Masu Form: Politeness in The Verb Conjugation
The Masu form of verbs is one of the most used and important for those starting in the language, and its main function is . Many people do not realize its importance in verb conjugation; however, it is of utmost importance to understand other conjugations.
Verb Tenses in Masu Form
Present/Future Negative Past Past Negative ます ません ました ませんでした
With that said, we need to understand that all verbs in the Japanese language in their full form are called dictionary form or "jisho verbs," ending with the vowel U. Additionally, there are 3 groups of verbs in Japanese, and the Masu form varies according to the group.
Group 1 Verbs (Godan verbs)
Group 1 verbs encompass the majority of Japanese verbs and end in U, Ku, Su, Gu, Mu, Bu, Tsu, Nu, Ru (う,く,す,ぐ,む,ぶ,つ,ぬ,る). To transform them into the Masu form, we only need to change the last syllable ending in U to its corresponding syllable from the kana table with I + masu.
Transformation Table for Group 1 Verbs
Standard Ending Replace with う い く き す し ぐ ぎ む み ぶ び つ ち ぬ に る り
Let's see an example, the verb for "write" in Japanese is かく (kaku). To change it to the Masu form, we simply replace the last syllable from the U row with its equivalent from the I row and add "masu," so かく becomes かきます (kakimasu). Here's a table with more examples:
Group 1 Verbs Examples
English Dictionary Form Masu Form Buy かう かいます Walk あるく あるきます Speak はなす はなしま Swim およぐ およぎます Live すむ すみます Play あそびます あそびます Wait まつ まちます Die しぬ しにます Sell うる うります
ケーキ を つくります。 - I make a cake
わたし は はしりませんでした。 - I did not run
テレビ を かいました。 - I bought a TV
Group 2 Verbs (Ichidan verbs)
All verbs in group 2 end in IRU or ERU, and their conjugation to the Masu form involves removing the final Ru syllable and adding "masu." For example, the verb for "eat" is 食べる (taberu). We remove Ru and add Masu to get 食べます (tabemasu).
Group 2 Verbs Examples
English Dictionary Form Masu Form Wear きる きます Wake up おきる おきます Remember おぼえる おぼえます Research しらべる しらべます
まど を しめます。 - Close the window
りんご を たべました。 - I ate the apple
ドア を あけません。 - Don't open the door
Irregular Verbs (Group 3)
The last group consists of irregular verbs, with only 2 verbs: Suru and Kuru. Here's their conjugation table:
Irregular Verbs Examples
English Dictionary Form Masu Form Come くる きます Do する します
そうじ を しました。 - I did the cleaning
バス は きません。 - The bus is not coming
Lastly, for those delving into Japanese verb conjugation, it's crucial to note that the Masu form provides a foundation for polite speech and communication in various social contexts. Whether you're expressing daily activities or engaging in formal discussions, mastering these verb forms opens doors to effective communication in Japanese.
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The Masu form of verbs is one of the most used and important for those starting in the language, and its main function is . Many people do not realize its importance in verb conjugation; however, it is of utmost importance to understand other conjugations.
Verb Tenses in Masu Form
| Present/Future | Negative | Past | Past Negative |
|---|---|---|---|
| ます | ません | ました | ませんでした |
With that said, we need to understand that all verbs in the Japanese language in their full form are called dictionary form or "jisho verbs," ending with the vowel U. Additionally, there are 3 groups of verbs in Japanese, and the Masu form varies according to the group.
Group 1 Verbs (Godan verbs)
Group 1 verbs encompass the majority of Japanese verbs and end in U, Ku, Su, Gu, Mu, Bu, Tsu, Nu, Ru (う,く,す,ぐ,む,ぶ,つ,ぬ,る). To transform them into the Masu form, we only need to change the last syllable ending in U to its corresponding syllable from the kana table with I + masu.
Transformation Table for Group 1 Verbs
| Standard Ending | Replace with |
|---|---|
| う | い |
| く | き |
| す | し |
| ぐ | ぎ |
| む | み |
| ぶ | び |
| つ | ち |
| ぬ | に |
| る | り |
Let's see an example, the verb for "write" in Japanese is かく (kaku). To change it to the Masu form, we simply replace the last syllable from the U row with its equivalent from the I row and add "masu," so かく becomes かきます (kakimasu). Here's a table with more examples:
Group 1 Verbs Examples
| English | Dictionary Form | Masu Form |
|---|---|---|
| Buy | かう | かいます |
| Walk | あるく | あるきます |
| Speak | はなす | はなしま |
| Swim | およぐ | およぎます |
| Live | すむ | すみます |
| Play | あそびます | あそびます |
| Wait | まつ | まちます |
| Die | しぬ | しにます |
| Sell | うる | うります |
ケーキ を つくります。 - I make a cake
わたし は はしりませんでした。 - I did not run
テレビ を かいました。 - I bought a TV
Group 2 Verbs (Ichidan verbs)
All verbs in group 2 end in IRU or ERU, and their conjugation to the Masu form involves removing the final Ru syllable and adding "masu." For example, the verb for "eat" is 食べる (taberu). We remove Ru and add Masu to get 食べます (tabemasu).
Group 2 Verbs Examples
| English | Dictionary Form | Masu Form |
|---|---|---|
| Wear | きる | きます |
| Wake up | おきる | おきます |
| Remember | おぼえる | おぼえます |
| Research | しらべる | しらべます |
まど を しめます。 - Close the window
りんご を たべました。 - I ate the apple
ドア を あけません。 - Don't open the door
Irregular Verbs (Group 3)
The last group consists of irregular verbs, with only 2 verbs: Suru and Kuru. Here's their conjugation table:
Irregular Verbs Examples
| English | Dictionary Form | Masu Form |
|---|---|---|
| Come | くる | きます |
| Do | する | します |
そうじ を しました。 - I did the cleaning
バス は きません。 - The bus is not coming
Lastly, for those delving into Japanese verb conjugation, it's crucial to note that the Masu form provides a foundation for polite speech and communication in various social contexts. Whether you're expressing daily activities or engaging in formal discussions, mastering these verb forms opens doors to effective communication in Japanese.