居る
いる · iru
To be (of animate objects), to exist
- to stay
- to be ...-ing, to have been ...-ing
- to be (animate), to be, to exist
- to be ...-ing
- to (have the audacity to) do
Other ways to say “to be” in Japanese →
flat · what is pitch accent?
Say it out loud
Press the microphone and say 居る (いる)
Your browser’s speech recognition checks whether it understood you (in Chrome, Google processes the audio). Nihoner doesn’t record anything.
Do you really know it?
Learn its family in 60 seconds
6 words that share a kanji with 居る. Tap each card — then save only the ones that are new to you.
Your memory hook
Link the sound or the kanji to something you already know — a personal hook is one of the fastest ways to make a word stick. It’s saved to your free account with the word.
Kanji in this word
Can you write it? Draw kanji from memory →
Conjugation
| Polite (ます形) | 居りますいります |
| Polite negative (ません) | 居りませんいりません |
| Polite past (ました) | 居りましたいりました |
| Polite past negative (ませんでした) | 居りませんでしたいりませんでした |
| Let us ~ (ましょう) | 居りましょういりましょう |
| Masu-stem (連用形) | 居りいり |
| Want to ~ (たい形) | 居りたいいりたい |
| While ~ing (ながら) | 居りながらいりながら |
| Te-form (て形) | 居っていって |
| Plain past (た形) | 居ったいった |
| Tara-conditional (たら形) | 居ったらいったら |
| Progressive (ている形) | 居っているいっている |
| Plain negative (ない形) | 居らないいらない |
| Plain past negative (なかった形) | 居らなかったいらなかった |
| Negative te-form (なくて) | 居らなくていらなくて |
| Potential (可能形) | 居れるいれる |
| Ba-conditional (条件形) | 居ればいれば |
| Imperative (命令形) | 居れいれ |
| Volitional (意向形) | 居ろういろう |
| Passive (受身形) | 居られるいられる |
| Causative (使役形) | 居らせるいらせる |
| Causative-passive (使役受身形) | 居らされるいらされる |
Practise every form in the Conjugation Dojo →
Words that share a kanji
Questions
What does 居る mean?
To be (of animate objects), to exist. It can also mean: to stay; to be ...-ing, to have been ...-ing; to be (animate), to be, to exist.
How do you pronounce 居る?
いる (iru). Pitch accent: heiban — flat. Press Listen above to hear it.
What JLPT level is 居る?
JLPT N5 — beginner. See the JLPT N5 guide.
How do I remember 居る?
Say it out loud with an example sentence, test yourself above, then save it to your deck: Nihoner brings it back just before you would forget it (spaced repetition).
Save your words
Create a free account and they will be waiting in your review deck — Nihoner brings each one back right before you would forget it.
Free · no card · your words are kept