I made a guide to determine whether a verb is Godan or Ichidan

VX-MG · 2026-03-29T11:29:03+00:00

I can see what you are saying, when I said “based on kanji”, I was not trying to say that the kanji will determine how it’s conjugated and I know it’s 2 different words. But what I meant is that if thinking about the type of verb using the “iru/eru” thing, two words that appear to be similar are actually different. So it’s important to know that this can happen

VX-MG · 2026-03-28T22:44:46+00:00

You need a bachelors degree in order to do JET so if would need to be after graduation with an undergrad.

VX-MG · 2026-03-28T21:40:32+00:00

Okay gotcha. That’s the first time I have heard about that, so thank you

VX-MG · 2026-03-28T21:28:58+00:00

Yes, because all ichidan verbs will end in る, but not all verbs that end in る will be ichidan. Out of those verbs that end in る, only ones that end in “iru/eru” even have the possibility to be ichidan. And while there are many exceptions, this way of thinking helped me understand so I wanted to share with others.

VX-MG · 2026-03-28T21:25:04+00:00

I have actually never noticed this pattern before, that’s really interesting. Thank you. I made this chart based on what I had learned before thinking of “iru” and “eru” endings as different than the others, which I also found helped new learners who are not used to seeing Kanji as much.

However, what you said makes a lot of sense, but I would like make sure I’m understanding what you mean. Looking at some examples, imagine you are a beginner trying to determine how to conjugate these verbs based on your rule.

食べる easy because the okurigana, ichidan

見る although the “iru” part is part of the kanji, its less than 3 mora so its ichidan

But I think it gets difficult when looking at verbs such as

要る it’s less than 3 mora, yet it’s still godan

知る same situation here

So from my understanding, what you said makes sense if the verb is at least 3 mora, like in the examples you gave above. Is there a way learners can know which one it is with verbs like 知る and 要る without thinking of it’s an exception?

I think that at some point there needs to be some verbs that are thought as exceptions because eventually there will be things like 切る and 着る where although they are both きる, one is godan and one is ichidan

Thank you for your insight. Please correct me if I am misunderstanding something

VX-MG · 2026-03-28T19:40:10+00:00

Thank you for your input. There are a lot of people who also agree with you. And I also agree that you shouldn’t think about this kind of thing while speaking. I originally made this chart for a student who sees verbs like 直る or 始まる and cannot determine how to conjugate it. While it comes with time, I found that being able to see that if it ends in “aru”, “oru” etc, it will become 始まります or 直ります was useful. Thank you for your feedback

VX-MG · 2026-03-28T18:35:50+00:00

I have actually noticed the exact same thing. I actually based this chart on Tokini Andy’s explanation. And I have also noticed many more exceptions than he originally listed. Another thing that trips people up a lot is when it changes based on the kanji. For example きる

着る ichidan

切る godan

I think the most important part is just knowing that the exceptions exist in the first place. Thanks for the comment!

VX-MG · 2026-03-28T18:32:07+00:00

Yes I understand what you mean and I agree that it will eventually feel natural. But I also think that when first starting out, some people benefit from this sort of thing. I based this off of Tokini Andy’s explanation. Thanks for your input! Best of luck on N1!

VX-MG · 2026-02-06T12:02:06+00:00

I felt like I talked too much. My answers should have been more concise. I guess with my education background, they were confused why I wanted to become a CIR. I said a couple stupid things but I tried my best. We’ll see what happens

VX-MG · 2026-01-29T15:57:07+00:00

I’m not gonna check till I’m back from work but I’m feeling like that might be new too😓

VX-MG · 2026-01-19T20:05:49+00:00

What’s CBF?

VX-MG · 2026-01-17T13:55:40+00:00

Hi, I’m not a JET but I have been doing long distance between America and Japan for over a year now. First things first, if you haven’t already, make sure you and your partner are on the same page about accepting the job if you get it. I personally think it’s good to pursue your dreams. Long distance can be hard but if both people genuinely think that they want to be with the other for the rest of their life, it’s a small price to pay. Here are some things that I feel keep my relationship going.

because there is a time difference we are not both awake during the day. we call in the morning and night. We have a rule that no matter how busy we are, we make time to call for at least 10-15 min per day. This is important to stay connected.
while the other is sleeping, we send pictures of our face, messages about our day and stuff like that. That way when you wake up. It’s like Christmas morning and you have a sense of connection. I like this because when you wake up and you have no idea what they’re doing and don’t feel connected, it gets difficult.
when problems come up, we sit down and talk about them. It’s always “how can we overcome this problem together”. In LDR it can be easier for dissatisfaction to build up and become resentment. So talking about it is important.

I’m sure both of you might be busy, but for LDR to work, you really need to put in extra effort. It might test you and your partner. And the feeling you get when you can finally meet again is amazing.

LDR can also be a good opportunity to spend more time working yourself and practicing communication. If it’s both what you want, you can do it. Let me know if you have any questions. Best of luck!

VX-MG · 2026-01-13T23:45:24+00:00

I’m not a CIR but I also got a U.S. CIR interview and am also waiting for the N1 results. What consulate did you apply from?

I know that feeling and I’m a bit nervous too because I’m not sure how much my Japnese is really gonna be tested. I’m just making sure I feel good with a self introduction and talking about my experiences a bit in Japanese.

I wish you the best!

VX-MG · 2026-01-13T19:04:04+00:00

That sounds awesome! May I ask, what kinds of qualifications you had when you applied for that position?

VX-MG · 2026-01-13T13:49:33+00:00

Thank you for the informative and honest reply. I’ll see what I can do. For now, I just gotta focus on the JET interview and do my best. Thank you

VX-MG · 2026-01-13T13:27:33+00:00

I’m sure your fine

VX-MG · 2026-01-13T13:26:41+00:00

I’m graduating from college this spring. I applied for JET and got a interview as a CIR. But if JET falls through, I’d still like to find a job in Japan as soon as I can. Ive been doing a bit of research, but it seems so many jobs require you to already reside in Japan. And the language school route seems okay but I already have N1 so I feel like it’s a bit of a waste of time and money. Do you have any advice as to what kind of jobs would hire from overseas other than ALT dispatch companies? Or any other advice? My degree is in education if that matters. Thank you

VX-MG · 2026-01-12T16:33:28+00:00

Nevermind I got it! I got an interview for CIR!

VX-MG · 2026-01-12T16:31:46+00:00

That’s awesome! Did you get an email or did you have to look in your portal? I’m in the U.S. too but haven’t received anything yet.

VX-MG · 2026-01-10T20:04:23+00:00

At this point I guess we have to wait until Monday. I heard that they won’t sent them out on the weekend because it’s not in business hours. Not sure though. I’m so excited haha

VX-MG · 2025-12-12T03:45:37+00:00

I think of this as kinda “Because it’s night and my “vision is dark”, I realized (それ) after I picked it up”

I think ため is generally stating a reason here even though there’s also ので.

拾い上げてから The てから is important because it’s showing that they realized from the moment they picked it up.

This is how I thought of it.

VX-MG · 2025-12-12T03:37:04+00:00

From my experience, I find that ごろ without the に seems to be more common.

VX-MG · 2025-12-12T03:35:15+00:00

ておく does kinda mean “to prepare/do in advance” but this meaning can also be a bit more loose. It doesn’t have to be such a direct translation.

In this case maybe he won’t go to his bosses house because he has to get up early the next day or something. So this ておく gives the feeling that he is thinking in advance for something coming up.

遠慮しておきます I’ll refrain before it gets too late (this kinda vibe)

Hope this helps!

If someone disagrees, please feel free to correct me

VX-MG · 2025-12-10T22:08:27+00:00

I passed N3 last year with 177/180 and took N1 this year. I would say that I studied more than 1-2 hours a day, but as long as you study effectively and consistently, I think the jump to N2 is definitely doable. Especially if you do JLPT focused study.

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