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Study Resource: 〜たり (-tari) form in Japanese

By: Nora Farley

This chart illustrates how to form the 〜たり transcribed tari form in Japanese, for different types of verbs. Though forming the tari-form from the ta-form is as simple as adding the ending transcribed ri, forming the ta-form itself is a little tricky (especially for u-verbs). Have a look!

Verb type (+ ending)Dictionary formPast tense
(ta-form)
Tari-form
(just add -ri!)

ru-verbs

食べ
Transcription: taberu
Translation: to eat
食べ
Transcription: tabeta
Translation: ate
食べたり
Transcription: tabetari
Translation: eating…

u-verbs

う・つ・る
Transcription: u / tsu / ru
Transcription: utau
Translation: to sing
歌っ
Transcription: utatta
Translation: sang
歌ったり
Transcription: utattari
Translation: singing…
Transcription: tatsu
Translation: to stand
立っ
Transcription: tatta
Translation: stood
立ったり
Transcription: tattari
Translation: standing…
Transcription: tsukuru
Translation: to make
作っ
Transcription: tsukutta
Translation: made
作ったり
Transcription: tsukuttari
Translation: making…
む・ぶ・ぬ
Transcription: mu / bu / nu
Transcription: yomu
Translation: to read
読ん
Transcription: yonda
Translation: read
読んだり
Transcription: yondari
Translation: reading…
Transcription: asobu
Translation: to play
遊ん
Transcription: asonda
Translation: played
遊んだり
Transcription: asondari
Translation: playing…
Transcription: shinu
Translation: to die
死ん
Transcription: shinda
Translation: died
死んだり
Transcription: shindari
Translation: dying…
Transcription: su
Transcription: hanasu
Translation: to speak
話し
Transcription: hanashita
Translation: spoke
話したり
Transcription: hanashitari
Translation: speaking…
Transcription: ku
Transcription: kaku
Translation: to write
書い
Transcription: kaita
Translation: wrote
書いたり
Transcription: kaitari
Translation: writing…
Transcription: iku
Translation: to go
行っ*
Transcription: itta
Translation: went
行ったり*
Transcription: ittari
Translation: going…
Transcription: gu
Transcription: oyogu
Translation: to swim
泳い
Transcription: oyoida
Translation: swam
泳いだり
Transcription: oyoidari
Translation: swimming…

Irregular Verbs

する
Transcription: suru
Translation: to do
Transcription: shita
Translation: did
たり
Transcription: shitari
Translation: doing…
来る
Transcription: kuru
Translation: to come
Transcription: kita
Translation: came
たり
Transcription: kitari
Translation: coming…