取る: Full 五段 -る Paradigm

This is the reference paradigm for a 五段 (godan) verb ending in -る — and the "godan" part matters enormously, because 一段 (ichidan) verbs also end in -る. The model is 取る（とる, "to take, to get"). A godan -る verb does not drop the る; it treats る as an ordinary consonant ending on the ら-row, sliding across ら・り・る・れ・ろ, and its te-form and past take the small-っ 促音便 (sokuon-bin): 取って, 取った — the same pattern as -う and -つ. Telling this apart from an ichidan る-verb is the single most important reflex for a beginner, so this page teaches the paradigm and the diagnostic.

The complete paradigm

The ら-row ladder

Consonant r fixed; the vowel walks the ら行 column ら・り・る・れ・ろ. The dictionary る is just the う-row rung — it is not a droppable suffix.

The 五段-る / 一段-る split — the giveaway is 取らない

This is the trap. Both classes end in -る, so the ending alone tells you nothing. The reliable tell is the negative:

• A 五段 -る verb builds its negative on the あ-row: 取る → 取らない (the ら appears).
• A 一段 る verb simply drops the る: 見る → 見ない, 食べる → 食べない (no ら).

促音便: the te-form and past double the consonant

Because 取る is 五段 -る, its te-form is 取って and its past is 取った — the final る collapses into a small っ that geminates the next consonant. This is the 小さいっ change (促音便) that groups -る with -う and -つ, never the nasal んで of the -む/-ぶ/-ぬ verbs.

The potential 取れる has a twin

The potential is 取れる ("can take / can get"), built on the え-row. Watch out: 取れる is also a standalone intransitive verb meaning "to come off / come out / be obtainable." Same shape, and only context separates them.

The passive 取られる often carries a "victim" nuance — having something taken from you.

The え-row, volitional, and blunt forms

The conditional 取れば and plain imperative 取れ share the え-row with the potential; the volitional 取ろう is the お-row; the polite request stem is 取り.

How this differs from English

English has no situation where the same ending forces you to look up which of two grammar classes a word belongs to. Japanese does: -る is the one ending shared by both verb classes, so "the verb ends in る" tells an English speaker nothing, yet it feels like it should. That false sense of a rule is what produces ×取ない (dropping る as if 取る were 一段). The fix is a genuinely new habit — checking the negative, or the vowel before る — that English never trained you to perform. And note that 取る itself is unusually elastic: メモを取る (take notes), 休みを取る (take time off), 責任を取る (take responsibility), 連絡を取る (get in touch), 満点を取る (get a perfect score). English "take/get" splits across those, but the Japanese verb — and its whole 促音便 paradigm — stays constant. Learn the paradigm once and it pays out across all of them.

Common mistakes

Key takeaways

• 取る is a 五段 -る verb — it does not drop the る. Consonant r fixed; the vowel walks ら・り・る・れ・ろ.
• Te-form and past take the 促音便: 取って, 取った — grouped with -う and -つ, never the nasal んで.
• The negative is the giveaway: 五段 gives 取らない (with ら); a 一段 verb like 見る gives 見ない. Confirm the split on the 五段-る vs 一段-る page.
• Rule of thumb: an a/u/o vowel before る means 五段, always; e/i needs the negative test (帰る, 走る are 五段).
• Don't confuse the potential 取れる ("can get") with the lookalike intransitive 取れる ("come off"). See the full te/ta sound-change chart.