Auxiliary verbs

All auxiliary verbs attach to a verbal or adjectival stem form and conjugate as verbs, but
they differ from normal verbs in having no independent meaning. In modern Japanese there
are two distinct classes of auxiliary verbs:
Pure auxiliaries ( jodshi)
are usually just called verb endings or conjugated forms. These auxiliaries cannot
possibly function as an independent verb.
Helper auxiliaries ( hododshi)
are normal verbs that lose their independent meaning when used as auxiliaries.
In classical Japanese which was more purely agglutinating than modern Japanese, the
category of auxiliary verb included every possible verb ending after the stem form, and
most of these endings were themselves active participants in composition. In modern
Japanese, however, some auxiliaries have stopped being productive. The most classic
example is the classical auxiliary (-tari) whose forms (-ta), (-te), etc. are now no
longer viewed as verbal endings, i.e., they can take no further affixes.

some pure auxiliary verbs

auxiliary

group

(masu)

(rareru)1
2b

attaches to
continuative

meaning
modification
makes V polite

example
(kaku, to write)
(kakimasu)

(miru, to see)
(mirareru, to be able to see)
(fueru, to increae)
cont. of grp. 2
(fuerareru, to have
makes V
passive/polite/potential the ability to increase)

(ru)

hyp. of grp. 1

(nomu, to drink/swallow)
(nomeru, to be able
to drink)

(saseru)2

cont. of grp. 2

(kangaeru, to think)
(kangaesaseru, to
cause to think)

2b
(seru)
1

makes V causative
imperf. of grp.
1

(omoishiru, to realize)
(omoishiraseru,
to cause to realize/to teach a
lesson)

(rareru) is often shortened to (reru, grp. 2); thus (tabereru, to

be able to eat) instead of (taberareru).
2
(saseru) is sometimes shortened to (sasu, grp. 1), but this usage is
somewhat literary.

Much of the agglutinative flavour of Japanese stems from helper auxiliaries, however. The
following table contains a small selection of an abundant store of such auxiliary verbs.

some helper auxiliary verbs

auxiliary
(aru, to be
(inanimate))

group

attaches to

meaning
modification

example

-te form
only for trans.

indicates state
modification

(aku, to open)
(aite-aru,
opened and is still open)

2a

-te form
for trans.

progressive
aspect

(neru, to sleep)
(nete-iru, is
sleeping)

(iru, to be
(animate))
2a

-te form
for intrans.

indicates state
modification

(shimaru,
(intransitive) to close)
(shimatteiru, is closed)

(iku, to go)

-te form

"goes on V-ing"

(aruku, to walk)
(aruite-iku,
keep walking)

(kuru, to come)

ka

-te form

inception, "start
to V"

(naru, become)
(natte-kuru,
start becoming)

continuative
non-punctual
(hajimeru, to
begin)

2b

continuative
punctual &
subj. must be
plural

"V begins",
"begin to V"

(kaku, to write)
(kakihajimeru, start to write)
(tsuku, to arrive)
(tsukihajimeru, have all
started to arrive)

(dasu, to emit)

continuative

"start to V"

(kagayaku, to
shine)
(kagayaki-dasu, to start
shining)

(miru, to see)

-te form

"try to V"

(suru, do)
(shite-mitai, try to
do)
(kaku, to write)
(kaki-naosu,
rewrite)

(naosu, to
correct/heal)

continuative

"do V again,
correcting
mistakes"

(agaru, to rise)

continuative

"do V thoroughly" (tatsu, to stand)

/ "V happens
(tachi-agaru,

upwards"

stand up)
(dekiru, to come
out) (dekiagaru, be completed)

2b/1

continuative
only for group
1 verbs

indicates
potential

(aru, to be)
(arieru, is possible)

(kakaru, to
hang/catch/obtain)

continuative
only for
intrans., nonvolit.

"about to V",
"almost V"

(oboreru, drown)
(oborekakaru, about to drown)

(kiru, to cut)

continuative

"do V
completely"

(taberu, to eat)
(tabe-kiru, to
eat it all)

(kesu, to erase)

continuative

"cancel by V"
"deny with V"

(momu, to rub)
(momi-kesu, to
rub out, to extinguish)
(hanasu, to speak)
(hanashikomu, to be deep in
conversation)

(eru/uru, to be
able)

(komu, to enter
deeply/plunge)

continuative

"V deep in", "V

into"

(sageru, to
lower)

2b

continuative

"V down"

(hiku, to pull)
(hiki-sageru, to
pull down)

(sugiru, to
exceed)

2a

continuative

"overdo V"

(iu, to say)
(ii-sugiru, to say
too much, to overstate)

continuative

(iku, to go)
"become
(iki-tsukeru, be
accustomed to V"
used to (going))

(tsukeru, to
attach)

2b

(tsuzukeru, to
continue)

2b

continuative

"keep on V"

(furu, to fall (eg.

rain)) (furitsuzukeru, to keep
falling)

(tsu, to
show/thread/lead)

continuative

"finish V-ing"

(yomu, to read)
(yomi-tsu, to
finish reading)

(nukeru, to
shed/spill/desert)

2b

continuative
only for
intrans.

"V through"

(hashiru, to run)
(hashirinukeru, to run through
(swh))

(nokosu, to leave

continuative

by doing V, leave

(omou, to think)

behind)

(nokoru, to be
left behind)

(wakeru, to
divide/split/classify)

(wasureru, to
forget)

sth behind

2b

2b

(omoi-nokosu,
to regret (lit: to have
sth left to think about))

continuative
for intrans.
only

be left behind,
doing V

(ikiru, live)
(iki-nokoru, to
survive (lit: to be left
alive))

continuative

the proper way

to V.

(tsukau, use)
(tsukai-wakeru,
to indicate the proper
way to use)

to forget to V

(kiku, to ask)
(kiki-wasureru,
to forget to ask)

continuative