る); any other う-row ending → godan (書く・飲む). But a set of “fake ru-verbs” (帰る・入る・走る…) look ichidan yet are godan. This guide covers the test, the full exception list, and how the group “decides” everything, with examples and practice.

The test (first: does it end in 「る」?)

Sort a verb's group in two steps:

• Doesn't end in 「る」 (書く, 飲む, 話す, 買う, 泳ぐ, 遊ぶ, 待つ, 死ぬ) → always godan (G1 / u-verb).
• Ends in 「る」 → look at the sound before 「る」:
• い-row or え-row sound (たべる, みる, おきる, ねる, できる) → usually ichidan (G2 / ru-verb): simplest conjugation — just drop 「る」.
• あ/う/お-row sound (わかる, つくる, のる, とる) → godan.
• Irregular (G3) is just two: する・来る (くる) — memorize individually.

Anchor: not ending in 「る」 = godan; ending in 「る」, check the preceding sound (い/え-row → ichidan). 90% sort correctly by this; the rest are the exceptions below.

The three groups compared

Examples in context

• 「起きる」 is ichidan: て-form 起きて, ない-form 起きない, た-form 起きた. — 「き」 (い-row) before 「る」
• 「書く」 is godan: て-form 書いて (sound change), ない-form 書かない, potential 書ける. — not 「る」-ending
• 「帰る」 is godan (fake ru-verb): ない-form 帰らない (✗帰ない), て-form 帰って. — 「え」 before 「る」 but an exception
• 「見る」 is ichidan: 見て, 見ない, 見られる (potential). — 「み」 (い-row) before 「る」
• 「する」「来る」 irregular: して／しない, 来（き）て／来（こ）ない.

⚠️ The main trap: the “fake ru-verb” godan verbs

① The 「る」-ending-but-godan exceptions must be memorized: these look ichidan (い/え-row before 「る」) but are godan — 帰る (return)・入る (enter)・走る (run)・知る (know)・要る (need)・切る (cut)・限る (be limited to)・減る (decrease)・喋る (chat)・蹴る (kick)・滑る (slip)・握る (grip)・混じる (mix)・照る (shine). They all conjugate godan: 帰る → 帰らない・帰って (✗帰ない・✗帰て). The list is short — worth ten minutes to memorize cold.

② Key caveat: “い/え-row before 「る」” only means ‘usually' ichidan, not always — the set above are the rule's exceptions, so learn “rule ＋ exception list” together.

③ Anything not ending in 「る」 is godan, no exceptions: 書く・泳ぐ・話す・待つ・死ぬ・飛ぶ・読む・買う → all godan; that half you can trust completely.

🔄 Compare: ichidan vs godan vs irregular (where conjugation differs)

Going deeper: the group “decides” which changes apply — the base of the base

Why sort the group first? Because nearly every conjugation applies a different rule by group:

• て-form／た-form: ichidan just drops 「る」 ＋ て; godan needs sound changes (書く→書いて, 飲む→飲んで, 待つ→待って).
• ない-form: ichidan drops 「る」 ＋ ない; godan shifts う-row → あ-row ＋ ない (final う → わ: 買う→買わない).
• ます-form: ichidan drops 「る」 ＋ ます; godan shifts う-row → い-row ＋ ます (書く→書きます).
• Potential: ichidan drops 「る」 ＋ られる; godan shifts う-row → え-row ＋ る (書く→書ける).
• Passive・causative: likewise by group.

So “group” isn't just memorization — it's the key that unlocks every conjugation: sort the group right and 〈て-form〉, 〈ない-form〉, 〈た-form〉 all follow. ⚠️Another small trap: 「ある (to be/have)」 is godan, but its negative is irregular = 「ない」 (not 「あらない」).

💡 The key point in use

Verb grouping is “the base of the base” — sort it right and every conjugation runs by rule; sort it wrong and everything's off. 90% of verbs sort by “not 「る」-ending = godan; 「る」-ending, check the preceding sound (い/え-row = ichidan)”; the crucial 10% is memorizing the fake ru-verb exceptions (帰る・入る・走る・知る・要る・切る・減る・喋る・蹴る…). The list is short — ten minutes to bank it, and then て／ない／た／potential all follow correctly.

❓ Common Q&A

Q: How do I quickly判断 a verb's group?

Two steps: ① not ending in 「る」 (書く・飲む・話す・買う) → always godan. ② ending in 「る」 → check the preceding sound: い/え-row (食べる・見る・起きる) usually ichidan; あ/う/お-row (分かる・作る・乗る) is godan. Exceptions: 帰る・走る etc. (fake ru-verbs) memorize separately.

Q: Why is 「帰る」 godan, not ichidan?

Though 「かえる」 has an え-row sound before 「る」 (so by rule it looks ichidan), it's a conventional godan exception, conjugating godan: 帰らない・帰って・帰れる. Same family: 入る・走る・知る・要る・切る — learn them as a set.

Q: Any cheat for memorizing groups?

Lock in “half” first: any verb not ending in 「る」 (書く・飲む・話す…) is 100% godan — no worry there. For the 「る」-ending rest, apply “い/え-row before = ichidan,” and write the dozen-odd fake-ru-verb exceptions on a small card to review. Two or three days and it's solid.

Q: What happens if I get the group wrong?

It chain-fails: treat godan 「帰る」 as ichidan and the ない-form becomes wrong 「帰ない」 (correct 帰らない), the て-form 「帰て」 (correct 帰って). Since every conjugation is built on the group, drill this step to reflex first.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. Which verb group is 「起きる」?

(A) 五段動詞　(B) 一段動詞　(C) 不規則動詞　(D) サ変動詞

Q2. 「走る」のて形は？（走る = 五段動詞）

(A) 走て　(B) 走って　(C) 走いて　(D) 走りて

Q3. 「帰る」は一段動詞？五段動詞？

(A) 一段動詞（るで終わるから）

(B) 五段動詞（例外！前の音節はあ段）

(C) 不規則動詞

(D) どちらでもない

Q4. 「飲む」のない形は？

(A) 飲まない　(B) 飲みない　(C) 飲んない　(D) 飲むない

Q5. 「勉強する」のて形は？

(A) 勉強して　(B) 勉強すて　(C) 勉強して → (A)と同じ　(D) 勉強れて

Answer Explanations

1. (B) 一段動詞 ── 起きる: dictionary form ends in る, and the preceding syllable 「き」 is in the い-row → ichidan verb (drop る and add て/ない directly).

2. (B) 走って ── 走る is a godan verb (the preceding syllable 「は」 is in the あ-row); for godan verbs ending in る → て-form change: る→って (like 切る→切って).

3. (B) 五段動詞 ── 「帰る」 ends in る but its preceding syllable 「か (か-row, あ-row vowel)」 isn't in the い-row or え-row → a godan verb. This is one of the most common exceptions.

4. (A) 飲まない ── 飲む is a godan verb; ない-form: む → ま + ない (godan verb ない-form = あ-row + ない).

5. (A) 勉強して ── する is an irregular verb; its て-form = して. 勉強する (a する-compound verb) → て-form = 勉強して.