If you’ve ever tried to string together a few verbs in Japanese and stumbled on how to say ‘I eat and then drink,’ you’ve already met the te form. It’s the connector that turns a pile of verbs into a flowing sentence. This list gathers around 172 te form entries-covering common verbs, their te form conjugations, and natural example sentences so you can see how each one behaves in real Japanese. Before drilling the changes, review dictionary form versus masu form.
Each entry shows you the plain verb, its te form, a straightforward meaning, and a practical example sentence. There’s audio playback too, so you can train your ears while you study.
Ready to make the Japanese te form feel a little less mysterious and a lot more useful? Scroll to the bottom of this article to find the free printable Japanese te form vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable Japanese te form flashcards.
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’ve nailed the te form? The quick quiz below gives you a friendly nudge – no pressure, just a way to see which verbs might need another look.
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Choose a practical next step when you are ready.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Reading | Type | Meaning | Example | Translation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 返す | かえす | う-verb | to return (something) | 借りたお金を返して、安心しました。 | I returned the money I borrowed and felt relieved. | |
| 追いつく | おいつく | う-verb | to catch up with | 駅まで走って、友達に追いついた。 | I ran to the station and caught up with my friend. | |
| 追う | おう | う-verb | to chase; to pursue | 警察は犯人を追って、路地に入った。 | The police chased the criminal and went into the alley. | |
| 送る | おくる | う-verb | to send | メールを送ってください。 | Please send an email. | |
| 通る | とおる | う-verb | to pass through | 駅の前を通って帰りました。 | I went home passing in front of the station. | |
| 遊ぶ | あそぶ | う-verb | to play | 公園で子どもたちと遊んでいます。 | I’m playing with the children in the park. | |
| 運ぶ | はこぶ | う-verb | to carry | 荷物を運んで、部屋に入れました。 | I carried the luggage and brought it into the room. | |
| 選ぶ | えらぶ | う-verb | to choose | 好きな色を選んでください。 | Please choose your favorite color. | |
| 閉める | しめる | る-verb | to close | ドアを閉めてください。 | Please close the door. | |
| 開く | ひらく | う-verb | to open (intransitive) | 窓が開いています。 | The window is open. | |
| 開ける | あける | る-verb | to open | 窓を開けてください。 | Please open the window. | |
| 降りる | おりる | る-verb | to get off | 駅で電車を降りてください。 | Please get off the train at the station. | |
| 降る | ふる | う-verb | to fall (rain/snow) | 朝から雨が降っています。 | It has been raining since morning. | |
| 集める | あつめる | る-verb | to collect | 切手を集めて、アルバムに入れました。 | I collected stamps and put them in an album. | |
| 預ける | あずける | る-verb | to leave (in someone's keeping); to put (in someone's care); to entrust | 旅行中、猫を友達に預けておいた。 | I left my cat with a friend while I was traveling. | |
| 飛ぶ | とぶ | う-verb | to fly | 鳥が空を飛んでいます。 | The bird is flying in the sky. | |
| 食べる | たべる | る-verb | to eat | ごはんを食べてください。 | Please eat the meal. | |
| 食べる | たべる | る-verb | to eat | 朝ごはんを食べています。 | I am eating breakfast. | |
| 飲む | のむ | う-verb | to drink | 水を飲んでいます。 | I am drinking water. | |
| 飲む | のむ | う-verb | to drink | 水を飲んでいます。 | I am drinking water. | |
| 飽きる | あきる | る-verb | to get tired of; to lose interest in; to be fed up with; to have enough | 同じ料理を毎日食べて、もう飽きてしまった。 | I got tired of eating the same food every day. | |
| 鳴る | なる | う-verb | to ring, sound | 授業中にベルが鳴って、みんなが立ち上がった。 | The bell rang during class, and everyone stood up. |
Free Japanese Te Form Vocabulary List and Flashcard PDFs to Download
You can grab the purple Japanese te form vocabulary list button for a 100% free, no-signup PDF. Then use the teal Japanese te form flashcards button to download the matching flashcards, also completely free and no signup required.
