Japanese Volitional Form: Let’s, ようとする, and Polite Invitations

The Japanese volitional form expresses “let’s do X” or the speaker’s intention to do something. It is used in invitations, suggestions, expressions of determination, and the useful pattern ようとする (to try to do / be about to do). This guide covers all conjugation patterns, the three main usage contexts, and the common mistakes English speakers make.

How to Form the Volitional

Yuka

「しよう」と「しましょう」って同じ意味？どっちを使えばいいの？(Shiyou to shimashou tte onaji imi? Docchi wo tsukaeba ii no? — Are しよう and しましょう the same thing? Which one should I use?)

Rei

Same grammar (volitional form), different formality! しよう = casual, you’d say this to close friends. しましょう = polite, you’d use with teachers, colleagues, or people you don’t know well. Context decides!

Yuka

じゃあ、友達に「映画を見に行きましょう」って変？(Jaa, tomodachi ni ‘eiga wo mi ni ikimashou’ tte hen? — So would it be weird to say ‘let’s go watch a movie’ formally to a friend?)

Rei

A little stiff, yes! With close friends say: 映画見に行こうよ！(Eiga mi ni ikou yo! — Let’s go see a movie!) The よ at the end adds casual invitation energy. But しましょう with friends isn’t wrong — just sounds more formal than the situation needs.

U-verbs (Group 1): Final う → おう

RU-verbs (Group 2): Drop る + よう

Yuka

「〜ようとしている」って何？「しよう」と関係あるの？(〜You to shite iru tte nani? ‘Shiyou’ to kankei aru no? — What is 〜ようとしている? Is it related to しよう?)

Rei

Yes, same volitional form! 〜ようとしている = ‘is trying/about to do.’ 出かけようとしている (dekakeyou to shite iru) = ‘is about to head out.’ It captures that moment just before an action starts — very useful for storytelling!

Yuka

ああ、「起きようとした時に電話が鳴った」みたいな使い方？(Aa, ‘okiyou to shita toki ni denwa ga natta’ mitai na tsukaikata? — Ah, like ‘the phone rang just as I was about to wake up’?)

Rei

Perfect example! 起きようとした時に電話が鳴った — you nailed it. That ようとした (just about to) creates beautiful tension in the story. Now you’re thinking in volitional form!

Irregular Verbs

Usage 1: “Let’s” — Invitations and Suggestions

The most common use of the volitional is making a group suggestion or invitation: “Let’s do X together.”

• 一緒に食べましょう。 — Issho ni tabemashou. — Let’s eat together.
• 少し休みましょう。 — Sukoshi yasumimashou. — Let’s take a short break.
• 行こう。 — Ikou. — Let’s go. (casual)
• はじめよう。 — Hajimeyo. — Let’s start. (casual)
• 日本語を緣強しましょう。 — Nihongo wo benkyou shimashou. — Let’s study Japanese.

Usage 2: Personal Determination (Plain Form)

The plain volitional can express the speaker’s own intention or resolve — especially in written language, diary entries, or internal monologue.

• 今日から絵純に食べよう。 — Kyou kara junsui ni tabeyou. — From today, I will eat cleanly.
• もっと緊張しよう。 — Motto kinzou shiyou. — I will try harder.
• 天気がいいうちに洗濯をしよう。 — Tenki ga ii uchi ni sentaku wo shiyou. — I’ll do laundry while the weather is nice.

Usage 3: ようとする — Attempt or “About To”

Volitional + とする creates a powerful pattern meaning “to try to do X” or “to be on the verge of doing X.”

• 子供が山に登ろうとした。 — Kodomo ga yama ni nobourou to shita. — The child tried to climb the mountain.
• 雨が降ろうとしている。 — Ame ga furou to shite iru. — It looks like it’s about to rain.
• 彼女は笑おうとしたが泣いてしまった。 — Kanojo wa waraou to shita ga naite shimatta. — She tried to laugh but ended up crying.
• どんなことがあってもやり避げようとしない。 — Donna koto ga atte mo yariyoge you to shinai. — No matter what happens, I won’t try to avoid it.

Volitional vs ましょうか (Invitation Question Form)

Adding か to the polite volitional turns it into a question — an invitation to do something together.

Common Mistakes

• Using ましょう when you mean たいです: 飲ましょう = “Let’s drink” (invitation). 飲みたいです = “I want to drink.” These are completely different.
• Wrong conjugation for u-verbs: 買う → volitional is 買おう (buy-OU), NOT 買うよう.
• Forgetting ようとする for “attempt”: “I tried to open the window” = 窓を開けようとした. Saying 開けよう alone means “Let’s open,” not “I tried to open.”

Quick Quiz: Volitional Form

1. Conjugate 買う (kau) to the polite volitional.
2. Conjugate 起きる (okiru) to the plain volitional.
3. What does 飲ましょうか mean?
4. Translate: “She tried to sing but couldn’t.” (歌う = utau)
5. What is the difference between しよう and したいです?

Answers: 1. 買いましょう.  2. 起きよう.  3. “Shall we drink?” (invitation).  4. 彼女は歌おうとしたが、できなかった。  5. しよう = “let’s do” (invitation/determination); したいです = “I want to do” (personal desire).

Yuka

ようとする was the pattern that clicked everything into place for me. It shows intent AND effort at the same time — so useful for storytelling.

Rei

And ましょうか is so polite for making plans with someone. Way more natural than just やりませんか in casual contexts.

Practice the volitional form in real conversation with a native Japanese tutor on italki — making suggestions and plans with ましょう is something you will use every day.

Keep Learning

あわせて読みたい

Japanese Dictionary Form: The Plain Form Every Learner Must Master The Japanese dictionary form (plain form) explained clearly: what it is, all three verb groups, how to use it in casual speech and grammar patterns. Essential for N5-N4 learners.

あわせて読みたい

Japanese Potential Form: られる vs できる (Can You…?) Learn how to say 'can' in Japanese using the potential form られる/れる and できる. Includes conjugation rules, particle shift (を→が), and ら抜き explained.

あわせて読みたい

Japanese Conditionals: と vs ば vs たら vs なら — Complete Guide と, ば, たら, なら — Japanese has four conditional forms and they all mean something close to 'if' or 'when.' But they are NOT interchangeable. Each one carr...

What do you find trickiest about the volitional form? Share your questions in the comments!