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Particles
Learn what each one does, then practice choosing the right one.
Particles are the reason a row of Japanese words becomes a sentence. They are tiny, there are not many that matter at first, and they do the job that word order does in English.
In English, "the dog bites the man" and "the man bites the dog" differ only in the order of the words. Japanese can put those words in either order, because a particle after each one says which is doing the biting. Miss the particles and a sentence you have every word for still will not resolve. This is the single highest-value thing in the free tier after kana.
How to work through this section
- 1 Read the first five cards. は, が, を, に and で carry most of what you will meet in the first stories, and they are the only ones worth sitting down with.
- 2 Meet the rest when a sentence makes you look one up. The row of particles above the cards jumps straight to any of them.
- 3 Drill them in Practice, which blanks out the particle in a real sentence and asks you to choose the one that belongs.
- 4 Then read a story and watch for them. Each card lists the stories that use it.
You are done here when you can look at a short sentence and say which word is the subject and which is the object, because the particles told you. This is a section to keep returning to, not to finish.
Words used on this page
- Particle:
- a short word that marks the job a word is doing in the sentence: who is doing it, what it is being done to, where it is happening. English uses word order for this; Japanese uses particles.
- Fill in the blank:
- the practice format here. You see a real sentence with the particle removed and pick the one that fits, which is closer to reading than a flashcard is.
What these mean
Each item tracks how many times in a row you have answered it correctly in practice.
- Learning - right once or twice in a row.
- Familiar - right three or four times in a row.
- Mastered - right five times in a row.
A wrong answer costs you one step, not the whole streak, so one slip on a bad day does not undo your work. Nothing here expires.
The five that carry the first stories
Announces what the sentence is about and then comments on it: roughly "as for X". It does not say who did anything - it sets the subject of conversation, usually something you and your listener already know about. Written は but pronounced wa.
- わたしはがくせいです。 watashi wa gakusei desu. I am a student.
- これはほんです。 kore wa hon desu. This is a book.
7 more examples
- きょうはあついです。 kyou wa atsui desu. Today is hot.
- にほんごはおもしろいです。 nihongo wa omoshiroi desu. Japanese is interesting.
- あのひとはせんせいです。 ano hito wa sensei desu. That person is a teacher.
- すしはおいしいです。 sushi wa oishii desu. Sushi is delicious.
- わたしのなまえはたなかです。 watashi no namae wa tanaka desu. My name is Tanaka.
- とうきょうはおおきいです。 toukyou wa ookii desu. Tokyo is big.
- あしたはやすみです。 ashita wa yasumi desu. Tomorrow is a day off.
Picks out which person or thing actually does the verb. It carries new information, which is why it is the particle that answers a question: who came, what is needed, what is happening.
- だれがきましたか。 dare ga kimashita ka. Who came?
- なにがいりますか。 nani ga irimasu ka. What do you need?
7 more examples
- あめがふります。 ame ga furimasu. It rains.
- ゆきがふります。 yuki ga furimasu. It snows.
- にほんごがわかります。 nihongo ga wakarimasu. I understand Japanese.
- おかねがあります。 okane ga arimasu. I have money.
- こどもがいます。 kodomo ga imasu. There is a child.
- でんわがなります。 denwa ga narimasu. The phone rings.
- だれがいますか。 dare ga imasu ka. Who is there?
は or が? The one that trips up every beginner
Both can sit where English would put the subject, which is why they feel interchangeable. They are not doing the same job.
- は sets the topic
- What the sentence is about. Roughly "as for ___". It usually points at something you and your listener already know, and then says something about it.
- が picks out the subject
- Which one does the verb. It carries the new information, so it is what an answer uses.
The test that usually works
If it answers "who?" or "what?", it is が. If you are commenting on something already on the table, it is は.
- だれがきましたか。 - Who came? (asking which person, so が)
- たなかさんがきました。 - Tanaka came. (new information, so が)
- たなかさんはがくせいです。 - As for Tanaka, he is a student. (we both know Tanaka now, so は)
Worth knowing: in a sentence like わたしはがくせいです, わたし is the topic and the subject, which is exactly why the two blur at the start. Do not expect this to settle in one sitting. It settles by reading, which is what the stories are for.
Marks the thing the verb is done to: the book you read, the water you drink. It does almost nothing else, which makes it one of the first particles you can fully trust. Written を but pronounced o.
- ほんをよみます。 hon o yomimasu. I read a book.
- みずをのみます。 mizu o nomimasu. I drink water.
7 more examples
- えいがをみます。 eiga o mimasu. I watch a movie.
- ごはんをたべます。 gohan o tabemasu. I eat a meal.
- おんがくをききます。 ongaku o kikimasu. I listen to music.
- てがみをかきます。 tegami o kakimasu. I write a letter.
- ドアをあけます。 doa o akemasu. I open the door.
- くつをかいます。 kutsu o kaimasu. I buy shoes.
- にほんごをべんきょうします。 nihongo o benkyou shimasu. I study Japanese.
Marks a point rather than a stretch: the time something happens, the destination you move toward, or the place something exists. Where English would use "at" or "to", に is usually the one.
- しちじにおきます。 shichiji ni okimasu. I wake up at seven.
- がっこうにいきます。 gakkou ni ikimasu. I go to school.
7 more examples
- いえにいます。 ie ni imasu. I am at home.
- ここにあります。 koko ni arimasu. It is here.
- くじにはじまります。 kuji ni hajimarimasu. It begins at nine.
- にほんにすんでいます。 nihon ni sunde imasu. I live in Japan.
- ともだちにあいます。 tomodachi ni aimasu. I meet a friend.
- がっこうにつきます。 gakkou ni tsukimasu. I arrive at school.
- うちにかえります。 uchi ni kaerimasu. I return home.
Marks where an action happens, or the tool or means you do it with. The contrast worth holding on to: に is where something simply is, で is where something is being done.
- レストランでたべます。 resutoran de tabemasu. I eat at a restaurant.
- でんしゃでいきます。 densha de ikimasu. I go by train.
7 more examples
- がっこうでべんきょうします。 gakkou de benkyou shimasu. I study at school.
- うちではたらきます。 uchi de hatarakimasu. I work at home.
- はしでたべます。 hashi de tabemasu. I eat with chopsticks.
- ペンでかきます。 pen de kakimasu. I write with a pen.
- バスでいきます。 basu de ikimasu. I go by bus.
- こうえんであそびます。 kouen de asobimasu. I play at the park.
- にほんごではなします。 nihongo de hanashimasu. I speak in Japanese.
The rest, as you meet them
Joins nouns into a complete list (A and B, and that is all of them), or marks the person you did something together with.
- ともだちといきます。 tomodachi to ikimasu. I go with a friend.
- せんせいとはなします。 sensei to hanashimasu. I speak with the teacher.
7 more examples
- コーヒーとおちゃをのみます。 koohii to ocha o nomimasu. I drink coffee and tea.
- かぞくとすんでいます。 kazoku to sunde imasu. I live with my family.
- いぬとねこがすきです。 inu to neko ga suki desu. I like dogs and cats.
- ちちとははです。 chichi to haha desu. They are my father and mother.
- あにとあそびます。 ani to asobimasu. I play with my older brother.
- パンとたまごをたべます。 pan to tamago o tabemasu. I eat bread and eggs.
- せんせいとともだちがきます。 sensei to tomodachi ga kimasu. The teacher and a friend come.
Means "too" or "also". It does not stack onto は or が - it replaces them, which is why a sentence with も is missing the particle you were expecting.
- わたしもがくせいです。 watashi mo gakusei desu. I am also a student.
- これもほんです。 kore mo hon desu. This is also a book.
7 more examples
- にほんごもべんきょうします。 nihongo mo benkyou shimasu. I study Japanese too.
- コーヒーものみます。 koohii mo nomimasu. I drink coffee too.
- あしたもやすみです。 ashita mo yasumi desu. Tomorrow is also a day off.
- かれもきました。 kare mo kimashita. He also came.
- すしもすきです。 sushi mo suki desu. I like sushi too.
- とうきょうもいきます。 toukyou mo ikimasu. I go to Tokyo too.
- いぬもいます。 inu mo imasu. There is a dog too.
Links two nouns, most often as possession. A の B means "B of A", so the owner comes first: わたしのほん is my book.
- わたしのほんです。 watashi no hon desu. It is my book.
- にほんごのせんせいです。 nihongo no sensei desu. It is a Japanese teacher.
7 more examples
- ともだちのくるまです。 tomodachi no kuruma desu. It is my friend's car.
- わたしのかばんです。 watashi no kaban desu. It is my bag.
- にほんのくるまです。 nihon no kuruma desu. It is a Japanese car.
- かれのなまえはたなかです。 kare no namae wa tanaka desu. His name is Tanaka.
- だいがくのせんせいです。 daigaku no sensei desu. It is a university professor.
- これはわたしのです。 kore wa watashi no desu. This is mine.
- えいごのほんです。 eigo no hon desu. It is an English book.
Marks a starting point in time or space ("from"). Placed after a whole clause instead of a noun, the same word means "because".
- うちからがっこうまであるきます。 uchi kara gakkou made arukimasu. I walk from home to school.
- くじからはたらきます。 kuji kara hatarakimasu. I work from nine.
7 more examples
- さむいですから、コートをきます。 samui desu kara, kooto o kimasu. Because it's cold, I wear a coat.
- あさからばんまではたらきます。 asa kara ban made hatarakimasu. I work from morning until evening.
- とうきょうからきました。 toukyou kara kimashita. I came from Tokyo.
- たかいですから、かいません。 takai desu kara, kaimasen. Because it's expensive, I won't buy it.
- ここからえきまであるきます。 koko kara eki made arukimasu. I walk from here to the station.
- くじからごじまではたらきます。 kuji kara goji made hatarakimasu. I work from nine until five.
- にほんからてがみがきました。 nihon kara tegami ga kimashita. A letter came from Japan.
Marks the end point: up to that place, or until that time. It pairs with から to give both ends of a range.
- うちからがっこうまであるきます。 uchi kara gakkou made arukimasu. I walk from home to school.
- あさからばんまではたらきます。 asa kara ban made hatarakimasu. I work from morning until evening.
7 more examples
- ごじまでべんきょうします。 goji made benkyou shimasu. I study until five.
- くじからごじまではたらきます。 kuji kara goji made hatarakimasu. I work from nine until five.
- えきまであるきます。 eki made arukimasu. I walk as far as the station.
- ここからえきまではしります。 koko kara eki made hashirimasu. I run from here to the station.
- げつようびからきんようびまではたらきます。 getsuyoubi kara kinyoubi made hatarakimasu. I work from Monday until Friday.
- よるまでおきています。 yoru made okite imasu. I stay awake until night.
- とうきょうからおおさかまでいきます。 toukyou kara oosaka made ikimasu. I go from Tokyo all the way to Osaka.
Turns a statement into a question just by being added at the end. Japanese changes neither the word order nor the punctuation, so か is often the only sign that you were asked something.
- がくせいですか。 gakusei desu ka. Are you a student?
- いきますか。 ikimasu ka. Will you go?
7 more examples
- なまえはなんですか。 namae wa nan desu ka. What is your name?
- これはほんですか。 kore wa hon desu ka. Is this a book?
- にほんじんですか。 nihonjin desu ka. Are you Japanese?
- コーヒーをのみますか。 koohii o nomimasu ka. Will you drink coffee?
- あしたきますか。 ashita kimasu ka. Will you come tomorrow?
- ここはどこですか。 koko wa doko desu ka. Where is this?
- いくらですか。 ikura desu ka. How much is it?
Study only, not drilled
4
These are left out of the drill on purpose. Two of them (へ, や) overlap so closely with a particle above that a single blanked sentence would have two right answers, and two (ね, よ) carry tone rather than grammar. Read them; do not try to test yourself on them.
Marks the direction you are heading, overlapping heavily with に for movement. It leans a little more toward the heading than the arrival. Written へ but pronounced e.
- がっこうへいきます。 gakkou e ikimasu. I go to school.
- にほんへきました。 nihon e kimashita. I came to Japan.
Joins nouns into an incomplete list: A and B, among other things. と gives the full list; や implies there is more you did not name.
- ほんやノートをかいます。 hon ya nooto o kaimasu. I buy books and notebooks (among other things).
- りんごやみかんをたべます。 ringo ya mikan o tabemasu. I eat apples and oranges (and such).
Added at the end to invite agreement, close to "isn't it?" or "right?". It turns a statement into something shared rather than announced.
- たかいですね。 takai desu ne. It's expensive, isn't it?
- いいてんきですね。 ii tenki desu ne. Nice weather, isn't it?
Added at the end to tell someone something you think they do not already know, close to "you know". ね seeks agreement; よ supplies information.
- おいしいですよ。 oishii desu yo. It's delicious, you know.
- あぶないですよ。 abunai desu yo. It's dangerous, I tell you.