Daily Action Verbs

Introduction

Verbs are the backbone of Japanese sentences. This large chapter covers the most important everyday verbs — eating, drinking, going, coming, seeing, doing — the actions that make up daily life.

These are the verbs you'll use most often, so solid mastery here pays dividends everywhere.

Themes

All JLPT N5 Vocabulary in This Chapter (93)

1. 食べる たべる To eat; to consume food. One of the most essential daily-life verbs in Japanese.
2. 飲む のむ To drink; to swallow; to take (medicine). A fundamental verb for daily consumption.
3. 起きる おきる To get up; to wake up; to rise. Used for both waking from sleep and getting out of bed.
4. 寝る ねる To sleep; to go to bed; to lie down. The primary verb for sleeping in Japanese.
5. 行く いく To go; to move towards; to head towards; to leave for a destination.
6. 来る くる To come; to arrive; to approach. Expresses movement towards the speaker.
7. 帰る かえる To return; to go home; to come home; to go back to where one belongs.
8. 見る みる To see; to look at; to watch; to view; to observe.
9. 聞く きく To hear; to listen to; to ask (a question). A versatile verb covering both hearing and asking.
10. 読む よむ To read. The standard verb for reading books, newspapers, and other written material.
11. 書く かく To write; to compose; to pen. The standard verb for all forms of writing.
12. 話す はなす To talk; to speak; to converse; to chat. The primary verb for verbal communication.
13. 言う いう To say; to utter; to declare; to state. Focuses on the content of what is spoken.
14. 思う おもう To think; to consider; to believe; to feel (that). Expresses personal thoughts and opinions.
15. 知る しる To know; to be aware of; to learn of; to find out; to discover.
16. 分かる わかる To understand; to comprehend; to grasp; to see; to get; to follow.
17. 教える おしえる To teach; to instruct; to tell; to inform. Used for both formal teaching and casual informing.
18. 習う ならう To learn (from a teacher); to take lessons in; to study under someone; to get training.
19. 勉強する べんきょうする To study; to work hard at learning. The most common verb for academic study.
20. 働く はたらく To work; to labour. The primary verb for employment and physical work.
21. 休む やすむ To rest; to take a break; to be absent; to take a day off.
22. 遊ぶ あそぶ To play; to enjoy oneself; to have a good time; to hang out.
23. 走る はしる To run. The primary verb for running and moving quickly on foot.
24. 歩く あるく To walk. The standard verb for moving on foot at a normal pace.
25. 泳ぐ およぐ To swim. The standard verb for swimming in water.
26. 立つ たつ To stand (up); to rise to one's feet. One of the most basic verbs for body position.
27. 座る すわる To sit (down); to take a seat. An essential everyday verb for describing body position.
28. 入る いる To enter; to go in; to come in. A fundamental verb for describing movement into spaces.
29. 出る でる To leave; to exit; to go out; to come out. A versatile verb used for all types of exiting and appearing.
30. 出かける でかける To go out (on an outing or errand); to head out; to leave. Implies going somewhere with a purpose.
31. 開ける あける To open (a door, window, lid, etc.); to unwrap; to unlock. A transitive verb for actively opening things.
32. 閉める しめる To close; to shut (a door, window, lid, etc.). A transitive verb paired with 開ける (to open).
33. 開く ひらく To open; to spread out; to unfold. Used both transitively and intransitively for opening broadly.
34. 閉まる しまる To be shut; to close (by itself); to be closed. An intransitive verb describing something closing on its own.
35. 漬ける つける To soak (in liquid); to steep; to dip; to dunk. Used for submerging things in liquid.
36. 消す けす To turn off (a light, device); to erase; to extinguish. Used for eliminating or removing things.
37. 始まる はじまる To begin; to start; to commence. An intransitive verb for things that begin on their own.
38. 始める はじめる To start; to begin; to initiate something. A transitive verb for actively starting an action.
39. 終わる おわる To end; to finish; to be over. Used for things that come to a conclusion.
40. 作る つくる To make; to create; to produce; to build. A versatile verb for all types of creation.
41. 使う つかう To use; to make use of; to employ. An essential verb for describing the use of tools, language, and resources.
42. 持つ もつ To hold; to carry; to possess. Used for physically holding objects and for ownership.
43. 置く おく To put; to place; to set down. A basic verb for placing objects in a location.
44. 取る とる To take; to pick up; to grab; to get. One of the most versatile verbs in Japanese.
45. 買う かう To buy; to purchase. The fundamental verb for shopping and transactions.
46. 売る うる To sell. The basic verb for selling goods or services.
47. 払う はらう To pay (money, a bill). The standard verb for monetary payments.
48. 貸す かす To lend; to loan; to rent out. Used when giving something temporarily to someone.
49. 借りる かりる To borrow; to rent. Used when temporarily receiving something from someone else.
50. 返す かえす To return (something); to give back; to restore. Used when giving back something borrowed.
51. 送る おくる To send; to dispatch; to forward. Used for sending letters, packages, emails, and even seeing someone off.
52. 届く とどく To reach; to arrive; to be delivered. Used when something successfully gets to its destination.
53. 届ける とどける To deliver; to forward; to send. The act of bringing something to someone or reporting to authorities.
54. もらう もらう To receive; to get; to accept. Used when you receive something from someone.
55. 上げる あげる To raise; to elevate; to give (to someone of equal or lower status).
56. くれる くれる To give (to me/us); to do something for me/us. Used when someone gives something to the speaker.
57. 会う あう To meet; to encounter; to see someone. Used for both planned meetings and chance encounters.
58. 待つ まつ To wait; to await. Used for waiting for people, events, or things to happen.
59. 呼ぶ よぶ To call out to; to call; to summon; to invite. Used for calling someone's name or inviting people.
60. 答える こたえる To answer; to reply; to respond. Used when giving a response to a question or call.
61. 洗う あらう To wash; to cleanse; to rinse. Used for washing hands, dishes, clothes, and more.
62. 磨く みがく To polish; to brush (teeth); to shine; to scrub. Most commonly used for tooth-brushing in daily conversation.
63. 切る きる To cut; to sever; to slice. Used for cutting with scissors, knives, or any sharp tool.
64. 着る きる To wear; to put on (upper body clothing). Specifically for garments worn on the torso and shoulders.
65. 脱ぐ ぬぐ To take off (clothes, shoes); to undress; to remove (garments).
66. 掃く はく To sweep; to brush clean. Used for sweeping floors with a broom.
67. 被る かぶる To put on (head); to wear (a hat, cap); to pull over one's head.
68. 掛ける かける To hang up; to suspend; to put on (glasses); to make (a phone call); to sit down (on a chair).
69. 住む すむ To live; to reside; to inhabit. Used to indicate where someone lives or dwells.
70. 引っ越す ひっこす To move (house); to change residence; to relocate.
71. 結婚する けっこんする To marry; to get married. The standard verb for the act of marriage.
72. 生まれる うまれる To be born; to come into existence. Used for birth of people, animals, and ideas.
73. 死ぬ しぬ To die; to pass away. The only Japanese verb ending in ぬ that follows regular conjugation.
74. 歌う うたう To sing. Used for singing songs, hymns, and in karaoke.
75. 踊る おどる To dance. Used for all forms of dancing, from traditional to modern.
76. 弾く はじく To flip; to snap; to flick. Describes a quick, sharp motion with the fingers or a spring-like action.
77. 撮る とる To take (a photograph); to shoot (a video). Essential for everyday situations involving cameras and phones.
78. 押す おす To push; to press; to shove. Used for physical pushing and pressing buttons or stamps.
79. 上がる あがる To rise; to go up; to ascend. Describes upward movement of things, prices, temperature, or entering a home.
80. 下がる さがる To come down; to go down; to fall; to drop. Describes downward movement of prices, temperature, or position.
81. 下げる さげる To hang; to lower; to suspend; to bring down. Used for lowering objects, reducing levels, or hanging things.
82. 乗る のる To get on; to ride; to board. Used for all types of transportation — trains, buses, planes, bicycles.
83. 曲がる まがる To bend; to curve; to turn. Used for roads turning, objects bending, or making a turn while walking or driving.
84. 渡る わたる To cross over; to go across. Used for crossing bridges, roads, rivers, and intersections.
85. 止まる とまる To stop (moving); to come to a stop; to halt. Describes something ceasing movement on its own.
86. 止める とめる To stop; to turn off; to bring to a halt. Used for actively stopping machines, vehicles, or actions.
87. 飛ぶ とぶ To fly; to soar; to jump. Describes movement through the air — birds flying, planes soaring, or people jumping.
88. 上る のぼる To ascend; to go up; to climb. Used for climbing stairs, hills, or going upstream.
89. 出来る できる To be able to do; to be possible; to be ready. One of the most essential verbs for expressing ability.
90. 射る いる To shoot (an arrow); to fire (a bow). Specifically refers to releasing arrows or projectiles from a bow.
91. ある ある To be; to exist; to have. The fundamental verb for expressing the existence of inanimate objects and abstract things.
92. なる なる To become; to get; to grow; to turn into. Expresses change of state — one of the most frequently used verbs in Japanese.
93. する する To do; to carry out; to perform. The single most versatile verb in Japanese, used to form countless compound verbs.