いる (existence of animate things)

• Reading: いる
• Romaji: iru
• Formation: Place + に + Animate Being + が + いる/います

Meaning

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.

Examples

1. 教室に学生がいます。 There are students in the classroom.
2. 木の上に鳥がいる。 There is a bird on the tree.
3. うちには犬が三匹いる。 We have three dogs at home.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 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。

Don't Say

• 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。

Origin & History

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.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal