Japanese particles, or , are suffixes or short words in Japanese grammar that come after immediately follow the modified noun, verb, adjective, or sentence. They have a wide range of grammatical functions, including the indication of a question or the speaker's assertiveness, certitude, or other feelings.
Orthography
Japanese particles, like
okurigana, are usually written in
hiragana. Some of the particles have
kanji forms, but in modern writing, the hiragana forms are always preferred. Three common particles,
o,
e and
wa, are written with the hiragana
wo,
he, and
ha respectively. This is a relic of
historical kana usage, although the particle
o is still pronounced
wo by some speakers.
List of particles
| ばかり
| Bakari: "just, only, full of"
Colloquially: bakkari, bakka
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Tōkyō wa hito bakari da.
| Tokyo is just full of people.
|
| Verbs (ta form)
| Tabeta bakari da.
| I just ate.
|
| Verbs (te form)
| Kare wa tabete bakari iru
| He's always eating
|
bakari ka
| ばかりか
| Bakari ka: "not only". May be accompanied by sae ("but also") to indicate something unusual or unexpected.
Etymology: bakari + ka
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Sofu bakari ka, sōsofu sae ikite iru.
| Not only is my grandfather living, but so is my great-grandfather.
|
bakashi
ばかし (
bakashi) is another form of
bakari, written ばかし.
| だけ (丈)
| Dake: "only"; limit.
Dake functions as a noun.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| rōmaji dake no jisho
| a rōmaji-only dictionary
|
| Verbs (volitional)
| Netai dake nete ii.
| You can sleep as much as you want sleep.
|
| だの
| Da no: "and, things like".
Etymology: da (copula) + no.
This particle is used far less frequently than to ka.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns, adjectives, verbs
| Nattō da no, shīfūdo da no, wasabi da no — nihonshoku ga nigate da.
| Natto, seafood, wasabi — Japanese food isn't my thing.
|
| だらけ
| Darake: "covered with". Often has negative connotations.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Watashi no fuku wa doro darake!
| My clothes are covered with mud.
|
| で
| Etymology: Originally an alteration of ni te, later treated as a conjugation of the copula da
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: instrument
| Jitensha de ikimashō.
| Let's go by bicycle.
|
| Nouns: location
| Koko de yasumitai.
| I want to rest here.
|
| でも
| De mo: "even; or; but, however; also in"
Etymology: de + mo
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns, particles: "even"
| Uchū kara de mo Banri-no-Chōjō ga mieru.
| Even from space you can see the Great Wall of China.
|
| Nouns: "or"
| Ocha de mo, kōhī de mo, dō desu ka?
| How about some tea or coffee?
|
| Nouns: "also in"
| Nihon de mo eigo o benkyō suru
| In Japan also, we study English.
|
| Beginning of phrase: "but, however, even so"
| De mo, watashi wa sō omowanai
| But I don't think so.
|
| どころか (所か)
| Dokoro ka: "anything but, far from"
Etymology: dokoro (tokoro: place) + ka
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Kare wa keisatsukan dokoro ka, hanzaisha da.
| He's very far from being a policeman, he's a criminal.
|
| へ
| E: "to, in"; direction
E is written with へ rather than え, reflecting old kana usage.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: direction
| Nihon e yōkoso!
| Welcome to Japan!
|
| が, ヶ
| Ga (が only): subject marker, conjunction ("but")
| Ga (が or ヶ): Historical possessive used to connect nouns, most often seen in place names as ヶ
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|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: subject marker
| Neko ga esa o tabeta.
| The cat ate the catfood.
|
| Nouns: noun connector
| wareware ga kokoro
| Fujimi ga Oka
Seki ga hara
our * heart
| Fuji View Hill
Gateway Plains (site of the Battle of Sekigahara)
| Phrases: conjunction
| Inu wa suki da ga, neko wa kirai da.
| I like dogs but I hate cats.
|
| ほど (程)
| Hodo: "as much as"; upper limit
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Kare hodo nihongo ga umakunai.
| My Japanese isn't as good as his
|
| Adjectives*
| Hayai hodo ii.
| The sooner, the better.
|
| Verbs
| Aitsu ga koroshitai hodo kirai da
| I hate him enough (to want) to kill him
|
| *When an i-adjective is marked with hodo, there should be no verb, since an adjective cannot be the agent or patient of a verb in Japanese.
|
| か
| Ka: questions, alternatives in a list, quotation expressing doubt; "whether," especially when used with dō ka ("or not").
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns, verbs: listing alternatives
| Kore ka, sore ka, dotchika erande yo.
| This or that, choose one of them.
|
| Nouns, verbs: "whether (or not)"
| Iku ka ka wakaranai.
| I don't know or not / if he'll go.
|
| Phrases: question
| Wakaru ka?
| Do you understand?
|
| Phrase: quotation expressing doubt
| Iku ka to omoimasu ga...
| I think he'll go (but I'm not sure)...
|
かい kai is a gentler variant of the question marker
ka, used by some men.
| かな
| Ka na: "I wonder"
| Etymology: ka + na
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Phrases
| Kare wa ayashii hito ka na.
| I wonder if he's a suspicious person.
|
| から
| Kara: "from, after, because"
Kara may be followed by no to link two nouns.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: "from, out of"
| Tōkyō kara kaetta.
| He returned from Tokyo.
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|
| zutto mae kara no hanashi
| a conversation from way back
|
| Verbs (te form): "after"
| Owatte kara, kite kudasai.
| Please come by after finishing (after you've finished).
|
| Adjectives, Verbs: "because"
| Niku o tabenai kara, rāmen wa dame da
| Because he doesn't eat meat, ramen is bad (a bad idea).
|
ka shira
kedo
| けど
| Kedo: "although, but"
Etymology: kedo is a shortened version of formal keredomo. It also appears semi-abbreviated and semi-formally as keredo.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Adjectives, verbs
| Kanojo wa okashii kedo kirei da.
| She is strange but pretty
|
kiri
| きり (切り)
| Kiri: "just, only"
Kiri is more rarely used than dake, and functions as a noun and may be followed by no.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| futari kiri no o-mise
| a shop with just two people work there
|
koro/goro
| ころ・ごろ (頃)
| Koro: "around, about, approximately"
Koro functions as a noun and may be followed by no.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| San-ji goro ni aimashō.
| Let's meet around 3 o'clock.
|
koso
| こそ
| Koso: Used for emphasis.
| There is no direct translation, but roughly analogous to "precisely" or "exactly", as in examples below.
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Phrases
| Kyō koso, yaru zo!
| Kimi ga suki da kara koso kore hodo ganbatte iru n da yo.
Today is the day I'm going to do it!
| It's precisely because I like you that I'm working this hard.
kurai/gurai
| くらい・ぐらい (位)
| Kurai: "about, approximately"
Kurai functions as a noun and may be followed by no.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Juppun kurai kakaru
| It takes about 10 minutes.
|
made
| まで (迄)
| Made: "up to, until, as far as"
| Indicates a time or place as a limit.
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns (specifically places or times)
| Kono densha wa, Shimonoseki made ikimasu.
| This train goes as far as Shimonoseki.
|
| Verbs
| Kaeru made matte iru.
| I'll wait until you come home.
|
made ni
| までに (迄に)
| Made ni: "by (a certain time)"
| Etymology: made + ni
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns, verbs
| Ku-ji made ni kaeru.
| I'll come home by nine o'clock.
|
me
| め (目)
| me (目 only): ordinal particle
me (め only): "Damn..."; abusive/pejorative
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Classifier nouns: ordinal
| Amerika wa nikai me desu.
| This is my second time to America.
|
| Nouns: abusive "damn..."
| Orokamono me!
| * damn fool!
|
mo
| も
| Mo: "also"
Mo always replaces wa and ga, but may follow other particles.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns, phrases
| Watashi ni mo kureta.
| She gave some to me, too.
|
mono/mon
mono-de
mono-ka/mon-ka
mononara
mono-o
na and nā
| な・なぁ
| Na (な only): used with a class of adjectives which behave grammatically like nouns (see na-adjectives). It is also used to modify general nouns before other particles which cannot directly follow nouns (e.g. no de).
Etymology: The na used with nouns (including na-adjectives) is a form of the copula. Na or nā at the end of a sentence is a variant of ne, implying more reflection.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Na-adjectives
| hen na hito
| a strange person
|
| Phrases
| Hen da nā!
| How strange!
|
nado
| など (等)
| Nado: "for example, things like, such as, etc., and so on"
Functions as a noun and may be followed by no.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Nattō ya kabuki nado wa Nihon dake ni aru.
| Things like natto and kabuki are only in Japan.
|
nanka/nante
| なんか・なんて (何か・何て)
| Nanka/nante: emphasizes disgust, contempt, or otherwise negative feelings of the speaker.
Nante is slightly more formal than nanka.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Jogen nanka iranai.
| I don't need any (damn) advice.
|
| Verbs*
| Oyogu nante dekinai.
| I can't swim.
|
| Adjectives**
| Ōkiku nante nai kedo, kirei da.
| It's not big anything, but it's clean'''.
|
*Nanka/nante is usually followed by a verb which conveys some kind of undervalue, lacking, or dislike, often in the negative.
**Can immediately follow i-adjectives, using the adjective's ku form if followed by the negative, or if the adjective is followed by no. Na-adjectives require the copula da or no before nante or nanka.
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nara
| なら
| Nara: "if"; conditional
Hypothetical (仮定形) or conditional form of the copula da. Related to the more formal naraba.
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|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns, adjectives, verbs, phrases
| Atsui nara, eakon o tsukete
| If you're hot, turn on the air.
|
ne
| ね
| Ne: "eh"; interjection, tag question
Similar to English "hey", "eh?" and French "non?" Asks or shows agreement and reflection at phrase-end, also used before sentences to catch listener's attention (informal).
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Phrases
| Kimi wa kashikoi yo ne.
| Kakkō ii desu ne.
Ne, ima nanji?
You're pretty smart, aren't you.
| That's pretty neat, eh?
Hey, what time is it?
ni
| に
| Ni: "to, in, at, by"; indirect object, direction
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: location
| Gakkō ni iru.
| I'm at/in school.
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| Nouns: direction
| Gakkō ni iku.
| I'm going to school.
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| Nouns: indirect object
| Ore ni kaese.
| Give it back to me.
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| Nouns: passive agent
| Ka ni sasareta.
| I was bitten by a mosquito.
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| Nouns, verbs (stem only): purpose, intent
| Eiga o mi ni iku.
| I'm going to see a movie.
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ni wa
| には
| Ni wa: "for; in, to";
Etymology: ni + wa (always written は)
| The wa makes the phrase ending in ni the topic of the sentence. Serves as emphasis for a negative ending.
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: "for"
| Shichimi wa, watashi ni wa kara-sugiru.
| Shichimi is too spicy for me. (i.e., "you might like it, but I'm not touching it.")
|
| Nouns: "in, to"
| Kyōto ni wa ikanai.
| I'm not going to Kyōto (but I am going to other places).
| (Lit.: As for to Kyōto, I'm not going.)
no
| の
| No: possession, noun linking, topic marking (subordinate clauses), nominalization
| When nominalizing whole phrases, the no may function either as emphasis or as a question, depending on tone of voice. Similar to English, a falling tone denotes a statement, and a rising tone a question. Its use to mark statements tends to be more typical of feminine speech. See also Gender differences in spoken Japanese.
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|
| Following: Function
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: possession
| sensei no kuruma
| the teacher's car
|
| Nouns: linking
| kuruma no Toyota
| Toyota the car *
|
| Nouns: subject marker in subordinate clauses (see also: ga)
| Kare no tsukutta kēki wa oishikatta.
| The cake that he made was tasty.
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| i-adjectives: nominalization
| Yasui no wa, kore.
| This is the cheap* one.
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| Verbs: nominalization
| Taberu no ga daisuki.
| I love eating.
|
| Phrases: nominalization
| Mō, tabeta no?
| Kuruma na no?
Kare ni mō ageta no yo!
Have you eaten yet?
| Is it a car?
I already gave it to him!
no de
| ので
| No de: "because"
Etymology: no + de
Colloquially, no de is often shortened to n de.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Phrases*
| Jugyō ga aru no de, ikenai.
| Gakkō na no de, kin'en da.
Because I have a test, I can't go.
| Because this is a school it's no smoking.
| *Phrases ending in a noun or na-adjective require the na form of the copula before the nominalizing no.
|
nomi
| のみ
| Nomi: "only, just"
Nomi is more formal and far less common than dake. Unlike dake, its only meaning is that of small quantity or singleness of frequency.
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Tō-mise de wa, Nihon en nomi no go-riyō itadakimasu.
| This store accepts Japanese Yen only.
|
no ni
| のに
| No ni: "despite, although, even though; would have; in order to"
Etymology: no + ni
Nouns and na-adjectives must be followed by na before using this particle.
No ni has a stronger meaning than kedo when used to mean "although," and conveys regret when used to mean "would have."
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|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Adjectives, verbs: "although"
| Benkyō suru no ni, eigo wa hanasenai.
| Although I study, I can't speak English.
|
| Adjectives (conditional), verbs (conditional): "would have"
| Kaette kitara, yokatta no ni.
| It would have been nice if you had come home.
|
| Verbs (plain form): "in order to"
| Hikkosu no ni torakku ga hitsuyō da.
| (In order) to move, you need a truck.
|
o
| を
| O: direct object; "through, from, past (motion verbs only)"
This is unrelated to the honorific prefix o, written お or 御.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: direct object
| Neko ga esa o tabeta.
| The cat ate the food.
|
| Nouns: through, etc. (motion)
| Sora o tobu
| fly through the sky
|
sa/sā
| さ・さぁ
| Sa: Masculine sentence/phrase final particle, indicating explanation of obvious facts. It is softer than yo.
Sā: Feminine sentence/phrase final particle, used like ne, but often more frequently as extremely colloquial filler.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Phrases: masculine sa
| Kanojo wa inai kara, dansu ni ikanai sa.
| I don't have a girlfriend, so I'm not going to the dance.
|
| Phrases: sā
| Kinō sā, gakkō de sā, sensei ni sā, chūi sarete sā, chō mukatsuita.
| Like yesterday, in like school, I like got fussed at by like some teacher, and it totally made me sick.
|
sae
| さえ
| Sae: "even"
| Note the meaning overlap with mo. Sae implies (usually) positive emphasis that the evident extent of something is greater than initially expected. Can be followed by mo for additional emphasis. Contrast this with sura.
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Kanji sae kakeru.
| He can even write kanji.
|
de sae
| でさえ
| De sae: "even"
Etymology: de + sae
De sae replaces wa and ga, like de mo above.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Sensei de sae wakaranai.
| Even a teacher wouldn't know.
|
sae...ba/ra
| さえ…〜ば・ら
| Sae...ba/ra: sae followed by a verb in the conditional means "if only."
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Kore sae nomeba, futsukayoi ga naoru yo.
| If you would just drink this, your hangover would get better.
|
shi
| し
| Shi: "and what's more" (conjunction)
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Adjectives, verbs
| Kirei da shi, hiroi shi, ii ne, kono apāto!
| It's clean, it's spacious; this apartment is nice, isn't it!
|
shika
| しか
| Shika: "only, just"
Shika must be followed by a negative verb.
Shika may be compounded as dakeshika, kirishika, and nomishika (plus the negative verb) to stress an extremely limited quantity or frequency.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Ichi en dama shika nai.
| I have just a one-yen coin.
|
| Verbs
| Yūbin-kyoku ni iku shika nai.
| The only thing do is to go to the post office.
|
sura
| すら
| Sura: "even"
| Note the meaning overlap with mo. Sura implies (usually) negative emphasis that the evident extent of something is less than initially expected. Contrast this with sae.
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Kanji sura kakenai.
| He can't even write kanji.
|
to
| と
| To: "and" (conjunction); "with" (preposition) "if"; quotation
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: conjunction
| sore to kore
| that and this
|
| Nouns: preposition
| Boku to ikitai?
| Do you want to go with me?
|
| Verbs, adjectives: "if"
| Benkyō suru to wakaru.
| If you study, you'll understand.
|
| Any phrase: quotation
| Umi made! to sakenda.
| "To the sea!" he cried.
|
to ka
| とか
| To ka: A listing particle used like nado. Often used with the question word nani (what) in the form nantoka ("something or other").
Etymology: to + ka
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Kani to ka, hotate to ka, zenbu kutta yo.
| We had crab, scallops, stuff, we ate them all.
|
to mo
| とも (共)
| To mo (共): "both, all of the"
| To mo (no kanji): "even if, even though; at the ...-est; whether; *"
If following a noun and used with a negative verb, meaning changes to "none".
Etymology: to + mo
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Counted nouns
| Watashi wa, aitsura ga futari to mo kirai da.
| Zannen nagara, sono kuruma wa san dai to mo irimasen.
I hate the both of those guys.
| Unfortunately, we need none of those three cars.
| Volitional verbs
| Dō shiyō to mo amari susumanai.
| No matter how we try do something, we don't make much progress.
|
| Adverbial (continuative) form of i-adjectives
| Sukunaku to mo go-jū mairu aruite kita.
| Osoku to mo itte miyō yo.
We walked at least fifty miles get here.
| Even if it's late, let's go and check it out.
| Verbs (paired with same verb in negative)
| Kau to mo kawanai to mo hakkiri shite imasen.
| It isn't clear whether they're going to buy or not.
|
| Verbs, adjectives
| - This use is similar to the English expression, "as if wouldn't [phrase."
| Waratte ii to mo.
|
Ikimasen to mo.
It's okay to laugh. (Name of a Japanese TV programme hosted by Tamori)
| As if I would go.
tte
This is another form of
to. It is a shortened version of
to yū or
to yū-no-wa, and can mean:
What someone else said, and is being repeated by the speaker. It is casual, but can be polite if the final verb is in the desu/masu form.
- Sugu kimasu-tte "He said he'll come soon".
It can be used to show reflection, focus, or an explanatory tone by the speaker.
- Arabugo-tte, muzukashikunai?, "Arabic, huh, isn't that difficult?"
tteba
Tteba is sometimes used for strong emphasis, especially when the speaker has grown impatient.
- kōhī tteba, "Bring me my coffee!"
wa
This is usually written with the hiragana
は ha, rather than the hiragana
わ,
wa.
ya
Ya is used to make incomplete lists of things.
- Watashi no suki na tabemono wa okashi ya pan ya mikan nado, "I like snacks, bread and tangerines."
To make an exhaustive list, the particle
to is used instead.
yara
Written やら, this particle denotes either uncertainty or listing.
yo
Yo comes at the end of the sentence, and is used to make assertions. Compare
zo and
ze below.
- Kaeru yo! means "I'm going home!"
Yo is also sometimes used after nouns, and functions as a vocative marker. This is especially used in older speech, poetry, and songs.
- Saraba, tomo yo, "Farewell, oh friend!"
Yo is written in hiragana: よ.
yori
Yori can mean "from", and is also used to make comparisons.
- Kono densha-wa, Kashiwa-yori saki, kaku eki-ni tomarimasu "This train will stop at every station after Kashiwa".
- Dare-yori-mo kanemochi-ni naritai "I want to become richer than anyone (else)".
Yori is usually written より in hiragana.
ze
Written ぜ,
ze is a particle which indicates assertion. Its use is mostly by men, and is never considered polite. Compare
yo and
zo.
zo
Written ぞ,
zo is a particle which indicates assertion. It is used mainly by men, but its use is considered somewhat less forceful and more positive than
ze. Compare
yo and
ze above.
zutsu
Zutsu means "each" and usually follows counted nouns:
- Chokorēto-o ni-ko-zutsu tabemashita, which means "I ate two pieces of each (kind of) chocolate.
Zutsu is written with hiragana as ずつ.
Contrast
wa and ga
- Main article: _.E3.81.AF_.28wa.29_and_.E3.81.8C_.28ga.29
ni and de
Ni and
de can both be used to show
location, corresponding to the prepositions "in" or "at" in English. Their uses are mutually exclusive.
Ni, when used to show location, is used only with stative verbs such as iru, "to be, exist;" aru, "to be, exist, have;" and sumu, "to live, inhabit."
- Nihon-ni sumu. "I live in Japan."
- Gakkō-ni iru. "I am in school."
De is used with action verbs to convey the place of action, as opposed to location of being.
- Gakkō-de neru. "I sleep in school."
- *Gakkō-ni neru. *"I sleep to school," is not a meaningful construction
ni and e
Ni and
e can both indicate
direction of motion, meaning "to" or "at" in English. In this sense,
e is perhaps closer to English "towards" in terms of use (see example below). As long as
ni is used directionally, it is possible to substitute
e in its place.
Ni used in other senses cannot be replaced by
e:
- Gakkō ni iku. "I'm going to school," where gakkō, "school," is the destination of iku, "go."
- Gakkō e iku. "I'm going to school," where gakkō, "school," is the destination of iku, "go."
- Gakkō ni iru. "I'm at school," where gakkō, "school," is the location of iru, "be;" not a destination.
- *Gakkō e iru. *"I'm to school," is not a possible construction since "be" is not a verb of motion, and "school" cannot be a destination.
- Tomodachi ni au "I'll meet my friends," where tomodachi, "friends," is the indirect object of au, "meet;" not a destination.
- *Tomodachi e au *"I'll meet to my friends," which is impossible because "meet" is not a verb of motion.
- Hon o kai ni itta "I went to buy a book," where kai ni, "to buy," shows purpose or intent, and is a verbal adverb; not destination.
- *Hon o kai e itta *"I went towards buying a book," is not possible because kai, "buying," cannot be a destination.
Indicating direction, using e instead of ni is preferred when ni is used non-directionally in proximity:
- Tomodachi ni ai ni Kyōto e itta. "I went to Kyoto to meet my friends."
no and ga
ga and o
In some cases,
ga and
o are interchangeable. For example, with the
tai form, meaning "want to", it is possible to say either of the following:
- Gohan-ga tabetai. "I want to eat rice."
- Gohan-o tabetai. "I want to eat rice."
Similarly, suki, a na adjective meaning "liked", can take either ga or o:
- Kimi-ga suki da "I like you"
- Kimi-o suki de yokatta "I'm glad I like you" (words from a popular song)
ni and to
Ni and
to are sometimes interchangeable in forms like
ni naru and
to naru. The
to naru form suggests a natural change, whereas
ni naru suggests some indirect agent.
ya and to
Ya is used for incomplete lists, whereas
to is used for complete ones.
Differences from English prepositions
Many Japanese particles fill the role of prepositions in English, but they are unlike prepositions in many ways. Japanese does not have equivalents of prepositions like "on", and often uses particles along with verbs and nouns to modify another word where English might use prepositions. For example,
ue is a noun meaning "top/up"; and
ni tsuite is a fixed verbal expression meaning "concerning", and when used as postpositions:
- Tēburu-no -ue-ni aru.
- Table-OF top/up-AT exists.
- "It's on the table."
- Ano hito-wa, gitā-ni tsuite nandemo wakaru.
- That person-TOPIC guitar-TO concerning anything knows.
- "That person knows everything about guitars."
Noun- and verb-derived postpositional idioms
Noun-derived postpositional idioms
jō
| 上
| Jō: "from the standpoint of"
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Rekishi jō wa, tadashii to omoimasu.
| From a historical point of view, I think you're right.
|
chū
| 中
| Chū: "in progress, in the midst of, now doing"
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Tadaima, denwa chū desu.
| He's on the phone right now.
|
jū
| 中
| Jū: "throughout, all across"; often followed by de
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns: time
| Ichi nichi jū shigoto shimasu.
| I'll work all day long.
|
| Nouns: place
| Amerika jū de hayatte iru.
| It's getting popular all over America.
|
kata/gata
| かた・がた (方)
| Kata: Plural marker for some pronouns, most polite among plural markers such as ra and tachi.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Personal pronouns: plural marker
| Anata gata no okage de, yoi seiseki o ageraremashita.
| Thanks to you (folks), we have achieved success.
|
| Person nouns: plural marker
| Sensei gata ni tasukete moraimashita.
| The teachers helped me.
|
ra
| ら (等)
| Ra: Plural marker for some pronouns, least polite among plural markers such as kata/gata and tachi.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Personal pronouns: plural marker
| Boku ra wa ikanai.
| We won't go.
|
| Place pronouns: approximate area
| Koko ra hen ga itai.
| It hurts around here *.
|
tachi
| たち (達)
| Tachi: Plural/group marker for nouns and some pronouns referring to people; neutral politeness.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Animate nouns: plural marker
| Sensei tachi ga kita.
| The teachers came.
|
| Pronouns: plural marker
| Watashi tachi wa raishū kaeru.
| We will return next week.
|
| Personal/family names: group marker
| ''Saiaku no ko wa, Okada tachi da.
| The worst kids are Okada and the others in that group.
|
Verb-derived postpositional idioms
zoi
| 沿い
| Zoi: "along"; followed by ni.
|
|
|
| Following
| Rōmaji
| Meaning
|
| Nouns
| Tōri zoi ni aruku.
| He walks along the street.
|
See also
References
- A Dictionary of Elementary Japanese Grammar, Seiichi Makino and Michio Tsutsui, ISBN 4789004546
- A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar, Seiichi Makino and Michio Tsutsui, ISBN 4789007758
- Handbook of Modern Japanese Grammar, Yoko McClain.
- A Reference Grammar of Japanese, Samuel L. Martin.
- How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles, Naoko Chino, ISBN 477002200X
Japanese grammar
Particule en japonais | 助詞
"Japanese particles"