Welcome to Gaia! ::

Oh, thank you so much! I've been very interested in classical Japanese but never found the outlet or resources to study it! I tried reading Ki no Tsurayuki's work but it comes as very vague because of what you just talked about, usages of hiragana..

You have one very interested person right here! 3nodding

Verb, Adjective, and Adjectival Verb conjugation, YAY! I'm leaving all romaji according to how the words are written.

Though there are only two irregual verbs in modern Japanese, there were a greater number of irregular conjugations in classical Japanese, so the charts here will be a little longer than the ones that you are accustomed to.

Also, since there is a bit of a debate floating around as to what the best translations of the terms used in Japanese grammar for the conjugation forms, I'm going to leave them in abbreviated romaji in the charts. Below is a brief explaination of the terms.

Mizenkei (MZ)　未然形 -> imperfective. something that has no yet been realized. It's the form attached to negatives (ex. in classical, the particle "zu") and to certain hypotheticals.
Renyoukei (RY)　連用形　-> continuative. It's the form that you'll find before the continuative "te" particle.
Shuushikei (SS) 終止形　-> Dictionary form, sentence final form.
Rentaikei (RT)　連体形 -> This would be general the form that precedes a noun to funtion as a modifier.
Izenkei (IZ) 已然形　-> Perfective.
Meireikei (MR)　命令形 -> Command form.


It'll be easier to remember patterns of conjugation if you remember an example and see how it transforms. I'll offer a few so that it won't be too vague. As always, if anything I say is terribly vague, just ask questions so I can clarify the best I can.
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Regular Verbs in Bungo

Yodan Conjugation　四段活用動詞 (modern day godan verbs):
Example: kaku　かく (to write)
(MR) kaka　かか
(RY) kaki　かき
(SS) kaku　かく
(RT) kaku　かく
(IZ) kake　かけ
(MR) kake　かけ

So the pattern for conjugating yodan verbs is like so: for the MZ, take the vowel of the last kana in the SS into the "a" row; for the RY, take the vowel of the last kana in the SS into the "i" row; for the RT, it is the same as the SS; for the IZ and MR, take the vowel of the last kana in the SS into the "e" row.

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Kami ichidan verbs　上一段活用動詞 (there are only ten in total)
Example: Miru 見る　(to see).

(MZ) mi　み
(RY) mi　み
(SS) miru　みる
(RT) miru　みる
(IZ) mire　みれ
(MR) miyo　みよ

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Shimo ichidan verbs 　下一段活用動詞　(there is only one of these)
Example: Keru 蹴る　(to kick)

(MZ) ke　け
(RY) ke　け
(SS) keru　ける
(RT) keru　ける
(IZ) kere　けれ
(MR) keyo　けよ

Since this is one of a kind, it's pretty much set that you have to memorize this table. Shouldn't be too hard since the pattern resembles the kami ichidan verbs.
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Kami nidan verbs　上二段活用動詞
Example: Otsu 落つ　(modern japanese: ochiru, to fall).

(MZ) ochi　おち
(RY) ochi　おち
(SS) otsu　おつ
(RT) otsuru　おつる
(IZ) otsure　おつれ
(MR) ochiyo　おちよ

So the patterns for verbs that fall into this category is that in the MZ and RY the vowel of the final kana of the SS goes up to the "i" row; for the RT, add "ru" after the SS. For the IZ, add "re" after the SS. For the MR, move the vowel in the final kana of the SS up to the "i" row and add "yo"

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Shimo nidan verbs　下二段活用動詞
Example: Sutsu 捨つ　(modern: suteru, to throw away)

(MZ) sute　すて
(RY) sute　すて
(SS) sutsu　すつ
(RT) sutsuru　すつる
(IZ) sutsure　すつれ
(MR) suteyo　すてよ

So, using the above as a guide, shimo nidan verbs conjugate like so: the MZ and the RY are formed by taking the vowel of the final kana in the SS down to the "e" row; the RT is formed by adding "ru" after the SS; the IZ is formed by adding a "re" to the SS; and the MR is formed by taking the vowel of the final kana in the SS down to the "e" row and adding "yo".

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Na Irregular Verbs　ナ変活用動詞: Only two exist, Shinu　死ぬ (to die) and Inu いぬ　(to leave).
Example:　死ぬ Shinu

(MZ) shina　しな
(RY) shini　しに
(SS) shinu　しぬ
(RT) shinuru　しぬる
(IZ) shinure　しぬれ
(MR) shine　しね

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Ra Irregular Verbs　ラ変活用動詞: four. Ari　有り (modern: aru), wori　居り, haberi 侍り, imasogari　いまそがり
Example: ari　有り

(MZ) ara　あら
(RY) ari　あり
(SS) ari　あり
(RT) aru　ある
(IZ) are　あれ
(MR) are　あれ

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Sa Irregular Verbs　サ変活用動詞: Only two: su す　ｏｒ　為(modern, suru) and ohasu おはす(honorific, "to be")
Ex: su

(MZ) se　せ
(RY) shi　し
(SS) su　す
(RT) suru　する
(IZ) sure　すれ
(MR) seyo　せよ

*There are occasions when su combines with nouns and becomes the voiced counterpart, zu. (ex: goran + su -> goranzu.). It conjugates in the same pattern, it's just that the s sounds are changed into z/j.
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Ka Irregular verb　カ変活用動詞 --- ku 来(modern, kuru). the "yo" in the meireikei is sometimes ommited.

(MZ) ko　こ
(RY) ki　き
(SS) ku　く
(RT) kuru　くる
(IZ) kure　くれ
(MR) ko(yo)　こ（よ）


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Adjectives! Yay. True adjectives have two conjugation types in classical Japanese: ku and shiku. Within those two types, they're a little on the strange side with two different patterns of conjugation. The (shi)kara pattern is generally combined with various particles where the (shi)ku pattern is used when the adjectives aren't combined with other particles, etc. More on the magical world of particles later.

(Fun note: the kara conjugation pattern resembles that of the Ra irregular verbs because the pattern derives from the combination of the renyoukei with the verb ari. Ex. yokuari becomes yokari through contraction. Fun, isn't it?)

Ku adjectives tend to be attributes that you can physically see whereas shiku adjectives are usually attached to emotions. There's execptions to every rule, though. Now to the conjugation patterns. Where there is no conjugation for a form, I'm filling in that slot with an X to show that there is nothing in that form for there.

Ku Adjective Conjugation:　ク形容詞
Example: Yoshi (modern, yoi or ii )

(MZ) X / yokara　ｘ　｜　よから
(RY) yoku / yokari　よく　｜　よかり
(SS) yoshi / X　よし　｜　Ｘ
(RT) yoki / yokaru　よき　｜　よかる
(IZ) yokere / X　よけれ　｜　Ｘ
(MR) X / yokare　Ｘ　|　よかれ

There is no shuushikei for ku or shiku adjectives in the kara pattern of conjugation EXCEPT in nashi and ohoshi.

nashi 無し

(MZ) X / nakara　Ｘ　｜なから
(RY) naku / nakari　なく　｜　なかり
(SS) nashi / nakari　なし　|　なかり
(RT) naki / nakaru　なき　｜　なかる
(IZ) nakere / nakare　なけれ　｜　なかれ
(MR) X / nakare　Ｘ　｜　なかれ

ohoshi 多し　(modern: ooi)

(MZ) X / ohokara　Ｘ　｜　おほから
(RY) ohoku / ohokari　おほく　|　おほかり
(SS) ohoshi / ohokari　おほし　｜　おほかり
(RT) ohoki / ohokaru　おほき　｜　おほかる
(IZ) ohokere / ohokare　おほけれ　｜　おほかれ
(MR) X / ohokare　Ｘ　｜　おほかれ


Shiku Adjectives.　シク形容詞
Example: ureshi 嬉し(modern, ureshii. happy)

(MZ) X / ureshikara　Ｘ　｜　うれしから
(RY) ureshiku / ureshikari　うれしく　｜　うれしかり
(SS) ureshi / X　うれし　|　Ｘ
(RT) ureshiki / ureshikaru　うれしき　｜　うれしかる
(IZ) ureshikere / X　うれしけれ　| Ｘ
(MR) X / ureshikare　Ｘ　｜　うれしかれ


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Adjectival Verbs / "Pseudo-Adjectives"　形容動詞

These come in two types: nari and tari. The nari adjectival verbs turn into modern Japanese's na adjectives (sometimes refered to pseudo-adjectives, etc.) The tari adj. verbs are usually attached to words of chinese origin.

To the charts!

Nari Adj. verb ナリ形容動詞
Example: shidzukanari 静かなり(modern, shizuka na)

(MZ) shidzuka nara　しづかなら
(RY) shidzuka nari / shidzuka ni　しづかなり　｜　しづかに
(SS) shidzuka nari　しづかなり
(RT) shidzuka naru　しづかなる
(IZ) shidzuka nare　しづかなれ
(MR) shidzuka nare　しづかなれ

Tari Adj. verb　タリ形容動詞
Example: daudautari 堂々たり(dignified)

(MZ) daudau tara だうだうたら
(RY) daudau tari / daudau to　だうだうたり　｜　だうだうと
(SS) daudau tari　だうだうたり
(RT) daudau taru　だうだうたる
(IZ) daudau tare　だうだうたれ
(MR) daudau tare　だうだうたれ

This is very interesting. o.o

I wonder if there is to incorporate this into everyday Japanese speech without losing the colloquial sppech of modern Japanese...

Anyone know anything more about Classical Japanese? ^____^

Are you majoring in classical Japanese or something? eek Or linguistics?

Sounds kinda familiar... ^_^

I began teaching myself Japanese and Korean because we didn't have them as available languages at my school, and now I've picked up Latin, Mandarin, and I learn some basic vocabulary in others.

But I love languages, especially Japanese because I love Japan and I like the way Japanese rolls off the tongue, if that makes sense. I hear that's why people like French, but I'm not as in to the European languages.
I might learn them later though, not ruling it out, you know?



But thank you for the information, I was wondering why I had seen some of the classical things you wre talking about in books I've tried reading in Japanese.

I await your next round of info. Also, how do I subscribe? o.o

Ah, I see. So then you check every day? o.o

And I will be waiting for them none-the-less. ^_^

Quick question:

I was recently reading on and off in the new book "The Unfolding of Language", a new little study on linguistics through the history of language...

There is a "law" on the degeneration of sounds in almost all languages, how certain letter's sounds go naturally into another letter's sound. One example used in the book was the word "hara-kiri". One of the sound laws was that ancient "p" goes to "f" and from there to "h". So theoretically in the past, were Japanese pronouncing "fara" and/or "para"?

Just wondering if you have encountered this in anything?