Verb Stems

Japanese verb stems have all sorts of uses. They are a stepping stone between plain and polite speech, they are used to link verbs together to create new constructs, and can even be combined with verbs to create new verb compounds.

Conjugation

Conjugating the verb stem from the dictionary form is not difficult, but requires you learn the following rules:

U-verbs (Group I)

To change a u-verb from the plain form to the polite form, change the う-sound kana into its い-sound equivalent (う → い, く → き, つ → ち, す → し, etc.)

Dictionary Form	Stem
行く	行き
思う	思い
歌う	歌い
歩く	歩き

Ru-verbs (Group II)

To create the stem of ru-verbs, simply remove the る.

Dictionary Form	Stem
食べる	食べ
見る	見
覚える	覚え

Irregular Verbs (Group III)

Dictionary Form	Stem
する	し
くる	き

A Shortcut

If you already know a verb in its masu-form, simply remove the ます and hey presto, you've got the verb stem.

Masu-form	Stem
行きます	行き
食べます	食べ
します	し

Example Sentences

• 一曲歌いたいです。
  I'd like to sing a song.

• 彼は覚えが早い。
  He learns fast.

• お昼何食べたいですか
  What do you want to eat for lunch?