五段 Verbs: Class Overview

This page is the reference paradigm for the 五段（ごだん）class — the larger of Japanese's two regular verb classes, also called Type-1, u-verbs, or consonant-stem verbs. Every one of its forms is generated by one mechanism: take the final kana of the dictionary form and slide it across the five-vowel ladder あ・い・う・え・お, then attach an ending. If you want the why behind each form, the teaching pages under Godan verbs walk through it; this page is the flat, complete table you come back to.

The nine dictionary endings

A 五段 verb's dictionary form always ends in one of nine kana, all on the う-row of the kana chart. Each ending gets its own full-paradigm page — the anchor verb is listed with each.

Note that 死ぬ is the only common -ぬ verb in the modern language — the row exists for completeness more than frequency.

The five bases: the あ・い・う・え・お system

Every 五段 form is built on one of five bases, one per vowel row. Keep the consonant fixed and change only the vowel. Using 書く (consonant k):

Those five bases line up with the traditional 活用形 (conjugation-base) names you may meet elsewhere: 未然形 covers both the あ-row 書か and the お-row 書こ, 連用形 is the い-row 書き, 終止形／連体形 the う-row 書く, and 仮定形 the え-row 書け (whose bare form doubles as the 命令形, the imperative). You never need the names to use the system, but they explain why some pages call the negative base the 未然形. The full row map for all nine columns is on godan sound rows.

The master paradigm: 書く (to write)

Here is the complete slot-by-slot paradigm. Read the "row" column together with the ending to see how each form is assembled.

Each cell links to a dedicated formation reference: the negative table, -ます table, potential table, passive table, causative table, volitional table, and conditional table. The whole class laid beside 一段 and the irregulars is on the conjugation master chart.

These forms in the wild, so the table isn't abstract:

The one place the row system breaks: te / ta sound changes

The te-form and past (-た) are the exception to the tidy ladder. They derive from the い-row base but undergo 音便 (onbin, euphonic sound change), so you cannot just glue て onto 書き. The change depends only on the dictionary ending, in four groups:

There is exactly one irregular te-form in the class: 行く → 行って (not ×行いて), covered on 行く te-form exception. The full onbin grid is the te/ta sound-change chart.

Two accuracy traps to memorize

1. The -う column uses わ, not あ. For verbs ending in -う, the "あ-row" base is わ — a historical relic of the w-column. So 買う negates to 買わない (kawanai), never ×買あない, and its passive/causative/volitional follow suit: 買われる, 買わせる, 買おう.

2. Not every -る verb is 五段. Several extremely common 五段 verbs end in -る and look identical to the 一段 class: 取る, 帰る, 要る, 走る, 切る, 入る, 知る. They are 五段 and slide across the rows normally (帰らない, 帰ります, 帰れば), so treating them as 一段 (×帰ない) is wrong. The diagnostic — is the vowel before -る an a/u/o sound? — is on telling 五段 -る from 一段 -る and identifying ichidan vs godan. And note ある is a 五段 -る verb whose negative is the suppletive ない, not ×あらない.

Common mistakes

Every one of these is a row error or a class error: the learner attached the ending to the wrong vowel base, forgot the -う→わ quirk, mistook a 五段 -る verb for 一段, or skipped the te-form sound change.

Key takeaways

• 五段 = "five rows": keep the consonant, slide the final kana across あ・い・う・え・お, then attach the ending.
• Dictionary form ends in one of nine う-row kana: く, ぐ, す, つ, ぬ, ぶ, む, る, う — each with its own paradigm page.
• Base rows: あ (negative/passive/causative), い (polite/masu-stem/te-ta base), う (dictionary), え (conditional/potential/imperative), お (volitional).
• The negative uses the あ-row (書かない), not the dictionary vowel — the single biggest pitfall.
• -う verbs use わ for the あ-row (買わない, not ×買あない).
• Te / ta take 音便 sound changes (書いて, 買って, 読んで); 行って is the lone irregular.
• Beware the -る overlap with 一段: 取る・帰る・要る are 五段 and don't drop the る. Check with 五段 -る vs 一段 -る.
• Next: the 一段 class overview, the verbs-by-class quick list, and the conjugation master chart.