Japanese

Verb

居る ‎(intransitive, ichidan conjugation, hiragana いる, romaji iru, historical hiragana ゐる)

1. (of animate objects) to exist, to be

   あなたがいないと何 (なに)もできない

   anata ga inai to nani mo dekinai

   I can't do anything if you aren't there

2. (of animate objects) to have

   在る, 有る (ある, aru) is the equivalent term used with inanimate objects.

3. (after a verb in the て conjunctive form) to be (doing); indicates a progressive or continuous sense; See ている

Usage notes

This term is usually written in hiragana (i.e. as いる). See the main entry at いる.

Conjugation

See also

• (to be): 有 (あ)る ‎(aru) ("of inanimate objects: to be")

Verb

居る ‎(intransitive, godan conjugation, hiragana おる, romaji oru, historical hiragana をる)

1. (of animate objects) to exist, to be, to have

   • むかしあるところに一人 (ひとり)の欲 (よく)ばりの坊 (ぼう)さんがおりました。

     Mukashi aru tokoro ni hitori no yokubari no bōsan ga orimashita.

     Once upon a time, there was a grasping priest somewhere.

2. (after a verb in the て conjunctive form) to be (doing); indicates a progressive or continuous sense; ておる ‎(teoru) is often transformed to とる ‎(toru)

   • ぼくは眼 (め)をほそめて海 (うみ)を見 (み)ておった

     Boku wa me o hosomete umi o miteotta

     I was staring at the sea with a squinted eye

3. (Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu, after a verb in the conjunctive form) to be (doing); a continuous sense; often transformed to よる ‎(yoru)

   • 毎朝 (まいあさ)、私 (わたし)、観音様 (かんのんさま)にお願 (がん)を掛 (か)けよるんじゃものきっと通 (とお)るわ。

     Maiasa, watashi, kannon-sama ni o-gan o kakeyoru n ja mono kitto tōru wa.

     Since I am making a wish to kannon every morning, he must pass an examination.

Usage notes

A variation of いる ‎(iru) used mainly in western Japan. In standard Japanese, it is usually used for a humble language (謙譲語) or a polite language (丁寧語) in おります form and some archaic/literary expressions.

Conjugation