光る
ひかる
to shine, to glitter
Hikaru (光る) is a godan verb meaning "to shine, to glitter". Its polite form is 光ります (hikarimasu), its te form is 光って (hikatte), its past form is 光った (hikatta), and its negative form is 光らない (hikaranai).
Godan verbJLPT N4
Hikaru (光る) conjugation quick reference
光る means "to shine, to glitter". Its main forms are listed below, with links to the grammar pattern behind each form.
Hikaru example sentences
星が光っています。
The stars are shining.
あのくつは光りません。
Those shoes don’t shine.
昨日、海が光りました。
Yesterday, the sea glowed.
How to use Hikaru: grammar notes
•Use 光る with the particle が to show what is shining — for example, 星が光っている means "The stars are shining."
•When talking about something that starts shining, use the て-form + いる (光っている) to show it's happening now — don’t just say 光る, which sounds more like a general truth.
•Don’t use を with 光る, since it’s an intransitive verb — you don’t shine something, something shines on its own.
•JLPT N4 level
Common phrases with Hikaru
星が光る（ほしがひかる）
The stars shine
目が光る（めがひかる）
Eyes shine (with excitement, alertness, etc.)
才能が光る（さいのうがひかる）
Talent shines (stands out, becomes apparent)
Hikaru (光る) conjugation table
| Form | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Forms | ||
| Dictionary Form | 光る | hikaru |
| Masu Form | 光ります | hikarimasu |
| Te Form | 光って | hikatte |
| Past Form | 光った | hikatta |
| Negative Form | 光らない | hikaranai |
| Past Negative | 光らなかった | hikaranakatta |
| Polite Forms | ||
| Polite Present | 光ります | hikarimasu |
| Polite Past | 光りました | hikarimashita |
| Polite Negative | 光りません | hikarimasen |
| Polite Past Negative | 光りませんでした | hikarimasendeshita |
| Advanced Forms | ||
| Potential Form | 光れる | hikareru |
| Passive Form | 光られる | hikarareru |
| Causative Form | 光らせる | hikaraseru |
| Causative Passive | 光らされる | hikarasareru |
| Volitional Form | 光ろう | hikarou |
| Imperative Form | 光れ | hikare |
| Conditional Forms | ||
| Conditional (ば) | 光れば | hikareba |
| Conditional (たら) | 光ったら | hikattara |
| Other Forms | ||
| Progressive Form | 光っている | hikatteiru |
| Desire (たい) | 光りたい | hikaritai |
| Prohibition | 光るな | hikaruna |