← All Japanese verbs and adjectives
Japanese verb言う (iu) Conjugation
言う (iu) means “to say”. It is a う-verb (godan) verb. It is an う-verb (godan): the last sound changes, 言わない and 言います, and the te-form is 言って. Below is its conjugation in all 14 forms, plain and polite, the same forms the Japanese verb conjugation worksheets print in their answer keys.
- Meaning
- to say
- Type
- う-verb (godan)
- Dictionary form
- 言う
- Reading
- いう
- Romaji
- iu
- Masu form
- 言います
- Nai form
- 言わない
- Te-form
- 言って
- Ta form
- 言った
Basic forms
Present現在形・辞書形
| Plain | 言う |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言わない |
| Polite | 言います |
| Polite negative | 言いません |
Past過去形・た形
| Plain | 言った |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言わなかった |
| Polite | 言いました |
| Polite negative | 言いませんでした |
Te-formて形
| Plain | 言って |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言わないで |
Progressive (-te iru)ている
| Plain | 言っている |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言っていない |
| Polite | 言っています |
| Polite negative | 言っていません |
Wanting, inviting, telling
Want to (-tai)たい形
| Plain | 言いたい |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言いたくない |
| Polite | 言いたいです |
| Polite negative | 言いたくないです |
Volitional意向形
| Plain | 言おう |
|---|---|
| Polite | 言いましょう |
Imperative and requests命令形
| Plain command | 言え |
|---|---|
| Plain negative (don't) | 言うな |
| Polite request (-te kudasai) | 言ってください |
| Polite negative (-naide kudasai) | 言わないでください |
Can and if
Potential可能形
| Plain | 言える |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言えない |
| Polite | 言えます |
| Polite negative | 言えません |
Conditional (-ba)仮定形・ば
| Plain | 言えば |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言わなければ |
Conditional (-tara)たら
| Plain | 言ったら |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言わなかったら |
Passive and causative
Passive受身形
| Plain | 言われる |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言われない |
| Polite | 言われます |
| Polite negative | 言われません |
Causative使役形
| Plain | 言わせる |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言わせない |
| Polite | 言わせます |
| Polite negative | 言わせません |
Causative passive使役受身形
| Plain | 言わされる |
|---|---|
| Plain negative | 言わされない |
| Polite | 言わされます |
| Polite negative | 言わされません |
More common Japanese verbs and adjectives
- 書く (kaku)to write
- 買う (kau)to buy
- 待つ (matsu)to wait
- 会う (au)to meet
- わかる (wakaru)to understand
- 思う (omou)to think
- 知る (shiru)to know, to get to know
- 使う (tsukau)to use
- 作る (tsukuru)to make
- 帰る (kaeru)to go home, to return
- 入る (hairu)to enter
- 出る (deru)to leave, to go out
About these tables
The forms are built from Wiktionary's conjugation tables, and they are the ones the Japanese verb conjugation worksheet generator prints, so a chart or answer key made there matches this page. That page explains how the forms were checked.
Print this verb chart opens 言う (iu) on the worksheet preview with every form filled in, ready to print on A4 or US Letter or save as PDF. To practice it with other verbs and adjectives, the generator also makes blank conjugation boxes and quick quizzes with answer keys. To practice online instead, the Japanese verb conjugation quiz marks each form as you type it.
Verbs, adjectives and their meanings come from JMdict, the property of the Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, used in conformance with the Group's licence. The forms are built by the standard rules, with the irregular ones written out.