〜ろ / 〜え

command

The plain command: "Do it!". It is blunt and can sound rough. Outside rough casual speech, you meet it in emergencies, in sports, on signs and in quoted orders.

Readings

Conjugation rules

For godan verbs, change the last う-sound to its え-sound: 行(い)く becomes 行(い)け. This is the potential without its final る.
For ichidan verbs, replace る with ろ.
する becomes しろ and 来(く)る becomes 来(こ)い (irregular).
くれる becomes くれ, and くださる becomes ください — the word used in polite requests.

Examples

godan

行(い)く(to go)行(い)け

ichidan

食(た)べる(to eat)食(た)べろ

irregular

する(to do)しろ

来(く)る(to come)来(こ)い

exception

くれる(to give (to me))くれnot くれろ

くださる(to give (honorific))くださいnot くだされ

Example sentences

逃(に)げろ！

Run!

早(はや)く来(こ)いと言(い)われた。

I was told to come quickly.

Notes

Some imperatives are everyday words that do not sound rude, like がんばれ (go for it) and 止(と)まれ (stop) on road signs.
Exam questions and formal written instructions use よ for ichidan verbs and せよ for する: 答(こた)えよ (answer), 注意(ちゅうい)せよ (take care).
To tell someone to do something more gently, use 〜なさい or 〜てください. The negative command is 〜な: 行(い)くな (don't go).