The Conjugation Song
Original title: かつようけいのうた
Original Japanese lyrics are preserved for listening and Japanese-language practice. The explanations below are in English.
ABOUT THIS SONG
About this song
Put classical Japanese irregular verb forms to a rhythm.
Do classical Japanese verb forms sound a little like a spell?
LYRICS
Romaji helps you sing the Japanese words. English meaning explains them, rather than matching the tune.
Japanese wordplay and memory tricks may sound unusual in English—that’s part of the fun! The sound clues work in Japanese.
ō and ū mark long vowels (oo and uu). Original English lines are kept as written.
Ko · ki · ku · kuru · kure · ko
Kahen
Se · shi · su · suru · sure · seyo
Sahen
Na · ni · nu · nuru · nure · ne
Nahen
Ra · ri · ri · ru · re · re
Rahen
Kahen wa ku no hitotsu
Sahen wa su, owasu, hoka takusan
Nahen wa shinu, inu, futatsu
Rahen wa ari · ori · haberi · imasokari
こ・き・く・くる・くれ・こ
かへん
せ・し・す・する・すれ・せよ
さへん
な・に・ぬ・ぬる・ぬれ・ね
なへん
ら・り・り・る・れ・れ
らへん
かへんは くのひとつ
さへんは す、おわす、ほかたくさん
なへんは しぬ、いぬ、ふたつ
らへんは あり・をり・はべり・いまそかり
ko · ki · ku · kuru · kure · ko
The ka-irregular conjugation.
se · shi · su · suru · sure · seyo
The sa-irregular conjugation.
na · ni · nu · nuru · nure · ne
The na-irregular conjugation.
ra · ri · ri · ru · re · re
The ra-irregular conjugation.
Ka-irregular has just one verb: ku (to come).
Sa-irregular includes su (to do), owasu (an honorific verb of being), and many others.
Na-irregular has two: shinu (to die) and inu (to leave).
Ra-irregular: ari, ori, haberi and imasokari (verbs of being).
LOOK CLOSER · LOCK ON
What can you discover in this song?
こ・き・く・くる・くれ・こ
せ・し・す・する・すれ・せよ
Listen to the changing sounds of the ka-hen and sa-hen conjugations.
Sing all four conjugation patterns.
Can you spot where the same sound comes more than once?
