In your first week of Japanese, you probably learned that ～ている means "is doing." 食べている is "is eating," 読んでいる is "is reading." That is correct, and it is only the beginning.
The same ～ている pattern also describes states, habits, and long-running situations. If you have ever been puzzled by 結婚している (not "is marrying"?) or 知っている (not "is knowing"?), you have run into the other meanings. This guide sorts them out.
The core: ている attaches to the て-form
The pattern is verb て-form + いる. If you need a refresher on forming the て-form, see our guide to て-form conjugation rules. In casual speech, the い often disappears: 食べてる, 読んでる.
Meaning 1: Action in progress
The one you already know. The action is happening right now, or around now.
- 今、ご飯を食べています。— I'm eating a meal right now.
- 雨が降っています。— It's raining.
Meaning 2: Result state
This is the meaning that surprises learners. With verbs that describe a change (a "moment" verb), ている means that the change has happened and the result continues.
- 窓が開いています。— The window is open. (It opened, and it is still open.)
- 電気がついています。— The light is on.
- 彼は結婚しています。— He is married.
- 私は東京に住んでいます。— I live in Tokyo.
A quick test: if the verb is an instant change (開く, 死ぬ, 結婚する, 着く), ている usually describes the resulting state, not an action in progress. 死んでいる means "is dead," not "is dying."
Transitive/intransitive pairs matter here too: 窓が開いている (the window is open, state) versus 窓を開けている (someone is opening the window, in progress). If you want to build confidence with these pairs, read Japanese transitive and intransitive verb pairs.
Meaning 3: Habitual or repeated action
A repeated action that continues over a period.
- 毎朝ジョギングをしています。— I jog every morning.
- 兄は銀行で働いています。— My older brother works at a bank.
Time expressions like 毎日, いつも, 最近 are good clues.
Meaning 4: A record or past achievement that still stands
With a count or a "so far" expression, ている can present past events as a record.
- 彼はこの大会で三回も優勝しています。— He has won this tournament three times.
- この会社は百年以上の歴史を持っています。— This company has a history of over a hundred years.
At N5 and N4 you will see this less often than meanings 1–3, but it appears in reading passages.
Meaning 5: A lasting property or appearance
Some verbs describe what something is like, and ている is the normal way to say it. English often uses a plain "is" here.
- この道はまっすぐ続いています。— This road continues straight.
- 彼は父親によく似ています。— He looks a lot like his father.
- その川は町の真ん中を流れています。— The river flows through the middle of the town.
Here, ている does not mean "in the middle of doing"; it describes a stable condition. 似ている is never 似る in this sense.
A quick decision flow
When you see a verb + ている and cannot tell the meaning, ask:
- Is the verb an instant change? (開く, 結婚する, 死ぬ, 着く, 知る) → probably a result state.
- Is the verb a continuing action? (食べる, 読む, 走る, 勉強する) → probably in progress or habit.
- Is there a frequency word? (毎日, いつも) → habit.
- Is there a past reference or a "many times"? → experience.
It is not a perfect algorithm, but it works for most N5–N4 sentences.
Words that behave differently from English
Some verbs trap English speakers because the English equivalent is a state, not an action.
- 知っている — to know (never 知る for "I know")
- 持っている — to have / to hold
- 住んでいる — to live (somewhere)
- 似ている — to resemble
- 結婚している — to be married
Learn these as set phrases rather than constructing them.
ている on the JLPT
Typical question formats:
- Fill in the blank with the correct form (e.g. 窓が（ ）います: 開いて / 開けて).
- Choose the best sentence given a picture or situation.
- Reading comprehension where the difference between "doing" and "is in a state" affects the answer.
When you review practice questions, a mistake log helps you catch the pattern if you keep confusing 開いている and 開けている.
Where to go next
For a map of what each level expects, the JLPT preparation guide is a good overview. To practice this pattern in context, JLPT Ready's Learn section links each grammar point to the questions that test it, and Practice mode explains every answer. You can start free with N5 and see how ている is tested.