Potential Verbs in Japanese: Rules, Conjugation, and Examples

Key takeaways

• Potential verbs express ability in Japanese: what you can or cannot do.
• Group 1 verbs (godan/u-verbs) form the potential by changing the final -u sound to -eru: 書く (kaku: to write) becomes 書ける (kakeru: can write).
• Group 2 verbs (ichidan/ru-verbs) add られる (-rareru) to the verb stem: 食べる (taberu: to eat) becomes 食べられる (taberareru: can eat).
• The verb できる (dekiru: can do) is the irregular potential form of する (suru: to do).
• The object of a potential verb is typically marked with が (ga) rather than を (wo), though を is increasingly accepted in casual speech.

You know how to say what you do in Japanese. You know how to say what you did. But the moment someone asks if you can do something, or you want to say what you are not able to manage yet, you freeze. Potential verbs are the gap.

Once you have them, your ability to express your actual level of Japanese, offer or decline invitations, and describe your skills increases significantly.

With 10M+ learners and 30,000+ tutors across 150+ languages, italki connects you with Japanese tutors who build potential verb drills into real conversational practice so the forms become automatic rather than something you calculate mid-sentence.

The two main verb groups

Group	Also called	Identifying feature	Example
Group 1	Godan / u-verbs	Dictionary form ends in a -u column sound other than -ru, OR ends in -ru but the previous vowel is not i or e	書く (kaku), 飲む (nomu), 話す (hanasu), 帰る (kaeru)
Group 2	Ichidan / ru-verbs	Dictionary form ends in -iru or -eru	食べる (taberu), 見る (miru), 起きる (okiru)

Group 1: potential form conjugation

Dictionary form	Romaji	Meaning	Potential form	Romaji	Meaning
書く	kaku	to write	書ける	kakeru	can write
飲む	nomu	to drink	飲める	nomeru	can drink
話す	hanasu	to speak	話せる	hanaseru	can speak
聞く	kiku	to listen/ask	聞ける	kikeru	can listen
読む	yomu	to read	読める	yomeru	can read
行く	iku	to go	行ける	ikeru	can go
帰る	kaeru	to return	帰れる	kaereru	can return
買う	kau	to buy	買える	kaeru	can buy

Group 2: potential form conjugation

Dictionary form	Romaji	Meaning	Potential form	Romaji	Meaning
食べる	taberu	to eat	食べられる	taberareru	can eat
見る	miru	to see	見られる	mirareru	can see
起きる	okiru	to wake up	起きられる	okirareru	can wake up
教える	oshieru	to teach	教えられる	oshierareru	can teach
着る	kiru	to wear	着られる	kirareru	can wear

In casual speech, ら (ra) is often dropped: 食べられる (taberareru) becomes 食べれる (tabereru). This form is widely used in conversation but considered non-standard in formal contexts.

Practice group 1 and 2 conjugations through repetition with a Japanese language instructor.

Irregular potential verbs

Dictionary form	Romaji	Meaning	Potential form	Romaji	Meaning
する	suru	to do	できる	dekiru	can do
くる	kuru	to come	こられる	korareru	can come

Memorize irregular forms through Japanese conjugation practice with a native speaker on italki.

The object particle: が vs. を

In standard Japanese grammar, the object of a potential verb takes が (ga) rather than を (wo): 寿司が食べられる (Sushi ga taberareru: I can eat sushi) – standard. を is so widely used in conversation that choosing を will not cause confusion, but を is technically not the formal standard.

Negative potential forms

Potential (can)	Romaji	Negative potential (cannot)	Romaji
書ける	kakeru	書けない	kakenai
飲める	nomeru	飲めない	nomenai
食べられる	taberareru	食べられない	taberarenai
できる	dekiru	できない	dekinai
見られる	mirareru	見られない	mirarenai

Apply negation to potential verbs in real sentences with a Japanese tutor.

Common patterns and sentences

• 日本語が話せますか？(Nihongo ga hanasemasu ka: Can you speak Japanese?)
• まだ漢字が読めません。(Mada kanji ga yomemasen: I still cannot read kanji.)
• 明日、来られますか？(Ashita, koraremasu ka: Can you come tomorrow?)
• 辛い食べ物が食べられます。(Karai tabemono ga taberaremasu: I can eat spicy food.)
• 子供の頃、泳げませんでした。(Kodomo no koro, oyogemasen deshita: I could not swim when I was a child.)

Working through potential verbs in real conversational questions and answers is the fastest way to make the forms natural. With Japanese tutors on italki, you can practice can you… can’t you… conversation drills tailored to your level. Book a trial lesson today.

FAQ

Can I always use できる instead of the specific potential verb?

できる (dekiru) works as a general can do, but it is less specific. 日本語ができます means I have Japanese ability rather than the specific 日本語が話せます (I can speak Japanese). In casual conversation, できる is often used broadly, but specific potential forms are more natural and sound more fluent.

Why does 見られる (mirareru) mean both can see and is seen (passive)?

Group 2 verb potential and passive forms are identical. Context almost always makes the meaning clear. The passive use typically has the agent marked with に (ni): ねこに食べられた (was eaten by the cat). The potential use does not have an agent: 魚が食べられる (I can eat fish).

What is the difference between 行ける (ikeru) and 行くことができる (iku koto ga dekiru)?

Both mean can go. 行ける is the standard potential verb form. 行くことができる uses the nominalization こと (koto) and then できる. The meaning is the same; 行くことができる is more formal, while 行ける is more conversational.