Case markers (格助詞 kaku-joshi)
が、の、を、に、へ、と、で、から、より
Parallel markers (並立助詞 heiritsu-joshi)
か、の、や、に、と、やら、なり、だの
Sentence ending particles (終助詞 shū-joshi)
か、の、や、な、わ、とも、かしら
Interjectory particles (間投助詞 kantō-joshi)
さ、よ、ね
Adverbial particles (副助詞 fuku-joshi)
ばかり、まで、だけ、ほど、くらい、など、なり、やら
Binding particles (係助詞 kakari-joshi)
は、も、こそ、でも、しか、さえ、だに
Conjunctive particles (接続助詞 setsuzoku-joshi)
ば、や、が、て、のに、ので、から、ところが、けれども
Phrasal particles (準体助詞 juntai-joshi)
の、から
————————————————————–
Basic Particles
Jitensha de ikimashō. 自転車で行きましょう。 Let’s go by bicycle.
Koko de yasumitai. ここで休みたい。 I want to rest here.
Nihongo de tegami o kaita. 日本語で手紙を書いた。
I wrote the letter in Japanese.
kimi ga suki de yokatta. 君が好きでよかった。
You are loved (and so) I am glad. / I am glad that I love you.
でも even, or, but, however, also in
Uchū kara de mo Banri-no-Chōjō ga mieru.
宇宙からでも万里の長城が見える。
Even from space you can see the Great Wall of China.
Ocha de mo, ikaga? お茶でも、いかが？
Would you like tea or something?
Nihon de mo eigo o benkyō suru
日本でも英語を勉強する。 In Japan also, we study English.
De mo, watashi wa sō omowanai.
でも、私はそう思わない。 But I don’t think so.
Nihon e yōkoso! 日本へようこそ！
Welcome to Japan!
が [identifier], is (the thing that ___.), but
Neko ga esa o tabeta. 猫が餌を食べた。
The cat ate the catfood. [Answers:“What ate the catfood?”]
Inu ga suki. 犬が好き。 I like dogs.
wa ga kuni 我が国 my/our country (我= I, me, my)
Fujimi ga Oka 富士見が丘 Fuji View Hill [が=noun connector]
Seki ga hara 関が原 Gateway Plains [が=noun connector]
Inu wa suki da ga, neko wa kirai da.
犬は好きだが、猫は嫌いだ。 I like dogs but I hate cats.
[conjuction- connects 2 phrases/words together]
か question, doubt, whether(dō ka- whether or not), conjunction
Kore ka, sore ka, docchika erande yo.
これか、それか、どっちか選んでよ。
This or that, choose one of them.
Iku ka [dō ka] wakaranai. 行くか（どうか）分からない。
I don’t know [whether or not / if] he’ll go.
Dokoka de mita koto ga aru. どこかで見たことがある。
I think I’ve seen you somewhere before. (You look familiar)
Wakaru ka? 分かるか？Do you understand? (informal)
Eigo nante wakaru ka! 英語なんて分かるか!
Why the heck would I understand English? (informal)
Sate, dekake yō ka? さて、出かけようか？
Right then, shall we leave?
Iku ka to omoimasu ga… 行くかと思いますが。。。
I think he’ll go (but I’m not sure)…
ね [interjection] eh?, hey, huh?
Kimi wa kashikoi yo ne. 君は賢いよね。
You’re pretty smart, aren’t you.
Kakkō ii desu ne. 格好いいですね。
That’s pretty neat, eh?
Ne, ima nanji? ね、いま何時？ Hey, what time is it?
に to, in, at, by, [indirect object], direction, -ly
Following a na-adjective, it creates an adverb
Gakkō ni iru. 学校にいる。 I’m at/in school.
Gakkō ni iku. 学校に行く。 I’m going to school.
Ore ni kaese. 俺に返せ。 Give it back to me.
Ka ni sasareta. 蚊にさされた。 I was bitten by a mosquito.
Eiga o mi ni iku. 映画を見に行く。 I’m going to see a movie.
teinei, teinei ni 丁寧、 丁寧に polite, politely
の [possession], noun link, topic marker
anata no shukudai あなたの宿題 Your homework
Kare no tsukutta kēki wa oishikatta.
彼の作ったケーキはおいしかった。
The cake that he made was tasty.
Yasui no wa, kore. 安いのは、これ。 This is the cheap[er] one.
もう、食べたの？ Have you eaten yet?
Kare ni mō ageta no yo! 彼にもうあげたのよ！
I already gave it to him!
を [direct object], through, from, past (motion verbs)
Neko ga esa o tabeta. 猫が餌を食べた。The cat ate the food.
Sora o tobu 空を飛ぶ Fly through the sky
と and, with, as with [preposition], if, quotation
Taiyōkei dasshutsu e to chikazuite itta.
太陽系脱出へと近づいて行った｡
They were getting close to the point of leaving the Solar System.
僕と行きたい？ Do you want to go with me?
勉強すると分かる。 If you study, you’ll understand.
Umi made! to sakenda. 「海まで！」と叫んだ。
“To the sea!” he cried.
や Used to make an incomplete list of things [usually nouns].
私の好きな食べ物はお菓子やパンやミカンなどです。(okashiお菓子=snacks).
“I like snacks, bread and tangerines.”
よ Makes assertions, Goes at the end of a sentence.
Sometimes used after nouns, as a vocative marker, often used in older speech, poetry, and songs.
Kaeru yo! 帰るよ！ I’m going home!
Saraba, tomo yo. さらば友よ。 Farewell, oh friend!
Kare wa ayashii hito ka na. 彼は怪しい人かな。
I wonder if he’s a suspicious person.
から from, after, because
[Kara may be followed by の to link two nouns.]
Tōkyō kara kaetta. 東京から帰った。
He returned from Tokyo.
zutto mae kara no hanashi ずっと前からの話
a conversation from way back
Owatte kara, kite kudasai. 終わってから、来てください。
Please come by after finishing (after you’ve finished).
Niku o tabenai kara, raamen wa dame da
肉を食べないから、ラーメンはだめだ。
Because he doesn’t eat meat, ramen is bad (a bad idea).
かしら [Like かな, but is used more by women.]
Kare wa ayashii hito ka shira. 彼は怪しい人かしら。
I wonder if he’s a suspicious person.
けど although, but, [short v of けれど/ けども]
Kanojo wa hen da kedo kirei da. 彼女は変だけどきれいだ。
She is strange but pretty.
はvが
は is the topic, while が is the subject.
は gives focus to the action of the sentence- to the verb or adjective, while が gives focus to the subject of the action.
は is used to declare/ make a statement.
が is used for new information, or asking for new information.
にvで Both used to show location
in English, their uses are mutually exclusive.
に is used with stative verbs [いる, ある, すむ(to live, inhabit)].
で is used with action verbs to convey the place of action.
Gakkō-ni neru. 学校で寝る。 I sleep in/at school.
(Gakkō-ni neru/ I sleep to school. is incorrect.)
にvへ Both mean to or at. へ is like ‘towards’.
Gakkō e iku. 学校に行く。 I’m going to school.
Gakkō ni iru. 学校にいる。 I’m at school.
友達に会う。I’ll meet my friends.
(Incorrect: 友達へ会う。 I’ll meet to my friends.)
“Meet” is not a verb of motion, so it’s impossible.
がvを
Some cases, they are interchangeable, like with the -tai form.
ご飯が食べたい。 Gohan ga tabetai. I want to eat rice.
ご飯を食べたい。 Gohan o tabetai. I want to eat rice.
好き (a な-adj) can take either が or を.
君が好きだ。 Kimi ga suki da. I like you.
君を好きでよかった。 Kimi o suki de yokatta. I’m glad I like you.
にvと [Sometimes interchangeable, like になる and となる].
になる suggests a natural change, whereas となる suggests change to a final stage.
やvと
や - used for incomplete lists.
と - used for complete lists.
ばかり (許り) just, only, full of
Tōkyō wa hito bakari da. 東京は人ばかりだ。
Tokyo is just full of people.
Tabeta bakari da. 食べたばかりだ。 I just ate.
Kare wa tabete bakari iru. 彼は食べてばかりいる。
He’s always eating.
ばかりか (許りか) not only, さえ(but also)= 許りかさえ
Sofu bakari ka, sōsofu sae ikite iru.
祖父ばかりか、曽祖父さえ生きている。
Not only is my grandfather living, but so is my great-grandfather.
ばかし (許し) only/ bakashi is another form of bakari.
だけ (丈) only, just, merely [noun]
お忘れになっただけかと思いました。 You might have just forgotten.
Rōmaji dake no jisho. ローマ字だけの辞書 a rōmaji-only dictionary
Netai dake nereba ii. 寝たいだけ寝ればいい。
You can sleep as much as you want [to sleep].
だの and, things like
This particle is used far less frequently than to ka.
Often has negative connotations.
Nattō da no, shīfūdo da no, wasabi da no—nihonshoku ga nigate da.
納豆だの、シーフードだの、わさびだの—日本食が苦手だ。
Natto, seafood, wasabi—Japanese food isn’t my thing.
どころか (所か) anything but, far from
Kare wa keisatsukan dokoro ka, hanzaisha da.
彼は警察官どころか、犯罪者だ。
He’s anything but a policeman; he’s a criminal.
ほど (程) as much as, upper limit
Kare hodo nihongo ga umakunai. 彼ほど日本語がうまくない。
My Japanese isn’t as good as his.
Hayai hodo ii. 早いほどいい。 The sooner, the better.
Aitsu o koroshitai hodo kirai da.
あいつを殺したいほど嫌いだ。
I hate him enough to want to kill him.
かい gentle/masculine variant of the question marker ka.
きり (切り) just, only, less used than だけ, Functions as a noun and may be followed by の.
futari kiri no o-mise 二人きりのお店
a shop with just two people [who work there]
っけ What (was it, again?)
[Similar to か but recalling for info. of what you used to know.]
Nani wo iou to shiteta no da kke. 何を言おうとしてたのだっけ。
What we’re you trying to say, again?
koro/goro ごろ (頃) around, approximately
[Functions as a noun and may be followed by の.]
こそ [emphasis marker] precisely, exactly
Kyō koso, yaru zo! 今日こそ、やるぞ！
Today, I’m going to do it!
Kimi ga suki da kara koso kore dake ganbatte iru n da yo.
君が好きだからこそこれだけがんばっているんだよ。
It’s precisely because I like you that I’m working this hard.
Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。
Nice to meet you, too. (Emphasizes this side or me too)
くらい・ぐらい (位) about, approximately
[noun; may be followed by の.]
Juppun kurai kakaru 十分くらいかかる。It takes about 10 minutes.
まで (迄) up to, until, as far as
Kono densha wa, Shimonoseki made ikimasu.
この電車は、下関まで行きます。
This train goes as far as Shimonoseki.
までに (迄に) by [a certain time]
Ku-ji made ni kaeru. 九時までに帰る。
I’ll come back by nine o'clock.
め (目) ordinal particle (め only- “damn…”)
Amerika wa nikai me desu. アメリカは二回目です。
This is my second time to America.
Orokamono me! 愚か者め！[You] damn fool!
も（亦） also, Replaces は and が, but may follow other particles.
Watashi ni mo kureta. 私にもくれた。She gave some to me, too.
もの, もん (物) [feminine sentence ender]; a bit cheeky.
Verb+物: Creates a noun from the verb (only applies to certain verbs).
Nomimono 飲み物 drink/ Ikimono 生き物 living thing
どうしてこなかったの？ Why didn’t you come?
Jugyō ga attanda mon. 授業があったんだもの。 I had class, hah.
もので [Similar to ので/んで] because (of something)___is happening.
ものか, もんか Put at the end of a sentence
Used to strongly decline. (More gently : もの/もんですか)
Makeru-monka! 負けるもんか! I will not surrender!
Dare ga anna tokoro-ni nido to iku-mondesuka!
誰があんなところに二度と行くもんですか!
Who dares to go to the place like that at the second time!
ものなら (物なら) if (I/we/etc.) could/ if it’s possible
その伝言が重要なものなら彼に電話しなさい。
Telephone him if the message is important.
ものを Shows feelings for not doing something they need to.
「好きだ」とひとこといってくれさえしたらけっこんできたものお・・・
“好きだ"と一言言ってくれさえしたら、結婚できたものを…
If you had said “I like you”, we would have gotten married…
な/なる, なあ/なぁ Adjective, “don’t”
な- Used with adj that act like nouns. な-adjectives
なる (old)- Used the same way as な-adjectives.
Dictionary form verb + な = “Don’t__.”
Verb stem + な = “Do___.”
な Modifies general nouns before other particles which can’t directly follow nouns (ので).
するな Don’t do (something).
食べな Eat./ Please eat.
hen na hito 変な人 a strange person
Hen da na! 変だな！How strange!
など (等) For example, things like, such as, etc., and so on
Nattō ya kabuki nado wa Nihon dake ni aru.
納豆や歌舞伎などは日本だけにある。
Things like natto and kabuki are only in Japan.
なんか, なんて (何か, 何て) emphasizes disgust/ negative feelings
Jogen nanka iranai. 助言なんかいらない。
I don’t need any (damn) advice.
Oyogu nante dekinai. 泳ぐなんてできない。 I can’t swim.
Ōkiku nanka nai kedo, kirei da. 大きくなんかないけど、きれいだ。
It’s not big [or anything], but it’s clean.
なら if [conditional, hypothetical]
Atsui nara, eakon o tsukete. 暑いなら、エアコンを付けて。
If you’re hot, turn on the air conditioner.
にて Formal version of で/ Functions the same way.
には for, in, to, in order to
Shichimi wa, watashi ni wa kara-sugiru.
七味は、私には辛すぎる。 (辛 = spicy, すぎる = too)
Shichimi is too spicy for me.
Kyōto ni wa hana ga aru. 京都には花がある。
There are flowers in Kyōto.
Mizu o mitsukeru ni wa みずをみつけるには In order to find water
ので because, often shortened to んで
Tesuto ga aru no de, ikenai. テストがあるので、行けない。
Because I have a test, I can’t go.
Gakkō na no de, kin'en da. 学校なので、禁煙だ。
Because this is a school it’s no smoking.
のみ only, just, [formal], less common than だけ
Unlike だけ, it only means a small quantity/single frequency
Tō-ten de wa, Nihon en nomi go-riyō itadakemasu.
当店では、日本円のみご利用頂けます。
This store accepts Japanese Yen only.
のに despite, although, even though, would have, in order to
Nouns and な-adjectives must be followed by な before using this particle.
Has a stronger meaning than けど when used to mean “although”
Conveys regret when used to mean “would have”.
Benkyō shiteiru no ni, eigo ga hanasenai.
勉強しているのに、英語が話せない。
Although I am studying, I can’t speak English.
Kaette kitara, yokatta no ni.
帰ってきたら、よかったのに。
It would have been nice if you had come home.
Hikkosu no ni torakku ga hitsuyō da.
引っ越すのにトラックが必要だ。
(In order) to move, you need a truck.
さ [Masculine] Indicates obvious facts, softer than よ
さあ, さぁ [Feminine] Used like ね
Kanojo ga inai kara, dansu niwa ikanai sa.
彼女がいないから、ダンスには行かないさ。
I don’t have a girlfriend, so I’m not going to the dance.
Kinō saa, gakkō de saa, sensei ni saa, chūi sarete saa, chō mukatsuita.
昨日さあ、学校でさあ、先生にさあ、注意されてさあ、超むかついた。
Like, yesterday, in, like, school, I, like, got fussed at by, like, some teacher, and it totally made me sick.
さえ even, [overlaps with も]
Implies emphasis that something is greater than expected.
Can be followed by も for extra emphasis.
Kanji sae kakeru. 漢字さえ書ける。 He can even write kanji.
でさえ even, Replaces は and が, like でも.
Sonna koto wa saru de sae dekiru.
そんなことは猿でさえできる。 Even a monkey can do that.
さえ…ば/ら (さえ followed by a verb- “if only”)
Kore sae nomeba, futsukayoi ga naoru yo.
これさえ飲めば、二日酔いが直るよ。
If you would just drink this, your hangover would get better.
Kirei da shi, hiroi shi, ii ne, kono apaato!
きれいだし、広いし、いいね、このアパート。
It’s clean, it’s spacious; this apartment is nice, isn’t it!
しか only, just, [must be followed by a negative verb]
でけしか, きりしか, のみしか + the negative verb = Stresses an extremely limited quantity or frequency.
Ichi en dama shika nai. 一円玉しかない。
I have just a one-yen coin.
Yūbin-kyoku ni iku shika nai.
郵便局に行くしかない。
The only thing [to do] is to go to the post office.
すら even, overlaps with も
Implies a (usually) negative emphasis that the extent of something is less than expected. Contrasts with さえ.
Kanji sura kakenai. 漢字すら書けない。
He can’t even write kanji.
とか [listing particle], Like のど
Often used with なに in the form, なんとか (something or other)
Kani to ka, hotate to ka, zenbu tabeta yo.
蟹とか、帆立とか、全部食べたよ。
We had crab, scallops, [other stuff,] we ate them all.
とも (共) both, all of the
とも(w.out kanji)- even if, even though, at the__-est, whether
noun + とも + negative verb = “none”
Watashi wa, aitsura ga futari tomo kirai da.
私は、あいつらが、二人とも嫌いだ。
I hate both of those guys.
Zannen nagara, sono kuruma wa san dai tomo irimasen.
残念ながら、その車は三台とも要りません。
Unfortunately, we need none of those three cars.
Dō shiyō to mo amari susumanai.
どうしようともあまり進まない。
No matter how we try [to do something], we don’t make much progress.
Sukunaku to mo go-jū mairu aruite kita.
少なくとも五十マイル歩いてきた。
We walked at least fifty miles [to get here].
Osoku to mo itte miyō yo.
遅くともいってみようよ。
Even if it’s late, let’s go and check it out.
Kau to mo kawanai to mo hakkiri shite imasen.
買うとも買わないともはっきりしていません。
It isn’t clear whether they’re going to buy or not.
Waratte ii to mo. 笑っていいとも。 It’s okay to laugh.
行きませんとも。 As if I would go.
って [Casual] Another form of と. Short ver. of という.
Present progressive form of 言う/いう (to say).
Verbal quotation mark. Sometimes used as a direct quote.
Sometimes used for an indirect quote.
Used to emphasize a word or concept.
To be formal, use いいます instead of って.
Sugu kimasu tte すぐ来ますって。 He said, ‘I’ll come soon.’
Arabiago tte, muzukashikunai? アラビア語って難しくない？
Arabic─isn’t it difficult?
(Emphasizing a word; used instead of というものは or は)
ってば [Emphasis marker] Esp. when speaker is impatient
コーヒーだってば！ I said “coffee”!
わ [Used by both genders]
Establishes an emotional connection if used at the end of a sentence.
やら Denotes either uncertainty or listing.
より from, used to make comparisons
Kono densha-wa, Kashiwa-yori saki wa kaku eki-ni tomarimasu.
この電車は柏より先は各駅に止まります。
This train will stop at every station after Kashiwa.
Dare-yori-mo kanemochi-ni naritai. 誰よりも金持ちになりたい。
I want to become richer than anyone (else).
ぜ Indicates assertion. [Mostly used by men.] Never polite.
ぞ Indicates assertion. [Mostly used by men.] Less forceful than ぜ.
ずつ at a time, one at a time, 'by’ in 'one by one’, 'each’ in 'one each’. Usually follows counted nouns.
