Question: what do iru and aru mean?
Answer: Basically「いる」( = iru) and「ある」( = aru) are both verbs used to indicate that something exists or “is”in Japanese. We use them when we want to say: “there is/are” . While 「いる」( = iru) is for people or animal (=living creatures), we use 「ある」( = aru) for other things, such as things, events, concepts, etc.