Japanese particles

Japanese particles, joshi (助詞) or tenioha (てにをは), are suffixes or short words inJapanese grammar that immediately follow the
modified noun, verb, adjective, or sentence. Their grammatical range can indicate various meanings and functions, such as speaker
affect and assertiveness.

Contents
Orthography and diction
Types of particles
List of particles
Index
Meaning and usage
Contrast
は wa and が ga
に ni and で de
に ni and へ e
が ga and を o
に ni and と to
や ya and と to
Historical particles
Differences from English prepositions
See also
Notes
References

Orthography and diction

Japanese particles are written in hiragana in modern Japanese, though some of them also have kanji forms (弖 or 天 for te て; 爾 for
ni に; 乎 or 遠 for o を; and 波 for wa は). Particles follow the same rules of phonetic transcription as all Japanese words, with the
exception of は (written ha, pronounced wa as a particle), へ (written he, pronounced e) and を (written using a hiragana character
with no other use in modern Japanese, originally assigned as wo, now usually pronounced o, though some speakers render it as wo).
These exceptions are a relic ofhistorical kana usage.

Types of particles
There are eight types of particles, depending on what function they serve.

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

Note that some particles appear in two types. For example, "kara" is a case marker where it describes where something is from or
what happens after something; when it describes a cause it is aconjunctive particle.

List of particles

Index
bakari kedo nado shi
bakari ka kiri nanka/nante shika
bakashi kke nara sura
dake koro/goro ne to
da no koso ni to ka
de kurai/gurai ni te to mo
de mo made ni wa tte
dokoro ka made ni no tteba
e me no de wa
ga mo nomi ya
hodo mono/mon no ni yara
ka mono de o yo
kai mono ka/mon-ka sa/saa yori
ka na mono nara sae ze
kara mono o de sae zo
ka shira na and naa sae...ba/ra zutsu

Meaning and usage

 Preceding
syntactic Example sentence Translation
element

bakari Translates to: "just, only, full of"

ばかり (許り) Colloquially: ばっかり bakkari, ばっか bakka

Tōkyō wa hito bakari da.

Noun Tokyo is just full of people.
東京は人ばかりだ。

Tabeta bakari da.

Verbs (ta form) I just ate.
食べたばかりだ。

Kare wa tabete bakari iru

Verb (te form) He's always eating.
彼は食べてばかりいる。

bakari ka Translates to: "not only".

ばかりか (許り Accompanied by さえ sae ("but also") indicates something unusual or unexpected.
か) Etymology: bakari + ka

Sofu bakari ka, sōsofu sae

ikite iru. Not only is my grandfather living, but so is my great-
Nouns 祖父ばかりか、曽祖父さえ生き grandfather.
ている。

bakashi
bakashi is another form of bakari.
ばかし (許し)

Translates to: "only"; limit.

dake Dake functions as a noun.
だけ (丈) Kanji form 丈 is less commonly used.

rōmaji dake no jisho

Nouns a rōmaji-only dictionary
ローマ字だけの辞書

Netai dake nereba ii.

Verbs (volitional) You can sleep as much as you want [to sleep].
寝たいだけ寝ればいい。

Translates to: "and, things like".

da no Etymology: da (copula) + no.
だの This particle is used far less frequently thanto ka.
Often has negative connotations.
Nattō da no, shīfūdo da no,
wasabi da no—nihonshoku ga
Nouns, nigate da. Natto, seafood, wasabi—Japanese food isn't my thing.
adjectives, verbs 納豆だの、シーフードだの、わ
さびだの—日本食が苦手だ。

Etymology: Originally an alteration ofni te, later treated as a conjugation of the copulada. de can
de be used as "at" or "by means of".When serving as the continuative TE form of a subordinate
で clause, de substitutes for da/desu, carries the meaning "is, and so...", and takes on the tense of
the final verb of the sentence.

Nouns: Jitensha de ikimashō.

Let's go by bicycle.
instrument 自転車で行きましょう。

Koko de yasumitai.
Nouns: location I want to rest here.
ここで休みたい。

Nouns: Nihongo de tegami o kaita.

I wrote the letter in Japanese.
language 日本語で手紙を書いた。

TE form of kimi ga suki de yokatta

copula: "is, and You are loved (and so) I am glad. / I am gladthat I love you.
君 が 好き で よかった。
so..."

de mo Translates to: "even; or; but, however; also in"

でも Etymology: de + mo
Nouns, particles: Uchū kara de mo Banri-no- Even from space you can see the Great Wall of China.
"even" Chōjō ga mieru.
宇宙からでも万里の長城が見え
る。

Noun: "or Ocha de mo, ikaga?

Would you like tea or something?
something" お茶でも、いかが？

Nihon de mo eigo o benkyō

Noun: "also in" suru In Japan also, we study English.
日本でも英語を勉強する。

Beginning of De mo, watashi wa sō

phrase: "but, omowanai But I don't think so.
however, even
でも、私はそう思わない。
so"

dokoro ka Translates to: "anything but, far from"

どころか (所か) Etymology: dokoro (tokoro: place) + ka

Kare wa keisatsukan dokoro

ka, hanzaisha da.
Nouns 彼は警察官どころか、犯罪者 He's anything but a policeman; he's a criminal.
だ。

e Translates to: "to, in"; direction

へ E is written with へ rather than え, reflecting old kana usage.

Nihon e yōkoso!
Nouns: direction Welcome to Japan!
日本へようこそ！

Functions as: identifier (identifies something unspecified), conjunction ("but"). Not to be confused
ga with the particle は.
が Ga (が or ヶ): Historical possessive used to connect nouns, most often seen in place names as ヶ

Neko ga esa o tabeta.

Nouns: identifier The cat ate the catfood. [Answers: "What ate the catfood?"]
猫が餌を食べた。
(answers a
silent or asked Inu ga suki.
question) I like dogs. [Answers: What do you like?]
犬が好き。

wa ga kuni
my/our [collective] country
我が国

Noun: noun Fujimi ga Oka

Fuji View Hill
connector 富士見が丘

Seki ga hara
Gateway Plains (site of the Battle of Sekigahara)
関が原

Inu wa suki da ga, neko wa kirai

Phrases: da. I like dogs but I hate cats.
conjunction
犬は好きだが、猫は嫌いだ。

hodo Translates to: "as much as"; upper limit

ほど (程)

Kare hodo nihongo ga

Nouns umakunai. My Japanese isn't as good as his.
彼ほど日本語がうまくない。

Hayai hodo ii.

Adjectives* 早いほどいい。
The sooner, the better.

Aitsu o koroshitai hodo kirai

Verb da. I hate him enough to want to kill him.
あいつを殺したいほど嫌いだ。
 ka Functions as: question denominator, alternative item conjunction, quotation expressing doubt;
か "whether", especially when used withdō ka ("or not").

Kore ka, sore ka, dotchika

Nouns, verbs: erande yo.
listing これか、それか、どっちか選ん This or that, choose one of them.
alternatives
でよ。

Noun, verbs: Iku ka [dō ka] wakaranai.

"whether (or I don't know [whether or not / if] he'll go.
行くか（どうか）分からない。
not)"
Adverbs Dokoka de mita koto ga aru.
(interrogative): I think I've seen you somewhere before. (You look familiar)
どこかで見たことがある。
uncertainty

Phrases: Wakaru ka?

Do you understand? (informal)
question 分かるか？

Phrases: Eigo nante wakaru ka!

question, Why the heck would I understand English? (informal)
英語なんて分かるか!
rhetorical
Phrases: Sate, dekake yō ka?
question, Right then, shall we leave?
さて、出かけようか？
invitation
Phrase:
quotation Iku ka to omoimasu ga...
I think he'll go (but I'm not sure)...
expressing 行くかと思いますが。。。
doubt

kai
kai is a gentler and masculine variant of the question markerka.
かい

Translates to: "I wonder"(Note: "Ka na" implies having mostly made up one's mind. Drawing out
ka na the "na" [ka naa] implies less certainty.)
かな Etymology: ka + na

Kare wa ayashii hito ka na.

Phrases I wonder if he's a suspicious person.
彼は怪しい人かな。

kara Translates to: "from, after, because"

から Kara may be followed by no to link two nouns.

Tōkyō kara kaetta.

He returned from Tokyo.
東京から帰った。
Nouns: "from,
out of" zutto mae kara no hanashi
a conversation from way back
ずっと前からの話

Verb (te form): Owatte kara, kite kudasai.

Please come by after finishing (after you've finished).
"after" 終わってから、来てください。

Niku o tabenai kara, raamen

Adjectives, wa dame da
Verbs: 肉を食べないから、ラーメンは Because he doesn't eatmeat, ramen is bad (a bad idea).
"because"
だめだ。

Ka shira is like ka na, but is used more by women. See alsoGender differences in spoken
ka shira Japanese.
かしら Etymology: ka + shira, the irrealis form (i.e. negative form minus the -nai) of shiru "to know"

Kare wa ayashii hito ka shira.

Phrases I wonder if he's a suspicious person.
彼は怪しい人かしら。

kedo Translates to: "although, but"

けど Etymology: kedo is a shortened version of formalkeredomo. It also appears semi-abbreviated and
 semi-formally as keredo or kedomo.
Kanojo wa hen da kedo kirei
Adjectives, da. She is strange but pretty
verbs
彼女は変だけどきれいだ。

kiri Translates to: "just, only"

きり (切り) Kiri is more rarely used thandake, functions as a noun and may be followed byno.

futari kiri no o-mise

Nouns a shop with just two people [who work there]
二人きりのお店

kke Translates to: "Similar toka but recalling for the information what you used to know
."
っけ Etymology: kke origins from the auxiliary verb of Old Japanese "keri".

Nani wo iou to shiteta noda

Nouns kke What we're you trying to say, again?
何を言おうとしてたのだっけ

koro/goro Translates to: "around, about, approximately"

ごろ (頃) Koro functions as a noun and may be followed byno.

San-ji goro ni aimashō.

Nouns Let's meet around 3 o'clock.
三時ごろに会いましょう。

Functions as: Emphasis marker.

koso There is no direct translation, but roughly analogous to "precisely" or "exactly", as in examples
こそ below.

Kyō koso, yaru zo!

Today, I'm going to do it!
今日こそ、やるぞ！

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 It's precisely because I like youthat I'm working this hard.
Phrases
んばっているんだよ。

Kochira koso, yoroshiku

onegai shimasu.
こちらこそ、よろしくお願いし Nice to meet you, too. (Emphasizes this side or me too)
ます。

kurai/gurai
Translates to: "about, approximately"
くらい・ぐらい
Kurai functions as a noun and may be followed byno.
(位)

Juppun kurai kakaru

Nouns It takes about 10 minutes.
十分くらいかかる。

made Translates to: "up to, until, as far as"

まで (迄) Indicates a time or place as a limit.

Kono densha wa, Shimonoseki

Nouns made ikimasu.
(specifically この電車は、下関まで行きま This train goes as far as Shimonoseki.
places or times)
す。

Kaeru made matte iru.

Verb I'll wait until you come home.
帰るまで待っている。

Translates to: "by (a certain time)"

made ni
までに (迄に) Etymology: made + ni

Ku-ji made ni kaeru.

Nouns, verbs I'll come back by nine o'clock.
九時までに帰る。
 me me (目 only): ordinal particle
め (目) me (め only): "Damn..."; abusive/pejorative

Classifier nouns: Amerika wa nikai me desu.

This is my second time to America.
ordinal アメリカは二回目です。

Noun: abusive Orokamono me!

[You] damn fool!
"damn..." 愚か者め！

mo Translates to: "also"

も（亦） Mo always replaces wa and ga, but may follow other particles.

Watashi ni mo kureta.
Nouns, phrases She gave some to me, too.
私にもくれた。

Verb + mono (物) : creates a noun from the verb (only applies to certain verbs)
mono/mon
もの/もん at the end of a sentence: casual feminine sentence ender likeの; もん is very feminine
もの・もん
and a bit cheeky.
Nomimono
Drink
飲み物

Tabemono
With verbs Food
食べ物

Ikimono
Living thing
生き物

"Doushite konakatta no?"

"Jugyō ga attanda mono."
「どうしてこなかったの？」 "Why didn't you come?""I had class."
「授業があったんだもの。」
At the end of a
sentence "Doushite konakatta no?"
"Jugyō ga attanda mon."
「どうしてこなかったの？」 "Why didn't you come?""I had class, hah."
「授業があったんだもん。」

mono de
Similar meaning as ので.
もので

mono
ka/mon-ka Put at the end of sentences to strongly decline. (More gently もの/もんですか)
:
ものか/もんか

Makeru-monka!
I will not surrender!
負けるもんか!
At the end of Dare ga anna tokoro-ni nido to
sentences iku-mondesuka!
誰があんなところに二度と行く Who would dare to go to a place like that for a second time!?
もんですか!

mono nara
ものなら (物な if (I/we/etc.) could
ら)

mono o
Used in phrases to show deplore feelings about not doing something they should do.
ものを

"Sukida" to hito koto itte kure-

sae shi-tara kekkon deki-ta
Phrases mono o... If you had said "I like you", we would have gotten married...
"好きだ"と一言言ってくれさえ
したら、結婚できたものを...

na and naa Na (な only): used with a class of adjectives which behave grammatically like nouns (seena-
adjectives). A more archaic form of thisna is naru (なる), which is used in the same way. If na
な(and なる)・ follows a dictionary form verb, it is a negative command ("Don't... ").However, if used with a verb
なあ・なぁ stem, it implies the opposite: "Do...".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 thecopula. Na or naa at
the end of a sentence is a variant ofne, implying more reflection.
Suru-na
Don't do (something).
するな
Verb
Tabe-na
Do eat / Please eat.
食べな

hen na hito
Na-adjectives a strange person
変な人

Hen da na!
Phrases How strange!
変だな！

nado Translates to: "for example, things like, suchas, etc., and so on"
など (等) Functions as a noun and may be followed byno.

Nattō ya kabuki nado wa

Nihon dake ni aru.
Nouns 納豆や歌舞伎などは日本だけに Things like natto and kabuki are only in Japan.
ある。

nanka/nante
Functions to: emphasize disgust, contempt, or otherwise negative feelings of the speaker
.
なんか・なんて
Nante is slightly more formal thannanka.
(何か・何て)

Jogen nanka iranai.

Nouns I don't need any (damn) advice.
助言なんかいらない。

Oyogu nante dekinai.

Verb[1] 泳ぐなんてできない。
I can't swim.

Ōkiku nanka nai kedo, kirei da.

Adjectives[2] 大きくなんかないけど、きれい It's not big [or anything], but it's clean.
だ。

nara Translates to: "if"; conditional

なら Hypothetical (仮定形) or conditional form of the copula da. Related to the more formalnaraba.

Nouns, Atsui nara, eakon o tsukete

adjectives, If you're hot, turn on the air conditioner.
暑いなら、エアコンを付けて。
verbs, phrases
Translates to: "eh"; interjection,tag question
ne
Similar to English "hey", "eh?", French "non?" and Spanish "no?"Asks or shows agreement and
ね reflection at phrase-end, also used before sentences to catch listener's attention (informal).
Kimi wa kashikoi yo ne.
You're pretty smart, aren't you.
君は賢いよね。

Kakkō ii desu ne.

Phrases That's pretty neat, eh?
格好いいですね。

Ne, ima nanji?

Hey, what time is it?
ね、いま何時？

ni Translates to: "to, in, at, by";indirect object, direction; following a na-adjective, it creates an
に adverb

Gakkō ni iru.
Noun: location I'm at/in school.
学校にいる。

Gakkō ni iku.
Noun: direction I'm going to school.
学校に行く。

Noun: indirect Ore ni kaese. Give it back to me.

object 俺に返せ。

Noun: passive Ka ni sasareta.

I was bitten by a mosquito.
agent 蚊にさされた。

Noun, verbs Eiga o mi ni iku.

(stem only): I'm going to see a movie.
映画を見に行く。
purpose, intent

Adjective: forms teinei, teinei ni

polite, politely
adverb 丁寧、 丁寧に

Formal version of de, functions in exactly the same way.

ni te
にて Etymology: Case particleni + conjunctive particle te (cf. te form of Japanese verbs)

Translates to: "for; in, to; in order to";

Etymology: ni + wa (always written は)
ni wa
The wa part is the topic particle.
には
Serves as emphasis for a negative ending.

Shichimi wa, watashi ni wa

kara-sugiru. Shichimi is too spicy for me. (i.e., "you might like it, but I'm not
Nouns: "for"
touching it.")
七味は、私には辛すぎる。

There are flowers in Kyōto.

Kyōto ni wa hana ga aru.
Noun: "in, to" (Lit.: As for in Kyōto, there are flowers.)
京都には花がある。

Verb: "in order Mizu o mitsukeru ni wa

In order to find water
to" みずをみつけるには

Functions as: possession indicator, noun link, topic marker (subordinate clauses), nominalization
When nominalizing whole phrases, the no may function either as emphasis or as a question,
no depending on tone of voice. Similar to English, a falling tone denotes a statement, and a rising
の tone a question. Its use to mark statements tends to be more typical of feminine speech. See also
Gender differences in spoken Japanese.

Nouns: sensei no kuruma

the teacher's car
possession ex. a 先生の車

Noun: watashi no konpyuuta

My computer
possession ex. b 私のコンピューター

Noun: anata no shukudai

your homework
possession ex. c あなたの宿題

kuruma no Toyota
Noun: linking Toyota the car [company]
車のトヨタ

Noun: subject Kare no tsukutta kēki wa

marker in oishikatta.
subordinate 彼の作ったケーキはおいしかっ The cake that he made was tasty.
clauses (see
た。
also: ga)

i-adjectives: Yasui no wa, kore.

This is the cheap[er] one.
nominalization 安いのは、これ。

Verb: Taberu no ga daisuki.

I love eating.
nominalization 食べるのが大好き。

Phrases: Mō, tabeta no?

Have you eaten yet?
nominalization もう、食べたの？

Kuruma na no? Is it a car?

 車なの？

Kare ni mō ageta no yo!

I already gave it to him!
彼にもうあげたのよ！

no de Translates to: "because"

Etymology: no + de
ので
Colloquially, no de is often shortened to n de.
Tesuto ga aru no de, ikenai.
Because I have a test, I can't go.
テストがあるので、行けない。
Phrases[3]
Gakkō na no de, kin'en da.
Because this is a schoolit's no smoking.
学校なので、禁煙だ。

nomi Translates to: "only, just"

Nomi is more formal and far less common thandake. Unlike dake, its only meaning is that of small
のみ
quantity or singleness of frequency.
Tō-ten de wa, Nihon en nomi
go-riyō itadakemasu.
Nouns 当店では、日本円のみご利用頂 This store accepts Japanese Yen only.
けます。

Translates to: "despite, although, even though; would have; in order to"
Etymology: no + ni
no ni
Nouns and na-adjectives must be followed by na before using this particle.
のに No ni has a stronger meaning thankedo when used to mean "although", and conveys regret when
used to mean "would have".
Benkyō shiteiru no ni, eigo ga
Adjectives, hanasenai.
verbs: 勉強しているのに、英語が話せ Although I am studying, I can't speak English.
"although"
ない。

Adjectives
(conditional), Kaette kitara, yokatta no ni.
verbs It would have been niceif you had come home.
帰ってきたら、よかったのに。
(conditional):
"would have"
Hikkosu no ni torakku ga
Verb (plain hitsuyō da.
form): "in order 引っ越すのにトラックが必要 (In order) to move, you need a truck.
to"
だ。

Functions as: direct object

o Translates to: "through, from, past (motion verbs only)"
を This is unrelated to thehonorific prefix o, written お or 御.

Nouns: direct Neko ga esa o tabeta.

The cat ate the food.
object 猫が餌を食べた。

Noun: through, Sora o tobu

fly through the sky
etc. (motion) 空を飛ぶ

Functions as: Masculine sentence/phrase final particle, indicating explanation of obvious facts.
It
sa/saa is softer than yo.
さ・さあ・さぁ Saa: Feminine sentence/phrase final particle, used likene, but often more frequently as extremely
colloquial filler.
Kanojo ga inai kara, dansu niwa
Phrases: ikanai sa.
masculine sa 彼女がいないから、ダンスには I don't have a girlfriend, so I'm not going to the dance.
行かないさ。

Phrases: saa Kinō saa, gakkō de saa, sensei Like, yesterday, in, like, school, I, like, got fussed at by, like,
ni saa, chūi sarete saa, chō some teacher, and it totally made me sick.
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。

Sae: "even"
Note the meaning overlaps with mo. Sae implies (usually) positive emphasis that the evident
sae
さえ extent of something is greater than initially expected. Can be followed by mo for additional
emphasis. Contrast this with sura.

Kanji sae kakeru.

Nouns He can even write kanji.
漢字さえ書ける。

de sae Translates to: "even"

Etymology: de + sae
でさえ
De sae replaces wa and ga, like de mo above.
Sonna koto wa saru de sae
Nouns dekiru. Even a monkey can do that.
そんなことは猿でさえできる。

sae...ba/ra
Function: sae followed by a verb in the conditional means "if only".
さえ…ば・ら

Kore sae nomeba, futsukayoi

ga naoru yo.
Nouns これさえ飲めば、二日酔いが直 If you would just drink this, your hangover would get better.
るよ。

shi
Translates to: "and what's more" (conjunction)
し

Kirei da shi, hiroi shi, ii ne,

Adjectives, kono apaato!
きれいだし、広いし、いいね、 It's clean, it's spacious; this apartment is nice, isn't it!
verbs
このアパート。

Translates to: "only, just"

shika Shika must be followed by a negative verb.
しか Shika may be compounded asdakeshika, kirishika, and nomishika (plus the negative verb) to
stress an extremely limited quantity or frequency
.
Ichi en dama shika nai.
Nouns I have just a one-yen coin.
一円玉しかない。

Yūbin-kyoku ni iku shika nai.

Verb The only thing [to do] is to go to the post office.
郵便局に行くしかない。

Translates to: "even"

sura Note the meaning overlaps with mo. Sura implies (usually) negative emphasis that the evident
すら extent of something is less than initially expected.Contrast this with sae.

Kanji sura kakenai.

Nouns He can't even write kanji.
漢字すら書けない。

to
Translates to: "and" (conjunction); "with" or "as with" (preposition); "if"; quotation.
と

Nouns: sore to kore

that and this
conjunction それとこれ

Nouns: sore to kore to

that or this
conjunction それ と これ と

Verbs: taiyōkei dasshutsu e to They were getting closeto the point of leaving the Solar
transition/state chikazuite itta System.
change
 太陽系 脱出 へ と 近づいて 行
った｡

Noun: Boku to ikitai?

Do you want to go with me?
preposition 僕と行きたい？

Verb, adjectives: Benkyō suru to wakaru.

If you study, you'll understand.
"if" 勉強すると分かる。

Any phrase: Umi made! to sakenda.

"To the sea!" he cried.
quotation 「海まで！」と叫んだ。

to ka Functions as: A listing particle used likenado. Often used with the question wordnani (what) in
the form nantoka ("something or other").
とか
Etymology: to + ka
Kani to ka, hotate to ka,zenbu
tabeta yo.
Nouns 蟹とか、帆立とか、全部食べた We had crab, scallops, [other stuff,]we ate them all.
よ。

Tomo (共): "both, all of the"

To mo (no kanji): "even if, even though; at the ...-est; whether; [emphasis]"
to mo If following a noun and used with a negative verb, meaning changes to "none".
とも (共)
Etymology: to + mo

Watashi wa, aitsura ga futari

tomo kirai da.
私は、あいつらが、二人とも嫌 I hate the both of those guys.
いだ。
Counted nouns
Zannen nagara, sono kuruma
wa san dai tomo irimasen.
残念ながら、その車は三台とも Unfortunately, we need none of those three cars.
要りません。

Dō shiyō to mo amari
susumanai. No matter how we try [to do something], we don't make
Volitional verbs どうしようともあまり進まな much progress.
い。

Sukunaku to mo go-jū mairu

aruite kita.
Adverbial 少なくとも五十マイル歩いてき We walked at least fifty miles [to get here].
(continuative)
form of i- た。
adjectives
Osoku to mo itte miyō yo.
Even if it's late, let's go and check it out.
遅くともいってみようよ。

Kau to mo kawanai to mo
Verb (paired hakkiri shite imasen.
with same verb 買うとも買わないともはっきり It isn't clear whether they're going to buy or not.
in negative)
していません。

Verb, adjectives
Waratte ii to mo.
This use is It's okay to laugh.
similar to 笑っていいとも。[4]
the English
expression,
"as if
[something] Ikimasen to mo.
wouldn't As if I would go.
行きませんとも。
[phrase]."
 tte Written as って in hiragana, this is another form ofto. It is a shortened version oftoiu (という), the
って present progressive form of the verbiu (言う), "to say"; it functions as a type of verbalquotation
mark. It is sometimes used for a direct quote, sometimes for an indirect quote, and sometimes
simply to emphasize a word or concept.
tte is casual, and (because it can be a direct quote) the politeness level of the quoted material
does not necessarily reflect on the speaker. If you wish to be assuredly formal, use to iimasu
instead of tte.

Sugu kimasu tte Could be, "He said he'll come soon" (more politely) or
, "He
すぐ来ますって。 said, 'I'll come soon.'" (less so).
Any phrase
Arabiago tte, muzukashikunai? "Arabic─isn't it difficult?"
アラビア語って難しくない？ (Emphasizing a word; used instead ofというものは or は)

tteba Functions as:'strong emphasis marker, especially when the speaker has grown impatient.
ってば Etymology: te + ba

Any phrase: kōhī datteba !

I said "coffee"!
quotation コーヒーだってば！

wa は wa is a topic marker. It is written with the hiraganaは ha, rather than the hiraganaわ, wa. Not
は to be confused with the particleが.

わ wa is used at the end of the sentence to establish an emotional connection. It is used by both
wa genders when it is pronounced with a falling intonation especially in dialects of Kansai, Nagoya
わ and elsewhere, but with a rising intonation, it is generally used by females. This also conveys a
certain deference to the speaker's wishes and emotions.

ya Ya is used to make incomplete lists of things (usually nouns).To make an exhaustive list, the
や particle to is used instead.

Watashi no suki na tabemono

wa okashi ya pan ya mikan
nado desu "I like snacks, bread and tangerines."
私の好きな食べ物はお菓子やパ
ンやミカンなどです。

yara
Denotes either uncertainty or listing.
やら

Yo comes at the end of the sentence, and is used to make assertions. Compare
zo and ze below.
yo Yo is also sometimes used after nouns, and functions as a vocative marker. This is especially
よ used in older speech, poetry, and songs.

Kaeru yo!
"I'm going home!"
帰るよ！

Saraba, tomo yo
"Farewell, oh friend!"
さらば友よ。

yori Yori can mean "from", and is also used to make comparisons.Yori is usually written より in
より hiragana.

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 "This train will stop at every station after Kashiwa".
まります。

Dare-yori-mo kanemochi-ni
naritai "I want to become richer than anyone (else)".
誰よりも金持ちになりたい。

ze
ze indicates assertion. Used mostly by men, it is never considered polite. Compare
yo and zo.
ぜ
 zo zo indicates assertion. Used mainly by men, it is considered somewhat less forceful and more
ぞ positive than ze. Compare yo and ze above.

Zutsu denotes an equal or gradual distribution of quantity like "at a time" in "one at a time", "by" in
zutsu "one by one", or "each" in "one each". It usually follows counted nouns, and is written with
ずつ hiragana as ずつ.

Chokorēto-o ni-ko-zutsu
tabemashita Either "I ate two pieces of chocolate on each (countable)
Noun: counted チョコレートを二個ずつ食べま times." or "Each one ate (=shared) two pieces of chocolate
(from larger amount)."
した。

Contrast

は wa and が ga

に ni and で 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."

日本に住んでいる。 (Nihon-ni sunde iru. "I live in Japan.")

学校にいる。 (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.

学校で寝る。 (Gakkō-de neru. "I sleep in/at school.")

*Gakkō-ni neru. *"I sleep to school," is not usually used.

に ni and へ 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 bye:

学校に行く。 (Gakkō ni iku. "I'm going to school"), where学校 gakkō, "school," is the destination of 行く iku, "go."

Gakkō e iku. "I'm going to school," wheregakkō, "school," is the destination ofiku, "go."

学校にいる。 (Gakkō ni iru. "I'm at school"), where学校 gakkō, "school," is the location of いる 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.

友達に会う。 (Tomodachi ni au "I'll meet my friends") where友達 tomodachi, "friends," is the indirect object of 会う
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.

本を買いに行った。 (Hon o kai ni itta "I went to buy a book"), where買いに 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 becausekai, "buying," cannot be a destination.

Indicating direction, usinge instead of ni is preferred when ni is used non-directionally in proximity:

 友達に会いに京都へ行った。 (Tomodachi ni ai ni Kyōto e itta."I went to Kyoto to meet my friends.")

が ga and を 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:

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.")

Similarly, 好き suki, a na adjective meaning "liked", can take eitherga or o:

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") (words from a popular song)

に ni and と to
Ni and to are sometimes interchangeable in forms like になる ni naru and となる to naru. The ni naru form suggests a natural
change, whereas to naru suggests change to a final stage.

や ya and と to
Ya is used for incomplete lists, whereasto is used for complete ones.

Historical particles
[5]
い i was used in Old Japanese and kanbun works. Its meaning is still debated, but has traditionally been considered emphatic.

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" or "about", 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"; andni tsuite is a fixed verbal expression meaning
"concerning", and when used as postpositions:

テーブルの上にある。
Tēburu-no -ue-ni aru.
Table-OF top/up-AT exists.
"It's on the table."

あの人は、ギターについて何でもわかる。
Ano hito-wa, gitā-ni tsuite nandemo wakaru.
That person-TOPIC guitar-TO concerning anything knows.
"That person knows everything about guitars."

See also
Adposition
Chinese particles
Okinawan particles
Korean particles
Japanese counter words
Japanese grammar: particles
 Japanese verb conjugations
Sentence-final particle

Notes
1. Nanka/nante is usually followed by a verb which conveys some kind of undervalue, lacking, or dislike, often in the
negative.
2. Can immediately followi-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.
3. Phrases ending in a noun orna-adjective require the na form of the copula before the nominalizingno.
4. Title of a Japanese TV programme hosted byTamori.
5. Frellesvig, Bjark (2010).A History of the Japanese Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 131.
ISBN 9780521653206.

References
Chino, Naoko. How to Tell the Difference Between JapaneseParticles. Tokyo; New York: Kodansha International,
2005. ISBN 4-7700-2200-X.
Martin, Samuel E. A Reference Grammar of Japanese. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1975. ISBN 0-
300-01813-4.
Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: Japan Times, 1986. ISBN 4-
7890-0454-6.
Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: Japan Times, 1997.
ISBN 4-7890-0775-8.
McClain, Yoko Matsuoka. A Handbook of Modern Japanese Grammar: Including Lists of Words and Expressions
with English Equivalents for Reading Aid. Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 1981.ISBN 4-590-00570-0, ISBN 0-89346-149-
0.

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