{"id":26903,"date":"2022-12-10T15:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-12-10T15:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/?p=26903"},"modified":"2023-05-12T12:52:06","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T12:52:06","slug":"particles-in-japanese-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/blog\/particles-in-japanese-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"A beginner’s guide to particles in Japanese Part 1: \u306f, \u306e, \u3092, \u304c, \u3082"},"content":{"rendered":"

Particles in Japanese<\/strong> are like \u201cbuilding blocks\u201d and decide the role of the word it is preceded by in a sentence. That’s why understanding particles in Japanese is key to being able to construct sentences, and they are one of the first things you need to learn when studying the Japanese language. <\/span><\/p>\n

This article is the first one of two which reviews the most basic particles in Japanese and their functions. In this first article we will review the particles: \u306f, \u306e, \u3092, \u304c and \u3082.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u306f(wa)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Main function: Indicates the topic in a sentence<\/b>
<\/span>Put this particle after the topic (main subject), which is the person\/thing (noun) the sentence is about. For example:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u79c1\u306f\u65e5\u672c\u4eba\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa nihonjin desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I am Japanese.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u30c8\u30a4\u30ec\u306f\u3042\u305d\u3053\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Toire wa asoko desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>The bathroom is over there.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Note that in Japanese you often exclude the main subject when it\u2019s obvious in context. For example, in the first example above it would be more natural to just say : <\/span>\u201c\u65e5\u672c\u4eba\u3067\u3059\u201d (nihonjin desu<\/em>) and exclude \u79c1\u306f(watashi wa) when it\u2019s obvious that you are talking about yourself. This happens when you’re doing a self-introduction. However, for extra clarity we don\u2019t exclude the main subject in the sentences in this article.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u306e(no)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Main function: Indicates relationship, possession or ownership<\/b>
<\/span>Put the particle \u306e between two nouns, such as [ X ] \u306e [ Y ] and it will indicate that noun X possesses or has a relationship to noun Y. For example:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u79c1\u306e\u540d\u524d\u306f\u30b8\u30a7\u30cb\u30fc\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi no namae wa jen\u012b desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>My<\/b> name is Jenny.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u3053\u308c\u306f\u5f7c\u5973\u306e\u30b9\u30de\u30db\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Kore wa kanojo no sumaho desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>This is <\/span>her<\/b> smartphone.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u79c1\u306f\u4eac\u90fd\u5927\u5b66\u306e\u5b66\u751f\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa Kyoto daigaku no gakusei desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I\u2019m a student <\/span>at<\/b> Kyoto university (I\u2019m a student <\/span>that belongs to<\/b> Kyoto university)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u3092(o)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Main function: Indicates the object which the subject interacts with.<\/b>
<\/b>The noun before \u3092 in a sentence is the object that is affected by the subject\u2019s action. For example:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u79c1\u306f\u30ea\u30f3\u30b4\u3092\u98df\u3079\u305f<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa ringo o tabeta.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I ate an apple.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u7530\u4e2d\u3055\u3093\u306f\u672c\u3092\u8fd4\u3057\u305f\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Tanaka san wa hon o kaeshita.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>Tanaka-san returned the book.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Note that it has to be <\/span>an action<\/b> performed by the subject which <\/span>affects<\/b> the object. For instance, the following sentence is grammatically incorrect because the word \u201c\u597d\u304d\u201d (suki, to like) is not an action:
<\/span>\u79c1\u306f\u732b\u3092\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa neko o suki desu.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

The correct<\/strong> way to say it would be:<\/p>\n

\u79c1\u306f\u732b\u304c\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa neko ga suki desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I like cats.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Infographic<\/p>\n

\u304c(ga)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Main functions: <\/b>
<\/b>1. Indicates the subject of the sentence<\/b>
<\/b>2. Used after interrogative words (question words)<\/b>
<\/b>3. Used to convey new or important information.<\/b>
<\/b>
<\/b>The particle \u304c has many functions in the Japanese language and is arguably the particle that is hardest to wrap your head around as it\u2019s often mixed up with \u306f. Let\u2019s define some rules of thumb when to use \u304c instead of \u306f.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Example 1<\/strong>: as the subject of a sentence<\/span>
<\/span>The rule of thumb is that \u306f is rarely used twice in one sentence, so if you used \u306f as your topic marker, the following subject is likely going to be \u304c. <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u79c1\u306f\u72ac\u304c\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa inu ga suki desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I like dogs.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Example 2<\/strong>: used together with interrogative words (question words)<\/span>
<\/span>\u306f is never used with words such as \u4f55 (nani<\/em>, what), \u8ab0 (dare<\/em>, who), \u3044\u3064 (itsu<\/em>, when) etc. Also, if the particle used in a question is \u304c, the particle in the answer is also \u304c because it\u2019s conveying new information (by responding to a question, see example 3.)<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u8ab0<\/span>\u304c<\/b>\u305d\u308c\u3092\u8a00\u3063\u305f\uff1f.<\/span>
<\/span>Dare ga sore o itta?<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>Who said that?<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u79c1<\/span>\u304c<\/b>\u8a00\u3063\u305f\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi ga itta.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I said that.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Example 3<\/strong>: another way \u304c is used is to convey new information or emphasize something that you want the listener to pay attention to.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u79c1<\/span>\u304c<\/b>\u5b66\u751f\u3067\u3059(\u3088)\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>watashi ga gakusei desu(yo).<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I am a student.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>In the above example, it\u2019s fine to use \u306f instead of \u304c, however, the difference is that it\u2019s more suitable to use \u304c in a situation where the listener doesn\u2019t expect you to be a student. This is because \u304c puts emphasis on newly conveyed information. This kind of sentence is often coupled with \u3088 which will be introduced in the next article. <\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Distinguishing between \u306f and \u304c is one of the hardest things to learn by heart<\/strong> when studying Japanese. But even if you make a mistake, you will be understood, so don’t worry too much if you get \u304c and \u306f confused!<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>Note: \u306f can sometimes replace the particles \u3092\u3001\u304c to put emphasis on a word or add contrast between two words. <\/span>Note that<\/b> this \u306f is accented<\/b>, meaning that you raise the pitch when pronouncing it. For example:<\/span>
<\/span><\/p>\n

(\u304c\u2192\u306f)
<\/span>\u79c1\u306f\u732b<\/span>\u306f<\/b>\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa neko <\/span>wa <\/b>suki desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>Cats, I do like. (Implicating that I don\u2019t like something else, like dogs.)<\/span><\/p>\n

(\u3092\u2192\u306f)
<\/span>\u79c1\u306f\u8089<\/span>\u306f<\/b>\u98df\u3079\u307e\u305b\u3093\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa niku wa tabemasen.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I <\/span>don\u2019t<\/b> eat meat (emphasis on don\u2019t)<\/span><\/p>\n

\u3082(mo)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Main functions: replaces the particles \u306f, \u3092, \u304c\u00a0 to express the word \u201calso\u201d<\/b>
<\/b>We can use \u3082 instead of the particles \u306f, \u3092 and \u304c to express the word \u201calso\u201d. For example:<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u30a2\u30f3\u30c9\u3055\u3093: \u79c1\u306f\uff13\uff10\u6b73\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Ando-san: Watashi wa sanj\u016b sai desu.<\/em><\/span>
<\/span>Mr Ando: I\u2019m 30 years old.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u7530\u53e3\u3055\u3093: \u79c1\u3082\uff13\uff10\u6b73\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Taguchi-san: Watashi mo sanj\u016b sai desu.<\/em><\/span>
<\/span>Mr Taguchi: I\u2019m <\/span>also<\/b> 30 years old.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>\u79c1\u306f\u732b\u304c\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u3002\u72ac\u3082\u597d\u304d\u3067\u3059\u3002<\/span>
<\/span>Watashi wa neko ga suki desu. Inu mo suki desu.<\/span><\/em>
<\/span>I like cats. I <\/span>also<\/b> like dogs.<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>In this article we have introduced five basic particles in Japanese: \u306f, \u306e, \u3092, \u304c and \u3082 as well as some of their basic functions. In the next article we will discuss the remainder of the particles, namely \u306b\/\u3078\u3001\u3067\u3001\u3068\u3001\u304b\u3089\/\u307e\u3067 and the sentence ending particles \u304b\/\u306d\/\u3088. Stay tuned!<\/span>
<\/span>
<\/span>If you want to learn more basics of the Japanese language, make sure to <\/span>follow our blog<\/span><\/a>! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Particles in Japanese are like \u201cbuilding blocks\u201d and decide the role of the word it is preceded by in a sentence. That’s why understanding particles in Japanese is key to being able to construct sentences, and they are one of the first things you need to learn when studying the Japanese language. This article is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":25733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[404],"tags":[698,666],"class_list":["post-26903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-japanese","tag-japanese-lessons","tag-language"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26903","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26903"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26903\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gogonihon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}