Japanese Verb Conjugation Practice: Masu, Te, Nai, and Ta Forms
Free online Japanese verb conjugation quiz covering godan, ichidan, suru, and kuru verbs. Instant feedback with rule explanations for every answer, from OK Nihongo.
Try 12 questions (no sign-up)
Godan verbs
The ending shifts along the kana chart: 書く→書きます、書いて. Sound-change (onbin) rules make these the main practice target.
Ichidan verbs
Drop る and attach the ending: 食べる→食べます、食べて. Simple rules, but easy to confuse with godan look-alikes.
Irregular verbs
する and 来る follow no pattern — memorize します・して and 来ます(きます)・来て(きて).
Why conjugation is the JLPT N5 gatekeeper
Japanese expresses tense, negation, requests, and permission entirely through verb endings. The masu form is the base of polite speech, the te form connects requests and progressive actions, the nai form negates, and the ta form marks the past. Every grammar point after N5 builds on these four.
Te-form sound-change rules
For godan verbs the te form follows the final kana: う・つ・る become って (買う→買って); む・ぶ・ぬ become んで (読む→読んで); く becomes いて and ぐ becomes いで (書く→書いて, 泳ぐ→泳いで); す becomes して (話す→話して). The single exception is 行く→行って.
The mistakes everyone makes
Some verbs look like ichidan but conjugate as godan: 帰る (kaeru), 入る (hairu), 切る (kiru), 走る (hashiru), and 知る (shiru) all take godan endings — 帰ります, never 帰ます. Meanwhile いる (to exist) and すぎる (too much) are true ichidan verbs: います, すぎます. Misclassify the group and every form comes out wrong.
How to practice effectively
Look at the dictionary form, decide the verb group first, then derive the target form, and check the explanation to confirm your reasoning. Ten minutes a day mixing all four forms beats cramming one form at a time. The full OK Nihongo trainer draws questions from your course progress and sends mistakes into a spaced-repetition review queue.
How do I tell godan from ichidan verbs?
If the verb does not end in る, it is godan. If it ends in る, check the sound before る: i-row or e-row sounds usually mean ichidan (食べる, 見る), while a/u/o-row sounds mean godan (作る, 乗る). Exceptions like 帰る, 入る, and 切る are godan and must be memorized.
Should I learn the masu form or dictionary form first?
Textbooks usually teach the masu form first for polite speech, but memorize vocabulary in dictionary form — dictionaries, grammar references, and conjugation rules all start from it.
Why is the te form such a big deal?
The te form is the hub that connects sentences: てください (requests), ています (progressive), てもいい (permission), and てはいけない (prohibition) are all built on it. More than half of N5 grammar touches the te form.
Is this practice free?
The 12 preview questions on this page are free with no account. Signing up unlocks all 350+ N5 conjugation questions, course-paced practice, and automatic review of your mistakes.