Ichidan verbs are the well-behaved ones in the Japanese verb family. They follow a predictable pattern, so once you nail the endings, you can conjugate hundreds of words without breaking a sweat. This list gathers around 120 of the most common ichidan verbs you’ll actually need-whether you’re chatting about your day, ordering food, or just trying to sound less like a textbook robot.
Each verb comes with a straightforward meaning and a natural example sentence, so you can see exactly how it behaves in a real sentence-not just a translation. Because hearing a word once beats reading it ten times, there’s a play button next to every entry. When you’re ready to take your study offline, grab the free PDF using the download button right below the table.
If you’ve been wrestling with godan verbs and their five-vowel shifts, this ichidan list will feel like a breath of fresh air. It’s a clean reference you can come back to whenever you need a quick conjugation check or want to expand your vocabulary with verbs that actually get used in daily life.
If this topic helped, explore more in our Japanese learning section. it’s the easiest way to keep building related vocabulary without jumping around the web.
Quick Quiz
Think you can conjugate these ichidan verbs without peeking? The quick quiz below will give you a friendly nudge toward the ones that need a second look-no grades, just practice.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Type | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 認める | Ichidan | to recognize, to acknowledge | |
| 調べる | Ichidan | to investigate, look up | |
| 諦める | Ichidan | to give up | |
| 負ける | Ichidan | to lose (a game, etc.) | |
| 起きる | Ichidan | to get up, wake up | |
| 迎える | Ichidan Verb | to welcome; to greet | |
| 逃げる | Ichidan | to escape | |
| 進める | Ichidan | to advance (something) | |
| 遅れる | Ichidan | to be late | |
| 過ぎる | ichidan | to exceed, to pass (time) | |
| 閉じる | Ichidan | to close (book, eyes) | |
| 閉める | Ichidan | to close | |
| 開ける | Ichidan | to open | |
| 間違える | Ichidan Verb | to make a mistake | |
| 降りる | Ichidan | to get off; to descend | |
| 隠れる | Ichidan | to hide (oneself) | |
| 集める | ichidan | to collect | |
| 震える | ichidan | to tremble | |
| 食べる | Ichidan | to eat | |
| 飽きる | Ichidan | to get tired of, to become bored |




