The thirteen particles to learn first
Each particle in a short example. Read the job, then the sentence, and notice the particle always follows the word it marks.
| Particle | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| は wa | topic: “as for…” | 私は学生です I am a student |
| が ga | subject; new information | 雨が降っています it’s raining |
| を o | direct object | パンを食べます I eat bread |
| に ni | time, destination, target, place where something is | 七時に起きます I get up at seven |
| へ e | direction, towards | 日本へ行きます I’m going to Japan |
| で de | place of an action; means, by | バスで行きます I go by bus |
| と to | and (complete list); with | 母と話します I talk with my mother |
| の no | ’s; links two nouns | 私の本 my book |
| も mo | also, too | 私も行きます I’m going too |
| から kara | from | 九時から from nine |
| まで made | until, as far as | 五時まで until five |
| や ya | and (examples, not complete) | ペンや本 pens, books and so on |
| か ka | question; or | 行きますか are you going? |
は, へ and を: spelled one way, read another
Three particles keep spellings from older Japanese. As particles they are read differently from the kana’s usual sound; inside ordinary words, they are read normally.
に or で: where something is versus where something happens
Both can translate as “in” or “at”. Use に for where something exists or is going, and で for where an action takes place.
と or や: a full list or a few examples
と: “A and B, that’s all”
パンと牛乳を買いました。
pan to gyūnyū o kaimashita
I bought bread and milk (nothing else).
と also means “with” after a person: 友達と行きます, “I’m going with a friend”.
や: “A, B and so on”
パンや牛乳を買いました。
pan ya gyūnyū o kaimashita
I bought bread, milk and other things.
Add など nado at the end to make “and so on” explicit: パンや牛乳など.
も replaces は, が and を
も means “also” or “too”. It takes the place of は, が or を instead of sitting beside them; other particles like に and で stay and も goes after them.
Particles that stack
Some particles combine, each adding its meaning. The second one is usually は (as for) or も (also).
を with verbs of movement: through, along, out of
With verbs of movement, を marks the space you move through or the place you leave, not an object you act on. English uses a preposition here; Japanese uses を.
で beyond “at”: means, material, language and scope
で marks the place of an action, but also the tool, material or language used, the limit of a comparison, a total, and a cause. Each use answers a different question: with what? in what? within what?
| Example | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| hashi de taberu | eat with chopsticks | means, tool |
| ki de tsukutta isu | a chair made of wood | material |
| nihongo de hanasu | speak in Japanese | language |
| basu de iku | go by bus | means of transport |
| Nihon de ichiban takai yama | the highest mountain in Japan | scope |
| zenbu de sen en | 1,000 yen in total | total |
| kaze de yasumu | stay off with a cold | cause |
に: one particle, six jobs
に points at a target. That target can be a time, a destination, the person who receives something, a purpose, or a rate.
| Example | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| shichi-ji ni okiru | get up at seven | point in time |
| Tōkyō ni iku | go to Tokyo | destination |
| tomodachi ni ageru | give to a friend | receiver |
| heya ni iru | be in the room | location of existence |
| kaimono ni iku | go shopping | purpose |
| shū ni nikai | twice a week | rate |
Particles in casual speech
Among friends, は, を, へ and に are often left out when the meaning is obvious. が is dropped less often; で, と, から and まで carry meaning that cannot be guessed, so they stay. In writing and polite speech, keep every particle.
Limiting particles: だけ, しか, ばかり, まで
These four add a sense of limit or extreme. だけ is a neutral “only”; しか also means “only” but always takes a negative verb and sounds like “nothing but”; ばかり means “nothing but, all the time”; まで can mean “even”.
| Example | Meaning | Particle |
|---|---|---|
| mizu dake nomimasu | I only drink water | だけ |
| sen en shika arimasen | I have only 1,000 yen | しか + negative |
| hitori shika konakatta | only one person came | しか + negative |
| gēmu bakari shite iru | he does nothing but play games | ばかり |
| kodomo made shitte iru | even children know it | まで: even |
| sukoshi dake | just a little | だけ |
Cheat sheet: which particle answers which question
If you know what question a word answers, you know its particle.
| Particle | Answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wa | what are we talking about? | 私は |
| ga | who or what (new info)? | 誰が |
| o | what is acted on? | パンを |
| ni | when? to where? to whom? | 七時に |
| e | towards where? | 東京へ |
| de | where (action)? with what? | 駅で |
| to | with whom? and? | 友達と |
| no | whose? what kind? | 私の |
| kara | from where or when? | 九時から |
| made | until? as far as? | 五時まで |
Check yourself
Choose the particle for each gap, then open the answer.
- Gap 1毎朝コーヒー（ ）飲みます。maiasa kōhī ( ) nomimasu
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を: coffee is the object of drinking. - Gap 2駅（ ）友達を待ちます。eki ( ) tomodachi o machimasu
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で: waiting is an action at the station. - Gap 3部屋（ ）猫がいます。heya ( ) neko ga imasu
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に: where something exists. - Gap 4バス（ ）学校に行きます。basu ( ) gakkō ni ikimasu
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で: the means of transport. - Gap 5これは私（ ）本です。kore wa watashi ( ) hon desu
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の: possession, “my book”. - Gap 6百円（ ）ありません。hyaku en ( ) arimasen
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しか: “only 100 yen”, with the negative verb.
Particles in one paragraph
A short diary entry. Count the particles: almost every word before the verb has one.