Japanese uses a variety of particles. Simple sentences follow this sentence structure:
AはBです。 A wa B desu.
This simply means 'A is B', and can be used in several example sentences.
• 猫はかわいいです。 Neko wa kawaii desu.
Trans: cats are cute.
• 冬は寒いです。 Fuyu wa samui desu.
Trans: winter is cold.
In the following, I will be explaining the use and meaning of some common Japanese particles. I will be sure to keep this page updated with particles I learn in the future!
Wa は - subject particle
- indicates the subject of the sentence and puts emphasis on the following word, translating similarly to "as for ~".
Even though the pronunciation of the kana は is 'ha', when used as a particle it is pronounced as 'wa'.
Ga が - topic particle
- marks the focal point of the sentence, also known as the topic, and puts emphasis on the word prior to it rather than the word following it, translating similarly to "~ is the one".
Japanese follows an subject - object - verb structure, unlike English. This means the verb is always at the end of the sentence. Eg. 'Maya an apple ate'.
Ka か - question particle
- placed at the end of a sentence to show it's a question.
This particle is used similarly to how a question mark is used in English, meaning it is not necessary to use question marks in Japanese.
Wo を - object particle
- marks the object of the sentence.
The 'w' sound is silent, so this particle is pronounced just 'o'.
To と - connective particle
- can be translated as 'and' and is generally used in between multiple nouns of adjectives.
To can also be used to show you are doing something with someone, eg. futaba to - with futaba.
No の - possessive particle
- used to show that something belongs to someone or something.
No can also be used at the end of a verb in it's dictionary form to make it a noun.
Ni に - time particle
- several different uses; can mark date, time, location or direction.
De で - location particle
- this particle is used to indicate where an action is taking place, and can mean 'in' or 'at'.
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Let's Learn Japanese!
Non-FictionA Japanese learner helping out other Japanese learners :) 行くぞ！ I may refer to the following resources - be sure to check them out! • Japanese Ammo (YouTube) • Japanese from Zero (Text Book)
