501 Japanese Verbs May 2026

Use Aru for objects (like your phone) and Iru for living things (like your cat). 📚 Recommended Resources

The number is famous thanks to the Barron's Educational Series classic, . It’s considered the "gold standard" because it covers: 501 Japanese Verbs

: From polite masu forms to the gritty "dictionary" forms used with friends. Use Aru for objects (like your phone) and

: Group 1 (u-verbs), Group 2 (ru-verbs), and the only two Irregular verbs ( suru and kuru ). Group 2 (ru-verbs)

A classic Group 2 (ru-verb). Simply drop the ru and add masu to be polite.

The "Swiss Army Knife" verb. Pair it with nouns to make new verbs (e.g., Benkyo + suru = To study).

: Use pre-made "Core 2k/6k" decks to flashcard these verbs using Spaced Repetition (SRS).