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• Sentence ending particles

The Japanese language uses post-position particles (助詞; じょし) to denote the
direction of an action and who is performing the action. They consistently come
after the word that they modify.

There are three particles used very frequently in the language: は, を and が.
This module covers these along with a few other common ones but an
exhaustive list would run very long.

[edit] The topic and subject markers は and が

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The particle "は" (pronounced as "わ" when used as a particle) is the topic
marker denoting topic of discussion, while "が" is the subject marker and marks
a noun that performs an action. The difference between the two tends to cause
confusion among beginners but their usage can be summed up as matter of
focus.

The topic particle "は" is used when introducing a topic and gives focus to the
action of the sentence (i.e., the verb or the adjective). The subject marker "が"
is used when emphasising the subject giving focus to the subject of the action.

One can also think of it as replacing "~は" with the phrase "as for ~", "on the
topic of ~" or "regarding ~" to distinguish it from "が". While these phrases
aren't common in English we can use these expressions here to better show the
main difference between "は" and "が".

ねこは たべて います。 The cat is eating (or: Regarding the

cat, it is eating.)
ねこが たべて います。 The cat is eating (as opposed to
someone else).
きみ は つよい。 You are strong.
きみ が つよい。 You are strong (only you and not
anyone else)
あれ は でんわ だ。 That's the telephone.
あれ が でんわ だ。 That's the telephone (and not
anything else)
The difference can also be displayed by using both subject and topic markers in
one sentence:

わたしは あなたが すき です。 I like you. (Or literally: as for me,

like you.)
わたしは わさびが きらい です。 I dislike/hate wasabi. (Or: As for
me, hate wasabi.)
あなたは えいごが じょうず です。 Your English is good! (Or: As for
you, English good!)

One has to be careful using both "は" and "が" in one sentence. If a verb is
actually acting on the (direct) subject, usually a different particle (like を) has to
be used.

"は" is generally more flexible, because the "it" can be assumed, and is
therefore recommended to novices who have not grasped the difference
between the two.

"は" also has the specialized function of being used for comparisons as well.

ねこが います。 There is a cat.

いぬが います。 There is a dog.
ねこは たべて います けど, いぬは たべて いません。 The cat is eating, but the dog
is not.

Often the grammatical subject may also be the topic. In this case, "は" normally
replaces "が". However, if the subject is never known, you can not use "は" and
must use "が". This is similar to using pronouns: You can't state, "It is over
there", without first stating what "it" may be.

[edit] The direct object marker を

The particle "を" (pronounced "お") is the direct object marker and marks the
recipient of an action.

おさけ を のむ。 To drink sake.

ざっし を よむ。 To read a magazine.
ねこ が みず を のんで います。 The cat is drinking water.
ふらんすごを 　もっと　じょうず に　はなせます。 I'm getting better at French.

It also indicates the place through which the action occurs:

 そら を とぶ。 To fly through the sky
みち を あるく。 To walk down the street

As with much of the language, parts of a sentence that can be assumed from
context are often omitted and the direct object particle is commonly dropped in
conversational (colloquial) Japanese.

[edit] The indirect object marker に

"に" marks the verb's indirect object (i.e. the destination of a targeted verb
action) translating as "to", "in", "at" or "by". It also indicates the location
touched or affected by an event or action:

ほしにとんでいく。 Fly to the stars.

友だちに プレゼントを あげる。 Give a present to a friend.
せんせい に いう。 To tell (something) to the teacher.
学校に いる。 To be in school.
うち に いる。 To be at home.
どようび に あう。 To meet on Saturday

The particle "へ" described below is used exclusively for marking the
destination.

[edit] The destination marker へ

へ (pronounced "え" when used as a particle) indicates the direction of an

action, roughly the equivalent of "to" or "toward" in English.

おかあさんはみせへ いく。 Mother is going to the store.

東京へ いく。 To go to Tokyo.

[edit] The question marker か

Placing か at the end of a sentence changes a statement into a question. Use it

at the end of a verb to make it a question, or at the end of an interrogative pro-
form to make it into a demonstrative pronoun.

私は男ですか Am I a man?
これは どういうもの です か。 How do you describe this?
ねこ　は います か。 Is there a cat?
どこ か いきました か。 Did you go somewhere?
For more on the question marker, see: Sentence ending particles.

[edit] The possessive marker の

"の", is most commonly used as a possessive marker (similar to the English

"'s").

せんせいのりんご。 The teacher's apple

わたし の かばん。 My bag.
かれ の とけい。 His watch.

The particle can also function as a noun link, indicating that the preceding noun
(or adjectival noun) modifies the following noun.

とうきょうの たてもの。 Buildings in/of Tokyo.

みどり の ほん。 A green book.

It can also be used for nominalisation, converting verbs and (proper) adjectives
into nouns.

よむ の が いい。 Reading is good.

Note that in this last example two particles are used together: の and が: the
first makes the action a noun, and the second tells that this action is what the
sentence is all about.

[edit] The exhaustive list conjunction と

This particle acts as a conjunction on the words it separates. Unlike conjunctions

of more than two words in English, where only the last two are separated with
an "and" and the rest with commas, the Japanese conjunction separates each
word and commas are not used.

これ と それ が みどり です。 This and that are green.

ほん と ざっし。 A book and a magazine.
かばんに ペン と えんぴつ と ケシゴム と ルーラがある。 There is a pen, a pencil,
an eraser and a ruler in
the bag.

This applies to exhaustive lists, i.e. when all objects are explicitly mentioned.
The particle is used to indicate parallelism with the subject, often meaning
"with":

彼 と 話をしました。 I spoke with him.

彼女 と いった。 {I/He/She/They} went with her.
スミスさん と テニス を しました。 (I) played tennis with Smith"
わたし は あなた と けっこん する。 I will marry you. (I will get married
with you)

[edit] The incomplete list marker や

This particle is used to connect various words implying that the listing is not
exhaustive. The particle "など" may be added after the list to emphasise that
the list is incomplete.

Nou Particl Nou .. など

n e n .
ほん や ペン があります。 There are books and pens (among
other things).
ほん や ざっし。 A book and a magazine (among
other things).
卵 や サラダ や 鳥肉 など が必要だ。 (I) need eggs, salad, chicken and
such.

[edit] The "also" marker も

も is quite simply a marker that says "also". It replaces the particles は, が and を
but can also follow other particles. This can also be used to form a large list of
words all acting as though one of the basic particles (は, を, or が) were affecting
the whole list.

Subjec Particl Ver

t e b
ねこ も のみます。 The cat also
drinks.
わたし も いく I'm going too.
しょうねん も しょうじょ も じょせい も だんせい も にんげん です。 Boys, girls,
women and
men are
human.

Worth noting is that used with an interrogative pro-form (e.g. who, where, how)
the も particle negates the pro-form:
 だれも nobody
どこも nowhere

[edit] The means particle で

The particle で can be used in several situations indicating means. These can be
for example an instrument, a location or a language.

Mean Particl Ver

s e b
だいがくに なんで いきますか。 By what means do you go to
University?
じてんしゃで いきます。 I go by bicycle.
くるまで いく。 I go by car.
わたしは レストラン で たべます。 I eat at a restaurant.
スミスさんと こうえん で テニスを しました。 I played tennis with Smith at the
park."
がっこう で ならう。 To learn at school.

As a note of interest, the で from the copula である is also actually an

instrumental-maker. で marks the whole previous expression instrumental to the
verb ある. However, this is the classical meaning of the copula and rarely
explicitly treated this way in modern Japanese.

[edit] Origin and limit から and まで

These particles indicate the starting point or border of an action. This may be a
location as well as a time and corresponds roughly with "from" and "until".

とうきょう から くる。 Come from Tokyo.

やま まで いく。 To go to the mountains.
じかん くじ ごじ The hours are from 9 to 5.
時間 は 9 時から 5 時まで です。