Hello everyone studying Japanese!
This is Miyabi from Japan Phrase Adventure.
Today, we’re going to talk about the Japanese word 「いる」 (iru).
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1. 「いる」 Has Multiple Meanings
The word 「いる」 actually has several different meanings in Japanese.
Today, we will focus on one specific meaning.
「いる」 meaning “to exist” (for people and animals).
In kanji, it is written as: 居る
2. Conjugation of 「いる」
Here are the basic forms you should remember first
- 居る（いる）– dictionary form (present)
- 居ない（いない）– negative
- 居た（いた）– past
- 居ます（います）– polite
- 居ません（いません）– polite negative
- 居ました（いました）– polite past
There are more forms (conditional, imperative, etc.), but start with these.
3. 「いる」 Is Used for People and Animals
This is very important.
Use 「いる」 for:
・People
・Animals
Examples:
犬がいます。(いぬがいます)(There is a dog.)
子どもがいます。(こどもがいます)(There is a child.)
Do NOT use 「いる」 for objects.
For things, use: ある
Example:
机があります。(つくえがあります)(There is a desk.)
4. Example Sentences
① あそこに犬がいます。(あそこにいぬがいます)
“There is a dog over there.”
Literally:
あそこに = over there
犬が = a dog
います = exists/is there
It means a dog is over there.
② 今日は家にいます。(きょうは いえに います)
“I am at home today.”
今日は = today
家に = at home
います = am / exist (location)
In Japanese, “to be at a place” is expressed using 「いる」.
③ 昔、赤い鬼がいました。(むかし あかいおにが いました)
“There was a red ogre long ago.”
昔 = long ago
赤い鬼 = red ogre
いました = existed (past polite)
This sentence means the red ogre existed.
It can also have the nuance of “lived there.”
④ 私には夫はいません。(わたしには おっとは いません)
“I don’t have a husband.”
Literally:
“As for me, there is no husband.”
This means:
→ I am not married.
Japanese often expresses possession using existence.
⑤ 今日は夫はいません。(きょうは おっとは いません)
“My husband is not here today.”
This is different from the previous sentence.
Here, it means:
→ I have a husband, but he is not here today.
Same structure. Different nuance.
This difference is very important in Japanese.
thank you for reading!
