The Japanese Te-Form: Conjugation Chart, Rules and the 行く Exception

What is the te-form in Japanese?

The te-form is the Japanese verb form that ends in て or で: 食べる becomes 食べて and 飲む becomes 飲んで. To make it, look at the verb's group and its last kana: る-verbs drop る and add て, and う-verbs change their ending to って, んで, いて, いで or して.

In Japanese it's called て形 (てけい, tekei). It links verbs like "and", and it's the base of requests (〜てください) and the -ing form (〜ています). A huge amount of everyday Japanese is built on it:

• 待ってください。 Please wait.
• テレビを見ています。 I'm watching TV.
• 写真を撮ってもいいですか。 May I take a photo?

Each of these comes back below, with every word explained.

That's why it's worth learning properly and early. The good news: the te-form follows a small set of rules based on how the verb ends. There's one exception you need as a beginner (行く) and two irregular verbs (する and 来る).

This page gives you the te-form conjugation chart, shows every rule on real beginner verbs, then covers the ta-form (which uses the same rules), adjectives and nouns, and the patterns you'll use most. If you can't read kana yet, start with what hiragana is.

Verb groups: ru-verbs, u-verbs and irregular verbs

Before you can make the te-form, you need to know which of three groups a verb belongs to. The る-verbs are called 一段動詞 (いちだんどうし, ichidandōshi, “ichidan verb”) in Japanese, and the う-verbs 五段動詞 (ごだんどうし, godandōshi, “godan verb”).

How to tell ru-verbs from u-verbs

Every る-verb ends in る, with an i or e sound before it: 見る (mi-ru), 食べる (tabe-ru). So look at the ending:

• It doesn't end in る: always a う-verb, like 書く or 飲む.
• It ends in -aru, -uru or -oru (an a, u or o sound before る): always a う-verb, like 作る (tsukuru) and 終わる (owaru).
• It ends in -iru or -eru: usually a る-verb, but there are exceptions to learn.

する and 来る are the only two irregular verbs.

The exceptions in the last group look like る-verbs but conjugate as う-verbs. The ones you'll meet early include 帰る (to go home), 入る (to enter), 走る (to run), 切る (to cut) and 知る (to know). You have to learn them as you go.

The easiest test is the polite ます form, if you already know it. A る-verb just drops る (食べる → 食べます). A う-verb changes its last sound to an i-sound (帰る → 帰ります).

Te-form conjugation chart

Here's every rule on one table. Find the verb's group and last kana, then swap the ending.

So every te-form ends in one of just six ways: って, んで, いて, いで, して, or plain て. Here is each rule with real verbs from our beginner (N5) list.

u, tsu, ru → tte (う, つ, る → って)

mu, bu, nu → nde (む, ぶ, ぬ → んで)

死ぬ is the only common verb ending in ぬ, so it's the one textbooks always use.

ku → ite, gu → ide (く → いて, ぐ → いで)

The two go together: く gives いて, and its voiced partner ぐ gives いで.

su → shite (す → して)

Ru-verbs: drop る, add て

The easiest group: drop る and add て.

する and 来る

The two irregular verbs. する also covers every "noun + する" verb, such as 勉強する, from 勉強 (べんきょう, benkyō, “study”): 勉強する → 勉強して.

The 行く exception: iku → itte

By the rules, 行く (to go) ends in く, so its te-form should be いいて, like 書く → 書いて. It isn't. 行く is the only common exception: its te-form is 行って, as if it ended in う, つ or る. Its kanji is 行.

Two more things to know about 行って:

• It sounds like 言って. 言う (to say) is a normal う-verb, so its te-form is also いって. Kanji or context tells you which one is meant.
• Other verbs ending in く follow the rule. 書く, 聞く and 歩く all give いて.

A few rare, formal verbs such as 問う (とう, tou, “to ask”) also break the rules: 問う gives 問うて, not 問って. You won't meet them as a beginner.

The ta-form: same rules, た instead of て

Once you know the te-form, you get the ta-form (the plain past) for free. Take the te-form and change て to た, or で to だ. 行く is an exception here too (行った), and する and 来る become した and きた.

The ta-form is the casual version of the polite past: 食べた means the same as 食べました, but you'd use it with friends rather than with a teacher. Many later grammar patterns are built on it too, so learning the two forms together pays off twice. To see where verb forms fit in your studies, read how to learn Japanese step by step.

Adjectives and nouns: 〜くて and 〜で

i-adjectives: 〜くて

i-adjectives have a te-form too. Drop the final い and add くて: 大きい → 大きくて. It links adjectives, like "and" in English.

• 安くておいしいです。 It's cheap and tasty.
• この部屋は広くて明るいです。 This room is spacious and bright. (部屋 is 部屋 (へや, heya, “room”).)

The dictionary lists 美味しい with kanji, but marks it as usually written in kana, so write おいしい.

The one to watch is いい ("good"), which becomes よくて, not いくて.

na-adjectives and nouns: 〜で

For na-adjectives and nouns, the linking form is で instead.

• この部屋は静かできれいです。 This room is quiet and clean.
• 私は学生で、日本人です。 I'm a student, and I'm Japanese.

How to use the te-form

These are the patterns you'll use most as a beginner. In each one, the te-form stays the same; only what comes after it changes. Here are the words the examples use:

And the verbs, in their te-forms:

〜てください (te kudasai): asking someone to do something

Te-form + ください (please) makes a polite request.

• ちょっと待ってください。 Please wait a moment.
• ここに名前を書いてください。 Please write your name here.

The te-form on its own: a casual request

With friends and family, you can drop ください and use the te-form alone. It works as a casual request or command:

• 待って! Wait!
• 見て! Look!

〜ないでください (naide kudasai): please don't

To ask someone not to do something, take the plain negative (the ない form) and add でください.

• ここで写真を撮らないでください。 Please don't take photos here.
• 行かないでください。 Please don't go.

〜ています (te imasu): ongoing actions and states

Te-form + います describes something happening right now:

• 今、テレビを見ています。 I'm watching TV now.
• 雨が降っています。 It's raining.

It also describes a state that continues, which English often says with a plain verb:

• 東京に住んでいます。 I live in Tokyo.
• 結婚しています。 I'm married.

The casual form is 〜ている. In casual speech it often shortens further to てる (teru, “to be ...-ing”): 見てる, "I'm watching". That's where 愛してる comes from: see I love you in Japanese.

〜て、〜: doing one thing, then another

Link actions in the order they happen. Usually only the last verb shows the tense and politeness; the te-forms before it just mean "and then":

• 朝ご飯を食べて、学校に行きます。 I eat breakfast and go to school.
• 家に帰って、寝ました。 I went home and went to bed.

〜てから (te kara): after doing

Te-form + から means "after doing". It puts the stress on the order: first one thing, and only then the other.

• 朝ご飯を食べてから、学校に行きます。 After I eat breakfast, I go to school.

The te-form as a reason: "so"

The te-form can also give a reason or cause, like "so" in English. You'll hear it early in apologies:

• 遅くなってすみません。 Sorry I'm late. (Literally, "it got late, so I'm sorry".)

遅くなる means "to get late". It's 遅い (おそい, osoi, “late”) with its い changed to く, plus なる (naru, “to become”). Only なる goes into the te-form, so 遅くなる becomes 遅くなって. すみません is すみません (sumimasen, “excuse me”).

〜てもいいです (te mo ii desu): permission

Te-form + もいいです means "it's all right to…". As a question, it asks for permission:

• 写真を撮ってもいいですか。 May I take a photo?
• ここで食べてもいいですか。 Is it all right to eat here?

A simple way to say yes is はい (hai)、どうぞ (dōzo). (Yes, please go ahead.)

〜てはいけません (te wa ikemasen): not allowed

The opposite of 〜てもいいです. Te-form + は + いけません (ikemasen, “must not do”) says something isn't allowed:

• ここで写真を撮ってはいけません。 You mustn't take photos here.

Quick te-form quiz

Cover the table below and try these ten N5 verbs. Check the group first, then the ending.

1. 読む (to read)
2. 買う (to buy)
3. 立つ (to stand up)
4. 呼ぶ (to call)
5. 聞く (to hear, to ask)
6. 出す (to take out)
7. 起きる (to get up)
8. 入る (to enter): careful, this one is a trap
9. 脱ぐ (to take off clothes)
10. 言う (to say)

Answers:

How to make it stick:

• Learn the chart, then drill verbs, not the chart. The rules are quick to learn. Getting them fast enough to use in a sentence takes repetition with real verbs.
• Learn the traps by name. 行く → 行って, いい → よくて, and the る-verbs that are really う-verbs (帰る, 入る, 走る, 切る, 知る).
• Say the ta-form with the te-form. 飲んで, 飲んだ: one rule, two forms.

The verbs here come from the beginner word list. To see how big that list is, read how many kanji and words JLPT N5 needs.

Questions about the te-form

What is the te-form in Japanese?

The te-form is the verb form that ends in て or で, such as 食べて or 飲んで. It links actions like "and", and it's the base of patterns such as 〜てください (please do) and 〜ています (doing, or a lasting state).

How do you make the te-form?

It depends on the verb's group. る-verbs drop る and add て. う-verbs change their last kana: う, つ, る give って; む, ぶ, ぬ give んで; く gives いて; ぐ gives いで; す gives して. する becomes して, 来る becomes 来て (きて), and 行く becomes 行って.

What is the te-form of 食べる (taberu)?

The te-form of 食べる is 食べて (tabete). 食べる is a る-verb, so you drop る and add て.

When do you use 〜ています (te imasu)?

Use 〜ています for something happening now (テレビを見ています, "I'm watching TV") or for a state that lasts (東京に住んでいます, "I live in Tokyo"). With friends, it's 〜ている, often shortened to 〜てる.

Why is the te-form of 行く 行って?

The te-form of 行く is 行って because 行く is an exception, the only common one. By its く ending it should be いいて, like 書く → 書いて. Its ta-form is 行った for the same reason.

How do I memorise the te-form?

Learn the chart once, then drill real verbs until the forms come quickly. Some learners also use a te-form song: a well-known one is sung to the tune of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and starts "utsurutte".

How do I practise the te-form?

Practise on real verbs: pick a verb, say its group, then its te-form. A quick quiz such as the one above, done a little every day, works better than rereading the chart.

Is the te-form hard to learn?

Not really, but it takes practice. There are only six endings, one common exception (行く) and two irregular verbs. The hard part is knowing each verb's group, especially the る-verbs that are really う-verbs.

Sources

• Readings, meanings and tags: JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), including its verb classes for 行く ("Godan verb - Iku/Yuku special class") and 問う ("Godan verb with 'u' ending (special class)"), its note that 美味しい is usually written in kana, and てる as colloquial.
• Forms: Ahmed Fasih, kamiya-codec (Unlicense), a conjugation library based on Taeko Kamiya's The Handbook of Japanese Verbs and The Handbook of Japanese Adjectives and Adverbs (Kodansha).
• The te-form rules, its "and" and "so" meanings, nouns and na-adjectives with で, and the bare te-form as a request: Tofugu, Te Form: Connecting words and clauses.
• 問うて as an exception, alongside 行って: elon.io, Irregular te-forms.
• 遅くなってすみません: Bunpro, てすみません, which lists it as an N4 point.
• The beginner te-form patterns (〜てください, 〜ている, 〜てから, 〜てもいいです, 〜てはいけない, 〜ないでください), and the fact that there is no official JLPT N5 grammar list: JLPT Sensei, JLPT N5 grammar list.
• The te-form song: Wasshoi Magazine, Having trouble remembering the te-forms?.
• Word list: our N5 list, based on Jonathan Waller's JLPT lists (tanos.co.uk, CC BY). The JLPT stopped publishing its "Test Content Specifications" (lists of vocabulary, kanji and grammar) after the 2010 revision: JLPT FAQ.
• The full list of sources is on our attributions page.
• Reviewed by two independent reviews. Waiting for a native speaker's check: the example sentences, 家 read うち, はい、どうぞ as a yes to 〜てもいいですか, the ta-form as the casual 〜ました, the bare te-form request, 〜ないでください, 〜てから, the te-form as a reason, 〜てはいけません, the short 〜てる, and mentioning 問う as a rare exception.