う-Verbs (Godan / Group 1)
Also called Godan ("five-step") verbs. They conjugate by shifting their final kana across the a/i/u/e/o vowel columns, so their final sound changes depending on the form.
Structure
Dictionary form ends in an u-row kana: く ぐ す つ ぬ ぶ む る う
Examples
書く → 書きます / 書かない / 書いた
Kaku → kakimasu / kakanai / kaita
Write: polite / negative / plain past
く shifts to き (i-row) for ます and to か (a-row) for ない.
死ぬ → 死にます / 死なない / 死んで
Shinu → shinimasu / shinanai / shinde
Die: polite / negative / te-form
ぬ shifts to に for the stem, な for the negative, and becomes んで in the te-form.
話す → 話します / 話さない / 話して
Hanasu → hanashimasu / hanasanai / hanashite
Speak: polite / negative / te-form
す shifts to し (i-row) for ます and to さ (a-row) for ない; the te-form is して.
• Godan = "five steps": the verb uses all five vowels across its forms — 話す → hanasA-nai, hanasHI-masu, hanasU (dict), hanasE-ba, hanasO-u. • Te/Ta Mutations: く→いて, ぐ→いで, む/ぶ/ぬ→んで, う/つ/る→って, す→して. These evolved for ease of pronunciation.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones う-Verbs is tested against.
vs る-Verbs (Ichidan)
う-verbs change their final sound across vowel columns; る-verbs keep a fixed stem and just drop る. Only う-verbs have the て/た sound mutations.
vs -iru/-eru "traitor" verbs
Some verbs that end in -iru/-eru (帰る, 走る, 入る, 切る, 知る) LOOK like る-verbs but conjugate as う-verbs (帰ります, not ×帰ます).
More verb forms
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