While English has three main tenses (past, present, and future), Japanese only has two verb tenses: non-past and past. Talking about time outside of these two verb tenses is less straightforward, but it can be easier if you take the time to remember a few key conjugations.
To keep things simple, the explanations and examples in this article use verbs in the plain form (also known as short form) rather than the polite masu-form (with the exception of the “to be” verb). When you apply this information about Japanese tenses, keep Japanese verb conjugation in mind so you can conjugate verbs to the appropriate level of formality.
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What are the Japanese verb tenses?
Japanese has two verb tenses, which are non-past and past. The non-past tense, or hikako-kei (非過去形) uses the same verb conjugations for talking about actions in the present and in the future, so that’s one less form to master as you work out how to learn Japanese. Meanwhile, the past tense, or kako-kei (過去形) is only for past actions.
| Japanese Tense | When To Use | English Equivalent |
| Hikako-kei (non-past) | HabitsStatement of current situationsTalking about the future | present tense, future tense |
| Kako-kei (past) | Events that have already happenedCompleted actions | past tense |
Hikako-kei (non-past tense)
The non-past tense (hikako-kei) covers actions in the present and in the future. In other words, the verb forms for the present tense and future tense are exactly the same. It’s sometimes referred to as ru-form.
The non-past tense follows the usual Japanese word order in which the conjugated verb goes at the end of the sentence and everything else comes before it. Typically, this looks like:
- [subject (optional)] + [additional information] + [object (if relevant)] + [verb (non-past)]
Non-past tense for the present
The non-past tense can be used to describe regular habits, used as a present tense.
- Yoku kōhī o nomu.（よくコーヒーを飲む。）= I often drink coffee.
- Tenisu o suru?（テニスをする？）= Do you play (literally: do) tennis?
When using “to be” in Japanese, which is desu (です), the non-past tense results in a statement (or questioning) of facts.
- Watashi wa Nihonjin desu.（私は日本人です。）= I am Japanese.
- Ima wa nanji desu ka.（今は何時ですか。）= What time is it?
Non-past tense for the future
Using the non-past tense as a future tense in Japanese relies on giving context because it shares conjugations with the present. For example, you can do this by:
- Expressing intention
- Rainen sotsugyō suru tsumori desu.（来年卒業するつもりです。）= I intend to graduate next year.
- Using conditionals (“if” or “when”)
- Sotsgyō shitara, kyūshoku suru.（卒業したら、求職する。）= When I graduate, I will look for a job.
- Specifying time
- Ashita wa shiken ga aru.（明日は試験がある。）= I have an exam tomorrow.
Kako-kei (past tense)
The Japanese past tense (kako-kei) deals with actions that happened in the past or are completed. Based on the last character of its conjugation, the past tense is sometimes called ta-form. Just like non-past, it follows the same word order and uses its own set of verb conjugations:
- [subject (optional)] + [additional information] + [object (if relevant)] + [verb (past)]
From there, applying it is as easy as conjugating your verb of choice in the past tense.
- Tomodachi ni atta.（友だちに会った。）= I met my friend.
- Kesa wa nebō shita.（今朝は寝坊した。）= I slept in this morning.
- Pātī wa kinō deshita.（パーティーは昨日でした。）= The party was yesterday.
How to explain exactly when something happens using verb aspects in Japanese
A verb aspect explains whether an action is completed, ongoing, habitual, and other time-related conditions impacted by tense.
These are all concepts that can be communicated in Japanese, but Japanese doesn’t use aspects in the same way that English (and several other related languages) does.
English verb aspects are tied to English verb tenses, some of which may be familiar to you:
- simple (present, past, and future)
- continuous (present, past, and future)
- perfect (present, past, and future)
- perfect continuous (present, past, and future)
Japanese generally does not have equivalent aspects to these, although the linguistics terms exist. Technically speaking, in addition to the two Japanese tenses (non-past and past), Japanese has a few additional verb forms referred to as asupekuto (アスペクト), which is a loanword of the English grammatical term “aspect.”
Instead of formal aspects, Japanese language learners tend to learn grammar forms that combine verb conjugations with other words (often auxiliary verbs or adverbs) to communicate aspects.
Using the ~teiru form in Japanese tenses
The Japanese ~teiru (or sometimes ~te iru) form is one of the most common verb aspect-like forms and is very similar to the English continuous aspect (verbs ending in “-ing”).
Because you’ll end up using it so much, having a solid understanding how to conjugate a verb into ~teiru form is essential. You start with the dictionary form and then use the te-form Japanese rules to create ~te form.
| Dictionary Form | Plain Affirmative Form | Plain Negative Form | ~te form | English |
| 食べる taberu | 食べる taberu | 食べない tabenai | 食べて tabete | to eat; eat; doesn’t eat; eat and~ |
Creating the ~teiru form once you have ~te-form is easy. Just add the auxiliary verb iru in the appropriate tense that you’re trying to communicate.
Non-past tense:
| Dictionary Form | Plain Non-past Affirmative ~teiru Form | Plain Non-past Negative ~teiru Form | English |
| 食べる taberu | 食べている tabeteiru | 食べていないtabeteinai | to eat; eating; isn’t eating |
Past tense:
| Dictionary Form | Plain Past Affirmative ~teiru Form | Plain Past Negative ~teiru Form | English |
| 食べる taberu | 食べていた tabeteita | 食べていなかったtabeteinakatta | to eat; was eating; wasn’t eating |
Once you have the ~teiru form mastered, you can use it to:
- denote ongoing actions
- denote processes
- denote states of being
Using ~teiru form for actions or processes that continue
Showing actions that are ongoing by using ~teiru form is the closest thing Japanese has to a continuous tense, and they make up the Japanese “durative aspect,” or keizoku-sō (継続相). The English translation of the verb usually ends in “-ing.”
- Kanojo wa terebi o miteiru.（彼女はテレビを見ている。）= She is watching TV.
- Akachan wa waratteita.（赤ちゃんは笑っていた。）= The baby was laughing.
Using ~teiru form for processes that end instantly
When verbs related to one-time, instant actions (like turning something on) that result in a new condition are put in ~teiru form, their new form denotes that the result of the action is continuing, even if the action itself is over. The English translation of the verb typically does not end in “-ing.”
- Ryōshin wa kekkon shiteiru.（両親は結婚している。）= My parents are married.
- Denki ga kieteiru.（電気が消えている。）= The light is off.
Using ~teiru form for states of being
The ~teiru form can also be used to describe a state of being or how something exists without an action in the past causing it to be that way. This is less common than the previous two uses, but it’s similar to processes that end instantly in that the English translation does not end in “-ing.”
- Michi wa magatteiru.（道は曲がっている。）= The road is bent.
- Fuji san wa kumo no ue ni sobieteiru.（富士山は雲の上にそびえている。）= Mt. Fuji rises above the clouds.
Other Japanese aspect forms
In addition to ~teiru form, you can talk about time in more complex ways in Japanese by adding an auxiliary verb to the end of the main verb or adding something else (like Japanese adverbs) before the main verb.
It’s like taking an existing conjugation or form (that isn’t necessarily a tense) and adding another word like a suffix. To describe time accurately, try using these combinations.
| Japanese Aspect Form | When To Use |
| ~teiru or ~te iru (～ている) | Ongoing actionsProcessesStates of being |
| ~te shimatta (～てしまった) | Something is complete |
| ~te kuru (～てくる) | Gradual continuation of an action up to the present |
| ~te iku (～ていく) | Something will begin and continue on |
| ~tokoro (～ところ) | Specific points in time |
| mou~ (もう～) | Something is already done |
| mada~ (まだ～) | Something is not done yet |
~te shimatta (something is complete)
You can describe something as 100% complete by conjugating Japanese verbs into te-form and adding shimatta (しまった), the past tense conjugation of the auxiliary verb shimau (しまう), which means “to finish.”
Because this form deals with completion, the main verb is read as happening in the past (even though it’s in te-form).
- [additional information] + [verb (te-form)] + shimatta
- Zenbu kiete shimatta.（全部消えてしまった。）= Everything has completely disappeared.
- Kōri ga tokete shimatta.（氷が溶けてしまった。）= The ice has completely melted.
However, keep in mind that the ~te shimatta form has a second use. It can also be used to express regret, which is separate from whether or not the action is complete.
- Wasurete shimatta.（忘れてしまった。）= [Unfortunately,] I forgot.
~te kuru (something has continued up to the present)
To describe something that started in the past and has gradually continued up to the present, you can use ~te kuru, where the main verb is in te-form and kuru is an auxiliary verb meaning “to come.”
For this purpose, you’ll usually see it translated in the past tense (kita), but you may also see it in the continuous tense (kiteiru). Depending on which verb conjugation you use, the translation differs slightly:
- [additional information] + [verb (te-form)] + kita
- Dan dan wakatte kita.（段々分かってきた。）= I have gradually come to understand.
- [additional information] + [verb (te-form)] + kiteiru
- Masu masu samuku natte kiteiru.（ますます寒くなってきている。）= It is becoming colder and colder.
The opposite of kuru (to come) in Japanese is iku, which is “to go.” As main verbs, it makes sense that these actions would imply opposing directions. However, they also function as auxiliary verbs, where the thing you’re “coming” or “going” to is a point in time rather than a location.
~te iku (something will begin and continue on)
The combination of a main verb in te-form and the auxiliary verb iku (“to go”) creates ~te iku, which can describe a current action that will continue on. The auxiliary verb usually stays in the present tense (iku) or is conjugated to the past tense (itta).
- [additional information] + [verb (te-form)] + iku
- Kōri ga mizu ni kawatte iku.（氷が水に変わっていく。）= Ice [gradually] changes into water.
If iku has been conjugated to the past tense (itta), then it’s referring to something that gradually continued for some time and eventually stopped.
- [additional information] + [verb (te-form)] + itta
- Kōkō no toki, shukudai ga muzukashiku natte itta.（高校の時、宿題が難しくなっていった。）= When I was in high school, the homework got harder [over time].
~tokoro (something happens at specific points in the past, present, and future)
The noun tokoro generally means “place,” but when following the plain form of a verb, it refers to specific points in time.
When the verb preceding tokoro is in the plain non-past form, it means that the verb is just about to happen. In the present, the subject is moments away from the start of the action, which is in the future.
- [additional information] + [verb (plain non-past)] + tokoro + desu
- Shukudai o hajimeru tokoro desu.（宿題を始めるところです。）= I’m just about to start my homework.
If the verb preceding tokoro is instead in the plain past form, it means that the verb just finished.
- [additional information] + [verb (plain past)] + tokoro + desu
- Shukudai o oeta tokoro desu.（宿題を終えたところです。）= I have just finished my homework.
You can also conjugate the verb preceding tokoro into its ~teiru form. This is very similar to just writing the verb in ~teiru form without tokoro, but tokoro emphasizes that the subject is in the middle of the action.
- Asagohan o tabeteiru.（朝ごはんを食べている。）= I am eating breakfast.
- Asagohan o tabeteiru tokoro desu.（朝ごはんを食べているところです。）= I am in the middle of eating breakfast.
mō~ (something is already done)
The adverb mō means “already” in situations where the action is over or is still ongoing. It’s the opposite of the adverb mada, which means “still” or “not yet.”
When the verb is in past tense, mō means that the verb has “already” been done.
- [subject (optional)] + mō + [additional information] + [verb (past)]
- Imōto wa mō ha o migaita.（妹はもう歯を磨いた。）= My little sister has already brushed her teeth.
When the verb is in the present ~teiru form, mō means that the verb is “already” happening.
- [subject (optional)] + mō + [additional information] + [verb (present, ~teiru)]
- Imōto wa mō ha o migaiteiru.（妹はもう歯を磨いている。）= My little sister is already brushing her teeth.
mada~ (something is not done yet)
The adverb mada means “still” or “not yet” depending on the conjugation of the verb following it. The verb is usually in ~teiru form, so the action has not been completed yet. It can be positive or negative, and the difference changes whether the action has or hasn’t already started.
- [subject (optional)] + mada + [additional information] + [verb (~teiru, positive)]
- Imōto wa mada ha o migaiteiru.（妹はまだ歯を磨いている。）= My little sister is still brushing her teeth.
- [subject (optional)] + mada + [additional information] + [verb (~teiru, negative)]
- Imouto wa mada ha o migaiteinai.（妹はまだ歯を磨いていない。）= My little sister has not brushed her teeth yet.
Key takeaways about Japanese verb tenses
The verb tenses Japanese has are both simple and complicated. On the one hand, non-past and past are the only two tenses. On the other, aspects that you might be familiar with in your native language don’t have direct equivalents in Japanese, making it more complicated to talk about time precisely. Remember these essential points to keep your thoughts straight:
- Japanese has two tenses: non-past and past.
- The conjugations for the Japanese non-past tense cover both present and future actions.
- To describe more specific points in time, you can create verb and auxiliary verb combinations that act as aspects.
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