The 107 most common Japanese verbs

These are the 107 verbs among the 500 most common Japanese words, in the order a corpus of everyday writing says you will meet them.

Meanings are given in English on this page. In the app they appear in your own language, translated on your device.

#WordTypeMeaning
7するVerbsto do
15いるVerbsto be, to exist (people and animals)
18あるVerbsto be, to exist (things)
20得るVerbsto get, acquire, gain, obtain, win, catch
24見るVerbsto see, to watch, to observe, to look at something
37できるVerbsto be able to do
40なるVerbsto become
59来るVerbsto come (toward the speaker)
63くれるVerbsto give to me, to us, or to someone close to me
66思うVerbsto think, to deem, to imagine, ponder, to speculate
67ませるVerbsto be mature for one's age
73出るVerbsto leave a place
77知るVerbsto know, be aware of
81行くVerbsto go; to come to one's place
86立つVerbsto stand, to stand up, to rise
87入るVerbsto enter, to go into, to get into a place or a thing
88言うVerbsto say, to tell somebody
93違うVerbsto be different; to differ (from something)
97下さるVerbsto give
98わかるVerbs分かる, 解る: to be understandable, to understand
108解くVerbsto untie
116やるVerbs遣る, 行る: (colloquial) to do (something)
138書くVerbsto write
152打つVerbsto hit, to beat, to strike
156見えるVerbsto be seen; to be found
163競るVerbsto compete (against someone)
170出来Verbsto occur, to take place
176いくVerbs生く: to be alive; to come back to life
185受けるVerbsto receive, to get, to be given, to undergo
190ござるVerbsto be
193射るVerbsshoot
195使用Verbsuse, utilize
200食べVerbsimperfective and stem (or continuative) forms of 食べる
202しまうVerbsto close
210参加Verbsto participate, to join, to enter
213持つVerbsto hold, to carry something
214お願いVerbsto ask for a favor, to request
221言えるVerbsbe accurate to say, indeed be so
235探すVerbsto look for; to search for; to seek
243続けるVerbsto continue
253すれVerbshypothetical of する (suru, “to do”)
259作るVerbsto make; to create
265聞くVerbs聞く, 聴く: to hear, to listen (to)
269止めるVerbsto stop (to cause to cease)
279下さいVerbsplease give (me or us)
281利用Verbsuse, utilize
291忘れるVerbsto forget
293買うVerbsto buy
298起きるVerbsto wake up
323確認Verbsto confirm, to make sure, to check, to verify
324開催Verbsto hold an event
330生きるVerbsto live; to exist
336教えVerbsimperfective and stem (or continuative) forms of 教える
339結婚Verbsget married
345生活Verbslive a life
354公開Verbsto open to the public, to release, to put on exhibit
357理解Verbsto understand; to comprehend
358寝るVerbsto sleep
359あげるVerbs上げる, 挙げる: to raise
364向けVerbsimperfective and stem (or continuative) forms of 向ける
367放送Verbsto broadcast
370登場Verbsappear in a performance, for a character to enter
371販売Verbssell
382研究Verbsto research, to study
383説明Verbsto explain
384話すVerbsto talk (about something); to speak (on a subject)
386終わるVerbsto end, to finish, to quit
387蹴るVerbsto kick (something)
388くVerbs消: disappear
390発表Verbsannounce, present, publish, screen
393増えるVerbsto increase (in numbers, quantity, or volume)
394しろVerbsno matter; regardless of
395死ぬVerbsto die
396変えるVerbsto change, to make different
402攻撃Verbsto attack
407居りVerbsClassical Japanese form of おる (oru): to exist, to be
408行うVerbsto perform; to do; to conduct oneself; to carry out
409もらうVerbsto receive
420登録Verbsto register
421紹介Verbsintroduce
426すべてVerbsconjunctive form of 統べる (suberu)
428機能Verbsfunction (as something), work
429計画Verbsto plan, to make a plan, to plot, to lay out
431調査Verbsto investigate, to examine, to inspect, to inquire
433使えるVerbsbe usable (e.g. a coupon at a cash register)
435とるVerbs取る: to take
437付くVerbsto attach itself to, to stick (to), to adhere (to)
441使うVerbsto use
451開始Verbsto start; to begin; to initiate
452開発Verbsto develop or exploit resources
454楽しむVerbsto enjoy oneself
459影響Verbsto influence, to have an effect upon
463限定Verbslimit, restrict
473注意Verbsto warn
474管理Verbsto control, to manage, to administer
476求めるVerbsto find; to seek; to look for
477付けるVerbsto attach, to affix, to stick, to fasten, to add
482撮影Verbsto shoot (a film), to photograph
483質問Verbsto ask a question
485覚えるVerbs覚える, 憶える: to recall, to remember
487致すVerbsto deliver; to send
489似Verbs肖: imperfective and stem (or continuative) forms of 似る
492決定Verbsto decide
495記念Verbscommemorate, celebrate, mark
498連絡Verbsconnect with, get a hold of, get in touch with
499掛かるVerbsto hang
500会うVerbsto meet with, see, meet again or for the first time

All 500 A1 words are on this page, free, with no sign-up.

The rest of the list

  • A2A2 Beginner: 500 more words大事 · はい · エロ · シリーズ · ライブ
  • B1B1 Intermediate: 750 more words読む · 賞 · 通信 · 都 · 頂く
  • B2B2 Upper intermediate: 750 more words書籍 · 株 · 次元 · 無視 · 章

A2 to B2 are part of Oqou Pro, in the app, where you can also send any word straight into spaced review and meet it again on the day you are about to forget it.

Download on the App Store

Where this comes from

The order is measured: it comes from how often each word appears in a large corpus, counted across all the forms of a word rather than each form separately, so a verb is ranked where you really meet it. The band edges are a convention rather than a measurement. Nothing says word 501 is harder than word 500; the levels are cut where established graded reader series cut theirs.

wordfreq 3.1 (frequency order) + en.wiktionary via kaikki.org (part of speech, gender, gloss). Corpus read on 2026-09-16.

Questions

Where does the order come from?

From how often each word appears in a large corpus of everyday writing. Frequency is counted across all the forms of a word and attributed to the dictionary form, so a verb is ranked where a reader really meets it rather than being spread thinly over a dozen endings.

Why are these lists shorter than the ones with 5,000 or 10,000 words?

Because past about 2,500 a frequency rank stops meaning much. Rank 6,000 in a web corpus is not a harder word, it is a word that happens to be common in journalism. Established graded reader series top out near 2,500 headwords for the same reason.

Is every word in the list a real dictionary word?

Yes. Every headword is checked against the language's own Wiktionary entry, which is where the part of speech, the gender and the meaning come from. That check is what removes the proper nouns, single letters and corpus noise that raw frequency lists are full of.

Do I need the app?

Not for this page. The A1 list is free here and free in the app. A2 to B2 are part of Oqou Pro, and the app is also where a word can go from a list into a review queue, which is the part a page cannot do.

Has a native speaker checked these?

Not yet. The frequency order and the part of speech are mechanical, and the meanings come from a dictionary rather than being written by hand, but nothing here has been through native review. If you spot a meaning that is technically right and practically useless, we would like to hear about it.