In Japanese, ~ru ～る is a syllable found at the end of many verbs in nonpast form (or dictionary form, shuushikei 終止形, rentaikei 連体形). All ichidan 一段 verbs end in ~ru, so they're also called ru-verbs. Some godan 五段 verbs (a.k.a. u-verbs, for they all end in ~u) also end in ~ru. Consequently, the nonpast form is also known as the ru-form. What's interesting is that ~ru ～る is sometimes used to create new verb words as some sort of verbalizing suffix, typically out of gairaigo 外来語 or other loan words written in katakana カタカナ, leading to verbs that are a mix of katakana and hiragana ひらがな, like:(some examples from news.nicovideo.jp)
- memoru
メモる
To take note of. (from memo メモ, a "note.") - misuru
ミスる
To make a mistake. (omae no misu da! お前のミスだ！, "that was your miss (mistake)!") - toraburu
トラブる
To get into trouble. (from "trouble," toraburu トラブル.)- To LOVEる is the title of a manga and anime series that's a pun on this word. It's read toraburu とらぶる, "to" as to と, "love" as its katakanization rabu ラブ, and lastly the ~ru suffix, which means "to love"-ru is a verb in the title, i.e. literally "to 'to love'."
- tenparu
テンパる
To be one tile away from winning. (in mahjong 麻雀, which is kind of a card game but with "tiles," hai 牌, where you have to form a pattern to win, the term tenpai 聴牌 refers to being one tile away from completing the pattern and winning the round.)
To be frustrated. To be at one's wits' end. - guguru
ググる
To google. (from "Google," guuguru グーグル) - saboru
サボる
To skip work. (from French "sabotage," sabotaaju サボタージュ)
Conjugation
New verbs created through the ~ru ～る suffix are conjugated like godan verbs, which is kind of awkward, considering it's ichidan verbs that are called ru-verbs in English. Anyway, for reference, the conjugation of Google:
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| mizenkei 未然形 |
gugura~ ググら～ (e.g. ~nai ～ない.) |
| guguro~ ググろ～ (e.g. ~u ～う.) |
|
| ren'youkei 連用形 |
guguri~ ググり～ (e.g. ~masu ～ます.) |
| shuushikei 終止形 |
guguru ググる |
| rentaikei 連体形 |
|
| kateikei 仮定形 |
gugure~ ググれ～ (e.g. ~ba ～ば.) |
| meireikei 命令形 |
gugure ググれ |
Its tensed forms:
| Tensed form | Plain form | Polite form |
|---|---|---|
| hikakokei 非過去形 Nonpast form |
guguru ググる Googles. Will google. |
gugurimasu ググります |
| kakokei 過去形 Past form |
gugutta ググった Googled. |
gugurimashita ググりました |
| hiteikei 否定形 Negative form |
guguranai ググらない Doesn't google. Won't google. |
gugurimasen ググりません |
| kako-hiteikei 過去否定形 Past negative form |
guguranakatta ググらなかった Didn't google. |
gugurimasen deshita ググりませんでした |
| kanou-doushi 可能動詞 Potential verb. |
gugureru ググれる Can google. |
guguremasu ググれます |
| ukemikei 受身形 Passive form. |
gugurareru ググられる To be googled. |
guguraremasu ググられます |
| shiekikei 使役形 Causative form. |
guguraseru ググらせる To make [them] google. To force [them] to google. To allow [them] to google. |
gugurasemasu ググさせます |
| ~te-iru form. | gugutte-iru ググっている To be googling. To have googled. |
gugutte-imasu ググっています |
| gugutteru ググってる |
guguttemasu ググってます |
|
| ~te-aru form. | gugutte-aru ググってある To have googled. |
gugutte-arimasu ググってあります |
| ~te-shimau form. | gugutte-shimau ググってしまう To end up googling. |
gugutte-shimaimasu ググってしまいます |
| gugucchau ググっちゃう |
gugucchaimasu ググっちゃいます |
Other forms:
| Form | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| tai-form | guguritai ググりたい [I] want to google. |
| ba-form | gugureba ググれば If [I] googled. |
| gugurya ググりゃ |
|
| tara-form | guguttara ググったら If [I] googled. |
| Volitional form. | gugurou ググろう Let's google. |
| zu-form | gugurazu ググらず Without googling. |
Grammar
There isn't really much one can say about the grammar of this ~ru ～る. It simply creates new verbs, neologisms that are basically portmanteaus from random foreign words or parts of foreign words together with a ~ru suffix.
It's worth noting that this isn't the only way to create new verbs. The verb suru する can be used to create a verb by turning a noun into a suru-verb. For example:
- copii suru
コピーする
To do a "copy."
To copy. - copipe suru
コピペする
To copy-paste. - bijinesu wo suru
ビジネスをする
To do business. - reberu appu suru
レベルアップする
To level up.
You can do it with any noun, so one could say:
- guuguru suru
グーグルする
To do a "Google."
But whether people understand what that means depends on whether the word is used that way or not, and for some reason guguru, with the ~ru suffix, ended up being common than guuguru suru, with the suru verb, so people don't say the latter, they say the former.
- Context: Masa 雅 finds himself surrounded, pulls out his smartphone.
- kenka, ninsuu, ooi
ケンカ 人数 多い
Fight, number-of-people, many. - chotto mate ya, ima gugutteru kara
ちょっと待てや 今ググってるから
Wait a bit, [I] am googling right now.
Considering the above, one may wonder if guguru isn't some sort of abbreviated form of guuguru suru, and likewise, memoru of memo suru, and so on, such that the ~ru suffix is actually the ~ru ending of suru.
That doesn't seem to be the case, considering that when you conjugate ~ru-suffix-verbs, they match the godan verb conjugation, but suru doesn't match the godan verb conjugation, so you don't, for example, remove the first syllable of suru and attach it to gugu~/memo~. Observe:
- Negative form: guuguru shinai グーグルしない vs. guguranai ググらない. Where does that ~ra~ in ~ranai come from?
- Potential form: guuguru dekiru グーグルできる vs. gugureru ググれる. Okay this one feels like cheating.
- Passive form: guguru sareru グーグルされる vs. gugurareru ググられる. Again, where does the ~ra~ come from?
- te-form: guuguru shite グーグルして vs. gugutte ググって. Where does the small tsu っ come from? From sokuonbin 促音便, of course.
Lastly, the ~i ～い ending found in i-adjectives may also be similarly suffixed to random stuff to create new adjectives, e.g.:
- emoi
エモい
Emotional.
References
- よく使う、外来語+「る」で動詞化した言葉1位「サボる」 - news.nicovideo.jp, accessed 2022-04-09.
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