いる (existence of animate things)

Japanese Grammar Basic Japanese ★★★★★ 5/5 neutral いるiru
読み いる
ローマ字 iru
形 Place + に + Animate Being + が + いる/います

意味

Indicates that an animate being — a person, animal, or other living creature — exists or is located somewhere. It is the animate counterpart of ある and is one of the first verbs learners must master for describing who or what is present.

いる is strictly used for beings that can move of their own will: people, animals, fish, insects, and so on. The typical pattern is Place + に + Animate Being + が + いる. Learners sometimes struggle with edge cases: robots, dolls, and vehicles are generally treated as inanimate (ある), while babies and small creatures always take いる. In casual speech, いる often shortens to る in contractions like 何してる？ (What are you doing?). The polite form is います. Note that いる is also the auxiliary verb in the ている progressive pattern, but as a standalone verb it purely indicates existence or presence.

例文

  1. 教室に学生がいます。
  2. 木の上に鳥がいる。
  3. うちには犬が三匹いる。

使い方ガイド

場面: spoken, written, everyday

トーン: descriptive

正しい言い方

  • 公園に子どもがたくさんいる。
  • 隣の部屋に誰かいます。
  • 池に大きな魚がいた。
  • 私には弟が二人います。

避ける言い方

  • 庭に花がいる。(Using いる for a plant — plants are treated as inanimate and require ある) → 庭に花がある。
  • 教室に先生がある。(Using ある for a person — people always require いる) → 教室に先生がいる。
  • 家に猫がいるある。(Combining いる and ある — use only one existential verb) → 家に猫がいる。

起源と歴史

いる derives from the classical Japanese verb ゐる (wiru), which meant 'to sit' or 'to be present.' The ゐ kana fell out of use in modern Japanese orthography, leaving the modern form いる.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

関連フレーズ

ある (existence of inanimate things) Indicates that an inanimate object exists or is located somewhere. It is the counterpart of いる, which is used for animate beings. ある is one of the most fundamental verbs in Japanese and is essential for describing the presence or location of things. いる (progressive / ongoing state) Used after the て-form of a verb to indicate that an action is currently in progress or that a state resulting from a past action continues. This is the most common way to express the English present progressive ('is doing') in Japanese. する (causing a state or action) The verb する is used to indicate that someone or something causes a state or action to take place. It is the most basic and widely used verb in Japanese, functioning as 'to do' and forming the basis of hundreds of compound verbs with nouns. 分かる・わかる (understand) Expresses that something becomes clear, understandable, or known to someone spontaneously. The thing understood is marked with が, and the person who understands is marked with に or は. It describes a natural, involuntary process of comprehension. 好きだ・すきだ (like) A na-adjective that expresses liking or fondness for something or someone. The liked object is marked with が, and the person who likes is marked with は. It functions as an adjective describing a state of preference, not a verb. 知る・しる (come to know) Describes acquiring information or knowledge from an external source. The basic form 知る indicates the moment of learning something new, while the te-form 知っている expresses the resulting state of knowing. ある (resultant state) Used after the て-form of a transitive verb to indicate that something has been done and the resulting state remains. This pattern emphasises the current condition that resulted from a completed action, rather than the action itself. する (cost or duration) する is used to express how much something costs or how long something takes. The amount or duration is typically marked with が, and する indicates the price or time required. This is an idiomatic use distinct from the action-performing する.
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