Learn Japanese Irregular Verbs | How to Conjugate Suru（する）and Kuru（くる）

Learn Japanese Irregular Verbs | How to Conjugate Suru（する）and Kuru（くる） contents Video Introduction 1. What Are Irregular Verbs in Japanese? 2. How to Conjugate する and くる 3. Real-Life Sentence Examples 4. Common “する-Verbs” You Should Know 5. Practice Time: Try Conjugating These! 6. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions 7. Conclusion: Power Up Your Japanese with する and くる! Author and Reviewer Video Let’s watch this short video for a quick overview. 不規則動詞 / irregular verbs Source: gokigen japanese official YouTube Channel Introduction Most Japanese verbs follow regular patterns — either as ru-verbs or u-verbs . But there are a couple of important exceptions you absolutely need to know: する (to do) and くる (to come). These are called irregular verbs , and while they don’t follow the usual rules, they’re incredibly useful and common in daily conversation. In this article, you’ll learn: ✔ How to conjugate する and くる into polite forms ✔ Example sentences using these verbs naturally ✔ A list of common “する-verbs” you’ll see everywhere ✔ How to practice and avoid common mistakes ✔ An FAQ section with bonus tips Let’s tackle these powerful verbs! 1. What Are Irregular Verbs in Japanese? Japanese has two main irregular verbs : Verb Meaning する to do 来る（くる） to come They don’t follow the rules of ru-verbs or u-verbs. You simply need to memorize their conjugation patterns — but don’t worry, they’re used so often you’ll remember them fast! 2. How to Conjugate する and くる Polite Present Forms Dictionary Polite Polite Negative する します しません くる きます きません Note: The stem of くる changes to き in the polite form — it’s unique! 3. Real-Life Sentence Examples Japanese Romaji English 日本語をべんきょうします。 nihongo o benkyo shimasu I study Japanese. 日本語をべんきょうしません。 nihongo o benkyo shimasen I don’t study Japanese. 先生が来ます。 sensei ga kimasu The teacher is coming. 先生が来ません。 sensei ga kimasen The teacher is not coming. 4. Common “する-Verbs” You Should Know The verb する is super flexible! It attaches to many nouns to form compound verbs. Noun + する Meaning べんきょう + する → べんきょうする to study れんしゅう + する → れんしゅうする to practice よやく + する → よやくする to make a reservation そうじ + する → そうじする to clean しごと + する → しごとする to work Conjugation is just like する: よやく します れんしゅう しません そうじ しました（past tense） 5. Practice Time: Try Conjugating These! Verb Polite Polite Negative する（to do） します しません べんきょうする（to study） べんきょうします べんきょうしません くる（to come） きます きません そうじする（to clean） そうじします そうじしません ✅ Try saying these aloud or writing them in your notebook! 6. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions Q Is くる the only verb that uses “きます”? A It’s the polite form of くる (kuru), which means “to come.” Be careful not to confuse it with 着ます (kimasu), which comes from the verb 着る (kiru), meaning “to wear” or “to put on (clothes).” Although they look and sound the same in the polite form (きます), きます (from 来る) = “to come” (irregular verb) きます (from 着る) = “to wear” (る-verb / ichidan verb) The meaning and conjugation patterns are different, so pay attention to the kanji! Q Can I use する with any noun? A Not all nouns, but many activity-related nouns can be combined with する. Q Are there irregular verbs beyond する and くる? A These are the only two truly irregular verbs. Some verbs like いく have irregular forms in specific tenses (like いって) , but they’re still classified as regular u-verbs. 7. Conclusion: Power Up Your Japanese with する and くる! Irregular verbs may sound intimidating, but in Japanese, there are just two to remember — and both are super useful! By mastering する and くる , you’ll open the door to expressing actions, movement, and tons of useful daily expressions. 🎯 Your next step: Try using べんきょうする and きます in a few example sentences of your own! Want to improve your Japanese with real conversations? Our native Japanese instructors at gokigen japanese can help you perfect your pronunciation and learn real-life usage. Whether you’re completely new to Japanese or looking to refine your skills, book a one-on-one session. Author and Reviewer Author: gokigen japanese gokigen japanese is an online Japanese tutoring service launched in 2023. Flexible, interactive, and culture-rich, gokigen japanese supports learners at all levels with bilingual Japanese tutors. Over 1,000 students from 30+ countries have used our 300+ original materials, including grammar guides and cultural content. gokigen japanese was founded by Hirofumi Naramura, a Kyoto University graduate and former Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group (2010–2020). The service has received recognition such as the Chiyoda CULTURE x TECH Award 2024 and acceptance into NEXs Tokyo, a startup program by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Reviewer: Chihiro Hanami Japanese native and language educator with about 10 years of experience teaching and developing courses and materials. She studied and taught in 5 different countries. Her most recent teaching role was at University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. Other than teaching all levels of Japanese in various settings from personal tutoring to college courses, she also has experience writing articles about Japanese language and culture and teaching English. Education: M.A. in Japanese pedagogy, Purdue University. B.A from the school of Japanese language and culture, Tsukuba University. Related articles level1 (N5) How to Describe Nouns with Verbs in Japanese | Using Verb + Noun (V + N) Learn how to describe nouns using short-form verbs in Japanese. 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Master casual grammar for describing past feelings and identities. Learn Japanese U-Verbs: Conjugation Patterns and Examples for Beginners Japanese Holiday Spotlight: Shunbun no hi (春分の日) Home Japanese grammar level1 (N5) Learn Japanese Irregular Verbs | How to Use する（to do）and くる（to come） To provide you with a better experience, we use cookies on this website. By continuing to browse, you consent to the use of cookies. OK