Daily Thread: simple questions, comments that don’t need their own posts, and first time posters go here (November 22, 2022)

1 comment

1. Do verb stems in 五段動詞 include the vowel or not?

   I know this sounds like a dumb question, but I’ve been trying to wrap my head around it for ages now and I figured I’d just ask someone instead of thinking myself in circles more than I already have. (I am not registered in classes with my college right now, so I don’t have anyone to ask and am studying on my own with multiple online sources. The textbook I have doesn’t cover it in this depth.)

   Okay so when conjugateing 五段動詞, what counts as the stem of the verb? For example 行く, would the stem *technically* be “ik” or “iku?” Cause I’ve seen it written as both? As in, I’ve seen verb charts written in kana with the stem written as いく. But that’s not *technically* the verb stem, right? Because that would mean that the stem is “iku” which would mean that stem is conjugating. Except stems *don’t* conjugate, correct?
   If so, than how would I wright that in kana if I am making a chart in my notes? Does it have to be written in Roman characters, or is there a different way to write it? Are they using Roman characters when teaching this sort of thing in Japan to Japanese students?

   Also is the “masu stem” a different thing from the “verb stem?” Like, are they separate concepts or basically the same thing?

   Sorry for the long post. I’d really appreciate if someone could clarify this for me. 😣