Japanese Verb Conjugations - Matsu

Conjugating the Japanese Verb "To Wait"

Japanese business persons greeting each other
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If you're in a Japanese-speaking community, knowing the Japanese word for "to wait" can come in handy in terms of everyday interactions. Maybe you're running late to a social event and need to apologize for keeping people waiting, or perhaps you have to push back a meeting at work for a few minutes. Maybe the host at a restaurant needs to ask you to wait before being seated. 

These charts will help you learn about verb groups and conjugations for the Japanese verb "matsu", which means "to wait".

If you are not familiar with Japanese verb groups and conjugations, it is recommended that you click here for a review before you learn individual verb conjugations.

Matsu Verb Conjugation

matsu (to wait): Group 1 
Informal Present
(Dictionary Form)
matsu
待つ
Formal Present
(~ masu Form)
machimasu
待ちます
Informal Past
(~ ta Form)
matta
待った
Formal Past machimashita
待ちました
Informal Negative
(~ nai Form)
matanai
待たない
Formal Negative machimasen
待ちません
Informal Past Negative matanakatta
待たなかった
Formal Past Negative machimasen deshita
待ちませんでした
~ te Form matte
待って
Conditional mateba
待てば
Volitional matou
待とう
Passive matareru
待たれる
Causative mataseru
待たせる
Potential materu
待てる
Imperative
(Command)
mate
待て

Sentence Examples

Matasete gomennasai.
待たせてごめんなさい。
I am sorry to keep you waiting.
Koko de matte kudasai.
ここで待ってください。
Please wait here.
Mou sukoshi materu?
もう少し待てる?
Can you wait a little longer?
Format
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Your Citation
Abe, Namiko. "Japanese Verb Conjugations - Matsu." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/how-to-conjugate-matsu-3953968. Abe, Namiko. (2023, April 5). Japanese Verb Conjugations - Matsu. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-conjugate-matsu-3953968 Abe, Namiko. "Japanese Verb Conjugations - Matsu." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-conjugate-matsu-3953968 (accessed March 28, 2024).