Japanese verb · u-verb · first needed at elementary level (A2)
書く
kaku
to write
A u-verb ending in く: the te-form is (kaite). The person you write to takes (ni): (tomodachi ni tegami o kaku).
Present
現在形
Now, habits and the future. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ます is the default.
| plain | 書くkaku | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 書きますkakimasu | |
| plain negative | 書かないkakanai | |
| polite negative | 書きませんkakimasen |
Past
過去形
What happened, or what has happened. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ました is the default.
| plain | 書いたkaita | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 書きましたkakimashita | |
| plain negative | 書かなかったkakanakatta | |
| polite negative | 書きませんでしたkakimasen deshita |
Te-form
て形
Joins actions (“and then”) and builds ～ています (doing now), ～てください (please do) and ～てもいいですか (may I).
| te-form | 書いてkaite | |
|---|---|---|
| -te imasu (doing now) | 書いていますkaite imasu | |
| -te kudasai (please do) | 書いてくださいkaite kudasai | |
| -te mo ii desu ka (may I) | 書いてもいいですかkaite mo ii desu ka |
Volitional
意向形
Let's: the plain form between friends, ～ましょう in polite speech. ～ましょうか suggests (shall we?) or offers help (shall I?).
| plain (let's) | 書こうkakō | |
|---|---|---|
| polite (let's) | 書きましょうkakimashō | |
| polite (shall we?) | 書きましょうかkakimashō ka |
Potential
可能形
Can write. The object usually takes (ga) instead of (o). (kanji ga kakemasu).
| plain | 書けるkakeru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 書けますkakemasu | |
| plain negative | 書けないkakenai | |
| polite negative | 書けませんkakemasen |
Passive
受身形
Being written: (Eigo de kakareta hon), a book written in English.
| plain | 書かれるkakareru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 書かれますkakaremasu | |
| plain negative | 書かれないkakarenai | |
| polite negative | 書かれませんkakaremasen |
Causative
使役形
Making or letting someone write it. (kakasete kudasai) means “please let me write it”.
| plain | 書かせるkakaseru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 書かせますkakasemasu | |
| plain negative | 書かせないkakasenai | |
| polite negative | 書かせませんkakasemasen |
Conditional
条件形
If: ～ば for general conditions, ～たら for “if” and “when, once”, ～なければ for “if not”.
| -ba | 書けばkakeba | |
|---|---|---|
| -tara | 書いたらkaitara | |
| -nakereba (if not) | 書かなければkakanakereba |
Examples
- ここに名前を書いてください。Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai.Please write your name here.
- 友達に手紙を書きました。Tomodachi ni tegami o kakimashita.I wrote a letter to a friend.
- 漢字が書けますか。Kanji ga kakemasu ka.Can you write kanji?