Japanese splits “to exist / there is” into two verbs. Use いる for things that move on their own (people, animals). Use ある for things that do not move on their own (objects, plants, places, abstract things). The real test is self-movement, not biological life, which explains why robots can take いる and plants take ある.
This is one of the very first places Japanese refuses to behave like English. You want to say something simple, “there is a cat,” “there is a convenience store,” and suddenly you have to choose between two verbs that both translate as “exist.” Choose wrong and a native speaker hears it instantly, the way an English speaker hears “he have a dog.”
The good news is that the rule behind いる and ある is clean, intuitive, and once you see it correctly you almost never get it wrong again. The trick is to learn the right version of the rule from the start.
The Two Verbs
いる
いる
to exist / there is — for things that move on their own (people, animals)
ある
ある
to exist / there is — for things that do not move on their own (objects, plants, places)
Most textbooks summarize this as “living vs non-living.” That shortcut is close, but it is the reason people get confused later, because plants are alive yet take ある. The accurate rule is self-movement: does the thing move under its own will?
The Core Examples
猫がいます。
ねこがいます。
There is a cat. (a cat moves on its own → いる)
テーブルの上に本があります。
テーブルのうえにほんがあります。
There is a book on the table. (a book does not move on its own → ある)
駅の近くにコンビニがあります。
えきのちかくにコンビニがあります。
There is a convenience store near the station. (a place → ある)
Notice the particle pattern that comes along for free: the thing that exists is marked with が, and the location is marked with に. That frame, place に thing が います / あります, is the backbone of describing where things are.
Why “Living vs Non-Living” Fails
Here is the edge that breaks the naive rule, and once you understand it the real rule clicks.
庭に木があります。
にわにきがあります。
There is a tree in the garden. (a tree is alive but does not move → ある)
A tree is biologically alive, yet it takes ある because it does not move on its own. Meanwhile a robot vacuum or a moving toy is not alive, yet speakers often use いる when they treat it as something that moves and acts. The deciding factor is perceived self-movement and agency, not life. Lock in self-movement and the “exceptions” stop being exceptions.
The Same Verbs, Other Meanings
いる and ある do more than say “there is.” They also express having and events, and the same self-movement logic carries over.
| Meaning | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Have people (family, friends) | いる | きょうだいがいます (I have siblings) |
| Have things / possessions | ある | くるまがあります (I have a car) |
| An event happens / takes place | ある | あしたテストがあります (there is a test tomorrow) |
私には姉が二人います。
わたしにはあねがふたりいます。
I have two older sisters. (people → いる)
来週大切な会議があります。
らいしゅうたいせつなかいぎがあります。
There is an important meeting next week. (an event → ある)
The Negatives Are Irregular (and Worth Noting)
One small wrinkle: the plain negative of ある is not あらない, it is ない. いる is regular (いない). This catches learners off guard, so it is worth committing as a fact.
| Form | いる | ある |
|---|---|---|
| Plain present | いる | ある |
| Plain negative | いない | ない |
| Polite present | います | あります |
| Polite negative | いません | ありません |
A Sentence That Uses Both
公園に子供がいて、ベンチもあります。
こうえんにこどもがいて、ベンチもあります。
There are children in the park, and there are benches too.
Children move on their own, so いる (here in te-form いて). Benches do not, so ある. One sentence, both verbs, the rule doing its job cleanly.
How to Make the Choice Automatic
いる versus ある is a snap judgment you make mid-sentence, which means it has to live in reflex, not in a rule you consciously recall. That is exactly what spaced, contextual practice builds, and it is what Kanjijo is designed to deliver. Each existence pattern is taught inside full example sentences with the place-に-thing-が frame, so you internalize the structure, not just the verb. Exclusive mnemonics give いる and ある memory hooks, and SRS resurfaces the tricky cases (trees, events, possessions) right before you would forget which verb they take. Reading and listening practice expose you to both verbs in natural Japanese, the OCR scanner lets you read real signs that use あります for shops and facilities, home and lock screen widgets resurface a pattern during dead moments, and mock JLPT questions test the choice under exam pressure. Soon you stop choosing and simply say the right one.
Stop Second-Guessing いる and ある
Kanjijo makes existence verbs automatic with example sentences, exclusive mnemonics, SRS, reading, listening, OCR scanning, widgets, and mock JLPT practice.
Download Kanjijo FreeFrequently Asked Questions
Close, but the accurate rule is self-movement. Plants are alive yet take ある because they do not move on their own.
It is an irregularity worth memorizing. ある becomes ない (not あらない), while いる behaves regularly as いない.
いる for people you have (family, friends) and ある for things you have (a car, money, time), following the same self-movement logic.