Japanese particles are small words that indicate relations of words within a sentence. Most Japanese learners are not fond of particles and most teachers don’t make things easier. If you have trouble keeping all the particles straight, this guide will be illuminating and explain how to use them perfectly. Take on the quiz at the end of this guide to test your understanding of Japanese Particles!
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How to use Japanese Particles?
は (wa)
は (wa) follows the topic the speaker wants to talk about. Therefore, wa（は）is often called topic marking particle. The “topic” is often the grammatical subject, but can be anything (including the grammatical object, and sometimes the verb), and it may also follow some other particles.
Formation
[ A ] wa [ B ] desu. = [ A ] is [ B ].
Example
昨日は雨だった。 Kinō wa ame datta. It was rainy yesterday
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を (o)
を (o) marks the grammatical object of a sentence. It follows nouns and noun phrases.
Formation
Noun + o (を) + verb
Example
私はチョコを食べます。 Watashi wa choko o tabemasu. I eat chocolate.
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も (mo)
も (mo) functions as “also” or “too” in English. It is used to indicate that something which has previously been stated also holds true for the item currently under discussion. It replaces ga, wa or o when used.
A: 私はフランス人です。 Watashi wa furansujin desu. I am French. B: 私もフランス人です。 Watashi mo furansujin desu. I am also French.
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に (ni)
に (ni) indicates a place towards which someone or something moves. It is preceded by the name of the place and followed by a verb that indicates a moving action such as iku (行く) “to go.” It is also used with giving/receiving verbs and can then mean “from”. In the case of passive verbs, it marks the grammatical agent, making it the same as “by” in English. (i.e. “my wallet was stolen by my brother.” ). に is also used to indicate the location of existence when combined with the verbs いる or ある, making it the Japanese version of “at” (in some instances).
Formation
place + ni (に)
Example
学校に行きます。 Gakkō ni ikimasu. I go to school.
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へ (e)
へ (e) is basically the same as に, except it emphasizes direction over arrival. The main difference is usage. へ is never used as “from”, “by”, “at”. In addition, the particle の can follow the へ particle directly, whereas it cannot follow に.
Formation
location/direction + e(へ)
Example
彼へ 手紙を送りました。 Kare e tegami o okurimasita. I sent him a letter.
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で (de)
で (de) is used to indicate the location of an action. The performer of the action (the subject) is followed by either of the particles wa or ga, and the place is followed by de. However, it can’t be used with with the verbs いる or ある.
Formation
location + de (で)
Example
私は家で 本を読みます。 Watashi wa ie de hon o yomimasu. I read books at home.
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が (ga)
が (ga) marks the grammatical subject of a sentence when it is first introduced to a conversation. It can also be used to join sentences, like the word “but,” though that が is technically a different word. The particle が can also be used to emphasize the subject or distinguish it from others. While は is used when a question word (who, where, etc.) comes after the topic in the sentence (レストランはどこですか。), we use the particle が when the question word is the subject or part of it.
Example
だれ が 来ますか。 Dare ga kimasu ka. Who will come?
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から (kara)
から (kara) indicates the source of an object or action. This starting position may be either a point in space (in which case it is translated as “from”), or a point in time (in which case it is translated as “since” or “after”).
Formation
Noun + kara (から)
Example
学校から 家までどれくらいかかりますか。 Gakkō kara ie made dorekurai kakarimasu ka? How long does it take you to get home from school?
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まで (made)
まで (made) indicates that an action/effect extends or reaches a specified limit or a point in time or space. It is therefore equivalent to the English expression “until.”
Formation
Noun + made (まで)
Example
彼女と７時まで ドライブしました。 Kanojo to shichi-ji made doraibu shimashita. I went driving around with my girlfriend until 7 o’clock.
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と (to)
と (to) is used to join nouns together into an exhaustive list that functions as a single noun: ”with,” “and.” It’s also the particle used to indicate a direct quote (from someone’s mind or speech), functioning like quotation marks in English.
Formation
Noun + to (と) + Noun
Example
肉と 魚が好きです。 Niku to sakana ga suki desu. I like meat and fish.
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や (ya)
や (ya) is used in the same way as the first sense of と, but the list is not exhaustive. It means “such things as A, B, and C.”
Formation
AやB AやBや
Example
赤や 黄色の花が咲いていた。 Aka ya kīro no hana ga saiteita. There were red, yellow, and other color flowers blooming.
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の (no)
の (no) indicates possession (functioning like the English “apostrophe-S”). In the structure A no B, B belongs to A, however, many nouns act like adjectives when followed by no. It directly follows nouns and noun phrases.
Formation
Object1 + の + Object2
Example
あなた の 名前はなんですか。 Anata no namae wa nan desuka? What’s your name?
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ね (ne)
ね (ne) is used at the end of sentences, basically in the same way as an English tag question. If said with rising intonation, it indicates a request for confirmation from the listener (i.e., “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” ), whereas if said with falling intonation, it’s used as a rhetorical device (i.e., “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it.” )
Formation
End of the sentence + ne (ね)
Example
これは美味しいです ね 。 Kore wa oishii desu ne . This is delicious, isn’t it?
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よ (yo)
よ (yo) is used by the speaker to express a strong conviction about something or to emphatically declare something.
Formation
End of the sentence + yo (よ)
Example
明日私は行く よ 。 Ashita Watashi wa iku yo . I’ll go tomorrow!
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In this lesson you learned how to use those Japanese Particles:
は (wa)
を (o)
も (mo)
に (ni)
へ (e)
で (de)
が (ga)
から (kara)
まで (made)
と (to)
や (ya)
の (no)
ね (ne)
よ (yo)
Are you ready to test your Japanese Particles knowledge?
