Verb Expressions
Verb Expressions and Compound Verbs Constructed Using the い-stem
(Under Construction)
What I call the "i-stem" in these pages is often called the
"masu-stem" in many sources. It's Japanese name is
連用形 (ren'youkei). Attaching "masu" endings is only one
of its uses. Most compound verbs are made by attaching
another verb to the i-stem. Such verbs must be learned case
by case, but there are also many productive attachments
that work with almost any verb.
Note: In case you did not read the overview, note that the
"i-stem" does not end in "i" for an ichidan verb ending in
"-eru". For instance, the "i-stem" or ren'youkei of "taberu"
is "tabe".
Noun Form
This is not a productive rule, but a pattern which happens to
occur with many different verbs allowing the formation of a
noun in a similar fashion to the -ing ending in English. Check
with a dictionary for individual cases of verbs which can form
nouns using this pattern.
| Rule | [い-stem]
[i-stem] |
| Meaning | [noun form] |
始め (hajime) beginning, from 始める (hajimeru) to begin
騒ぎ (sawagi) uproar, commotion, from 騒ぐ (sawagu) to make a disturbance
Occasionally in nouns formed from this pattern, the okurigana
is left off when writing the noun:
話 (hanashi) story, talk, from 話す (hanasu) to speak
係 (kakari) official, person in charge, from 係る (kakaru) to concern, to involve
Continuative
| Rule | [い-stem]
[i-stem] |
| Meaning | [do] and |
Forms a continuative similar to, but more literary-sounding than
the te-form. The interpreted tense of the continuative is relative
to the main verb which completes the sentence.
お手紙を読み、すぐに返事を書きました。
o-tegami wo yomi, sugu ni henji wo kakimashita.
I read your letter and immediately wrote a reply.
"Easy to do"
| Rule | [い-stem] + やすい
[i-stem] + yasui |
| Meaning | easy to [do] |
Note that "yasui" as an adjective by itself means "cheap"
not "easy" as in "easy to do something". For the latter
meaning, the correct adjective is "yasashii".
"Unable/reluctant to do" / "might happen"
| Rule | [い-stem] + かねる
[i-stem] + kaneru |
| Meaning | unable/reluctant to [do] |
This is a frequently misused expression, even by native speakers.
The reason is that it has the negative connotation of inability
or reluctance already built in, so when negated it flips back
to a positive meaning again. Still, it will often be negated
where the speaker meant the original sense. It's similar to
how English speakers say "I could care less" when they mean
"I couldn't care less".
In the negative [i-stem] + kanenai it means that there is a
danger or possibility that the adverse situation expressed by
the verb may come to pass.
See this JeKai entry for a discussion of this
expression.