音読み: ユウ・ウ
訓読み: ある
画数: 6
部首: にくづき（⺼）
Meaning
Exist / Have / Possess / Be
- Basic forms
- ある — to exist (inanimate); there is / base form
- あります — there is / masu form
- あった — there was / ta form
- あって — existing; being there / te-form
- ない — not exist / negative
- なかった — did not exist / past negative
- Other common forms
- ありますか — is there…? / polite question
- あるか — is there…? / casual
- あれば — if there is / conditional
- More
- あってほしい — I hope there is / desire
- あるはずだ — should exist / supposition
- あるらしい — apparently there is / hearsay
有る（ある） is a godan verb, but its meaning is special — it expresses existence or possession. Conjugation follows regular godan patterns: あった, あって, あれば, ない.
- 有名 — famous
- 有無 — presence or absence; yes or no
- 所有 — ownership
- 保有 — holding; possession
- 有力 — influential; powerful
More examples - tap to expand
- 有益 — beneficial
- 有料 — paid; fee-charging
- 有機 — organic
- 有する — to possess; to have on-based
The ancient form shows a hand holding a piece of meat (月 here functioning as にくづき), expressing “to have in one’s hand.” In modern Japanese, the kun-yomi ある covers “to exist / to have,” while compounds use the on-yomi ユウ／ウ. Note: 有する is an on-yomi-based verb (ユウ + する), not a native kun-yomi.