@article{ART003315870},
author={李在鉉 and Yeonhwi Cho},
title={A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary},
journal={The Japanese Language Association of Korea},
issn={1229-7275},
year={2026},
number={87},
pages={129-146}
TY - JOUR
AU - 李在鉉
AU - Yeonhwi Cho
TI - A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary
JO - The Japanese Language Association of Korea
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 87
PB - The Japanese Language Association Of Korea
SP - 129
EP - 146
SN - 1229-7275
AB - This study examines how exceptional verbs should be incorporated into the classification of Japanese verbs, particularly addressing learners’ challenges in distinguishing between Group 1 (godan) and Group 2 (ichidan) verbs. In classroom practice, learners frequently raise two questions: (Q1) Why do the criteria for identifying these verbs seem complex and unreliable? and (Q2) How many exceptional Group 1 verbs exist, and which ones should be prioritized for JLPT preparation? To address these issues, the study adopts a dictionary-based approach. It proposes a stepwise instructional procedure: (i) treat suru and kuru as special cases, (ii) apply a primary rule using Romanized endings (-iru/-eru), and (iii) consult an exception list only when necessary. To support scope and prioritization, exceptional Group 1 verbs are extracted and organized from multiple resources, including the Balanced Corpus of Contemporary Written Japanese (BCCWJ) with frequency data (PMW), JLPT vocabulary books, and level-tagged verb lists from the NAVER Japanese dictionary. The data were integrated using Python (pandas) and analyzed using morphological parsing with Fugashi (MeCab-based), identifying exceptional Group 1 verbs as godan verbs whose Romanized endings are -iru or -eru.The results show that exceptional Group 1 verbs account for roughly 4% of verbs in the analyzed datasets. Although numerically limited, they are prone to misclassification due to their surface similarity to Group 2 verbs. Based on these findings, the study suggests two goal-oriented teaching options: a frequency-based priority list for general proficiency and a JLPT-oriented, reorganized list that reduces the memorization load by excluding many compound verbs. The proposed framework combines a fixed decision procedure with specific reference lists tailored to different purposes, providing clearer guidance for learners and a practical basis for systematic instruction.
KW - Japanese verbs、Type of verbs、Exceptional verbs、Verb classification;Number of exceptional verbs by level
DO -
UR -
ER -
李在鉉 and Yeonhwi Cho. (2026). A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary. The Japanese Language Association of Korea, 87, 129-146.
李在鉉 and Yeonhwi Cho. 2026, "A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary", The Japanese Language Association of Korea, no.87, pp.129-146.
李在鉉, Yeonhwi Cho "A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary" The Japanese Language Association of Korea 87 pp.129-146 (2026) : 129.
李在鉉, Yeonhwi Cho. A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary. 2026; 87 : 129-146.
李在鉉 and Yeonhwi Cho. "A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary" The Japanese Language Association of Korea no.87(2026) : 129-146.
李在鉉; Yeonhwi Cho. A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary. The Japanese Language Association of Korea, 87, 129-146.
李在鉉; Yeonhwi Cho. A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary. The Japanese Language Association of Korea. 2026; 87 129-146.
李在鉉, Yeonhwi Cho. A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary. 2026; 87 : 129-146.
李在鉉 and Yeonhwi Cho. "A Study on Introducing Exceptional Verbs in Japanese Verb Classification: Focusing on Usage Frequency and JLPT Vocabulary" The Japanese Language Association of Korea no.87(2026) : 129-146.
