できる · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | できる | できない |
| Polite | できます | できません |
| Past polite | できました | できませんでした |
| Past | できた | できなかった |
| Te-form | できて | できないで |
| Desire | できたい | できたくない |
| Potential | できられるalso できれる | できられないalso できれない |
| Passive | できられる | できられない |
| Causative | できさせる | できさせない |
| Causative passive | できさせられる | できさせられない |
| Volitional | できよう | |
| Polite volitional | できましょう | |
| Imperative | できろ | できるな |
| Conditional | できれば | できなければ |
| Tara conditional | できたら | できなかったら |
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
can; be able to; be possible
Expresses ability, possibility, or permission. Often follows the -te form of a verb or a noun + が.
彼は英語ができる。
He can speak English.
Is it possible to take photos here?
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be good at; do well; be proficient
Describes a person's skill or capability in a particular area. Often used with ～ができる.
She is good at cooking.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
come into existence; form; appear; be born; get (a friend, free time, etc.)
Indicates that something new comes into being, appears, or is obtained. Covers a wide range from concrete objects to abstract opportunities.
I made a new friend.
Something suddenly came up and I couldn't go.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be made; be built; be completed; be ready
Describes the completion or creation of something, often with a focus on the result. Sense 5 (finished/ready) is closely related and merged here.
This bridge was built last year.
Dinner is ready.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
Used for agricultural products or natural yields. Often implies successful cultivation.
The rice grew well this year.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be mature; be well-balanced; be of fine character
Describes a person's character or personality as well-rounded, reliable, or admirable. Often used as できた人.
He is a truly fine person.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
be by nature; be born ...
Used in the pattern できている to describe innate qualities or natural constitution. Often followed by an adjective or noun.
He is naturally sturdy.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
become involved (sexually); become intimate; take up with
Colloquial euphemism for entering a sexual relationship. Usually used as できている.
It seems those two are involved with each other.
ichidan verb, intransitive verb
get pregnant
Colloquial and somewhat blunt way to say 'get pregnant'. Often used in casual conversation.
I heard she got pregnant.
He can speak Japanese.
She's good at cooking.
He got a new job.
A new building was built in front of the station.
The apples grew well this year.
He's a fine, admirable person.
He's having an affair with his secretary.
The couple is expecting a child.
得意 highlights something as a person's particular strong point or specialty, while 出来る just states that they are able to do it.
完成する formally emphasizes the act of finishing or completing a project, while 出来る more casually states that something is done or ready.
妊娠する is the neutral, clinical verb for 'to become pregnant', while 出来る (as できている) is a blunt, colloquial way of saying the same thing.
できる is the neutral, general word for ability or feasibility, while いける is a casual, evaluative word implying something is satisfactorily good or workable.
できる is the general everyday way to say something is possible, while the auxiliary 得る attaches to a verb's masu-stem in more formal written contexts.
できる is a general verb meaning 'to be produced' (including crops or vegetables), whereas 生る is specific to fruit forming on a plant.
できる is used directly after nouns or with する-verbs to mean 'can do', whereas ことができる is the fuller pattern that follows a verb's dictionary form to express the same ability or possibility.
出来る is the general verb for something being made, possible, or happening, while 出来上がる specifically marks the moment or state of full completion.
出来る (できる) is the extremely common verb meaning 'to be able to' or 'to be made,' sharing the exact same reading as 出切る but with a completely unrelated meaning, so learners must rely on kanji and context to tell them apart.
workmanship; finish; execution · performance; result; score · quality of a crop; condition of a harvest · dealings; transactions
event; incident; occurrence
completion; finish · workmanship; result; outcome
be completed; be finished; be ready · be very drunk; be plastered
well done; excellent result; great job
output; yield; production volume; piecework
failure; defective article; botch · good-for-nothing; worthless person; flop
result; outcome; performance · workmanship; execution; finish
sudden impulse; passing fancy
Search-only kyūjitai form; not used in modern writing.
poor result; bad job; poor workmanship
ready-made; off-the-shelf; prepared · common-law (wife)
boil; blister; pimple
skin growth; lump; boil; pimple
able person; fine person
freshly made; just made; brand-new
something new but of poor quality
lot distribution; partial fill
selling price
year of good harvest; fruitful year
scoring combination; meld
upstart; mushroom millionaire
autumn at harvest time; harvest autumn
well-made; well-done; great success
too good; overly excellent · overproduction; making too much