Te Form Japanese: Complete Conjugation Guide + Examples

The te form (て形, te-kei) is the single most versatile conjugation in Japanese. Once you can build it fluently, you unlock a cascade of essential grammar patterns: linking actions in sequence, making polite requests, expressing ongoing states, and asking for permission. This is core JLPT N5 material, and it shows up in virtually every conversation you will ever have in Japanese.

This guide covers everything — all three verb groups, all nine godan endings, both irregular verbs, and five key usage patterns — with romaji throughout so you can read and practice every example from the start.

How Te Form Works: All Three Verb Groups

Japanese verbs fall into three groups, and each has its own te form rule. Ichidan verbs are entirely regular. The two irregular verbs take just a moment to memorize. Most of the challenge is in godan verbs — nine patterns, all rule-based.

If you want a clear review of how verb groups are classified before diving in, the guide to Japanese verb basics covers the ichidan/godan distinction from the ground up.

Ichidan Verbs (る Verbs): Drop る, Add て

The rule could not be simpler: remove る from the dictionary form and replace it with て.

Godan Verbs (う Verbs): Match the Final Syllable

The final hiragana of the dictionary form tells you exactly which te ending to apply. There are nine patterns:

⚠️ One exception to memorize: 行く (いく, iku, "go") follows the く ending but produces 行って (いって, itte), not 行いて. This is the single standard exception in the godan system — treat it as a standalone fact separate from the general rule.

Irregular Verbs: Two to Memorize

Only two verbs follow no pattern at all:

• する (suru, "do") → して (shite)
• くる (kuru, "come") → きて (kite)

Te Form Reference Table

A complete reference for the verbs you'll encounter most often. Having a wide verb vocabulary makes conjugation practice far more effective — if you want to build that vocabulary alongside this conjugation reference, the guide to common Japanese verbs is an ideal companion.

Five Essential Uses of Te Form

1. Connecting Sequential Actions

The foundational use: te form links two actions in time order, like "and then" in English. The tense of the whole sentence is set by the final verb — te form verbs in the middle are tenseless connectives.

Pattern: Verb₁て + Verb₂

朝ごはんを食べて、会社へ行きます。 Asagohan o tabete, kaisha e ikimasu. I eat breakfast and then go to work.

図書館へ行って、勉強します。 Toshokan e itte, benkyō shimasu. I go to the library and study.

2. ~ている (te iru) — Progressive and Ongoing States

Add いる (iru) directly after te form to express something happening right now, or a state that continues as a result of a past action.

Pattern: Verbて + いる / います

今、音楽を聴いています。 Ima, ongaku o kiite imasu. I am listening to music right now.

彼女は日本語を勉強しています。 Kanojo wa nihongo o benkyō shite imasu. She is studying Japanese.

In casual speech, います often contracts: 読んでいる → 読んでる (yonderu). You'll hear this constantly in natural conversation.

3. ~てください (te kudasai) — Polite Requests

Attach ください (kudasai) to te form to make a polite, contextually natural request — whether you're speaking to a teacher, a shop assistant, or anyone you're being formal with.

Pattern: Verbて + ください

ゆっくり話してください。 Yukkuri hanashite kudasai. Please speak slowly.

名前を書いてください。 Namae o kaite kudasai. Please write your name.

🎌 Cultural note: ~てください is everywhere in Japanese public life — train announcements, convenience store greetings, classroom instructions. The phrase 「少々お待ちください」(Shōshō omachi kudasai, "Please wait a moment") uses this exact pattern. When you start recognizing it in the wild, it's a clear and satisfying sign that your grammar practice is connecting to real language.

4. ~てもいい (te mo ii) — Asking or Granting Permission

Use this pattern to ask whether an action is acceptable, or to tell someone they're free to proceed.

Pattern: Verbて + もいいですか (question) / もいいです (granting)

窓を開けてもいいですか。 Mado o akete mo ii desu ka. Is it okay if I open the window?

はい、開けてもいいですよ。 Hai, akete mo ii desu yo. Yes, you may open it.

5. ~てから (te kara) — After Completing an Action

Express that one action is fully finished before the next begins. This emphasizes completion more explicitly than the simple sequential pattern above.

Pattern: Verbて + から + Verb₂

宿題をしてから、ゲームをします。 Shukudai o shite kara, gēmu o shimasu. After doing my homework, I play games.

シャワーを浴びてから、寝ます。 Shawā o abite kara, nemasu. After taking a shower, I go to sleep.

Common Mistakes with Te Form

1. Treating all る-ending verbs as ichidan Not every verb ending in る is ichidan. 帰る (kaeru, "return home"), 走る (hashiru, "run"), and 切る (kiru, "cut") are godan verbs — their te forms are 帰って, 走って, and 切って. Learners who assume the simpler rule applies often produce forms that don't exist. When a verb's group is unclear, check a dictionary and make a note.

2. Forgetting the 行く exception After learning く → いて, learners frequently apply it mechanically to 行く and arrive at 行いて — which does not exist in Japanese. Because 行く is one of the highest-frequency verbs in the language, this error surfaces constantly. Memorize 行って (itte) on its own, not as an application of the く rule.

3. Confusing 着て (kite) and きて (kite) 着る (kiru, ichidan, "to wear") → 着て (kite). Irregular くる (kuru, "to come") → きて (kite). Same pronunciation, completely different meaning. Context resolves the ambiguity — you can't "come" a shirt — but it catches learners off guard when they expect written Japanese to always distinguish similar words.

4. Leaving out います in ~ている sentences 読んで alone means "read and..." not "I am reading." The progressive meaning requires いる or います to complete the pattern: 読んでいます. Dropping います produces a grammatically incomplete sentence that hangs without a following verb, often confusing listeners.

5. Using bare て form as a command in formal contexts A bare te form command — 食べて! (tabete!, "Eat!") — works informally among close friends or family. With acquaintances, teachers, or in any formal setting, always add ください. Using the bare form in the wrong register sounds abrupt in a way that reflects on social awareness, not just grammar skill.

Practice Quiz

Cover the answers and write your own responses first — that's where the learning happens.

Section 1 — Conjugate to Te Form

Section 2 — Translate to English

Section 3 — Build the Sentence

✅ Answers

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

FAQ

What is te form used for in Japanese?

Te form connects sequential actions, builds progressive sentences with ~ている, forms polite requests with ~てください, asks or grants permission with ~てもいい, and sequences completed actions with ~てから. It's one of the most frequently occurring grammatical structures in everyday Japanese and is directly tested at JLPT N5 level.

How do I tell whether a る-ending verb is ichidan or godan?

A useful shortcut: if the syllable before る has an e-sound (食べる, 開ける), it's almost always ichidan. I-sound syllables (見る, 起きる) are often ichidan too — but common exceptions like 帰る (kaeru), 走る (hashiru), 知る (shiru), and 切る (kiru) are godan despite the pattern. When uncertain, look up the verb's group in a dictionary and note the exceptions as you encounter them.

Is Japanese te form the same as the English "-ing" ending?

Not exactly. Te form alone is a connective that sequences actions — not a progressive or a nominalization. "I am reading" maps to 読んでいます (yonde imasu), where the progressive meaning comes from adding いる, not from te form alone. The "-ing" parallel only holds when the full ~ている pattern is used.

Do I need to know te form for JLPT N5?

Yes, completely. Te form conjugation and the patterns ~てください, ~ている, and ~てもいい are all tested at JLPT N5 level. They also appear in nearly every N5 reading and listening passage, so mastering te form improves your score across all sections of the exam — not just the grammar questions.

The best way to cement te form is to use it in live conversation — forming requests on the spot, catching yourself mid-sentence, hearing real-time feedback from a teacher. Start your Free Trial lesson with Kind Japanese and practice the five te form patterns one-on-one over LINE, with a teacher focused entirely on your progress.

Continue Learning

• ← Previous lesson: Making Japanese verbs negative — the negative conjugations that sit alongside te form as foundational verb forms
• → Next lesson: The Japanese particles を and に — the object and direction markers you'll combine with te form verbs constantly from here on

This is Lesson 50 of the Kind Japanese 100-day beginner curriculum.