JLPT N5 Particles

は (wa) - topic marker

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Description:

は (wa) follows the topic the speaker wants to talk about. Therefore, wa（は）is often called topic marking particle. The “topic” is often the grammatical subject, but can be anything (including the grammatical object, and sometimes the verb), and it may also follow some other particles.

Formation:

[ A ] wa [ B ] desu. [ A ] is [ B ].

Example:

Kinō wa ame datta 【昨日は雨だった】

It was rainy yesterday

を (wo/o) - object marker particle

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Description:

を (o) marks the grammatical object of a sentence. It follows nouns and noun phrases.

Formation:

Noun + o (を) + verb

Example:

Watashi wa choko o tabemasu 【私はチョコを食べます】

I eat chocolate

も (mo) - too; also; as well

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Description:

も (mo) functions as “also” or “too” in English. It is used to indicate that something which has previously been stated also holds true for the item currently under discussion. It replaces ga, wa or o when used.

Formation:

[Object] も [property/action] です.

Example:

Watashi mo furansujin desu 【私もフランス人です】

I am also French

に (ni) - destination particle; in; at; on; to

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Description:

に (ni) indicates a place towards which someone or something moves. It is preceded by the name of the place and followed by a verb that indicates a moving action such as iku (行く) “to go.” It is also used with giving/receiving verbs and can then mean “from”. In the case of passive verbs, it marks the grammatical agent, making it the same as “by” in English. (i.e. “my wallet was stolen by my brother.” ). に is also used to indicate the location of existence when combined with the verbs いる or ある, making it the Japanese version of “at” (in some instances).

Formation:

place + ni (に)

Example:

Gakkō ni ikimasu 【学校に行きます】

I go to school

へ (e) - to (indicates direction / destination)

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Description:

へ (e) is basically the same as に, except it emphasizes direction over arrival. The main difference is usage. へ is never used as “from”, “by”, “at”. In addition, the particle の can follow the へ particle directly, whereas it cannot follow に.

Formation:

location/direction + e(へ)

Example:

Kare e tegami o okurimasita 【彼へ 手紙を送りました】

I sent him a letter

で (de) - location of an action

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Description:

で (de) is used to indicate the location of an action. The performer of the action (the subject) is followed by either of the particles wa or ga, and the place is followed by de. However, it can’t be used with with the verbs いる or ある.

Formation:

location + de (で)

Example:

Watashi wa ie de hon o yomimasu 【私は家で 本を読みます】

I read books at home

が (ga) - subject marker; however; but

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Description:

が (ga) marks the grammatical subject of a sentence when it is first introduced to a conversation. It can also be used to join sentences, like the word “but,” though that が is technically a different word. The particle が can also be used to emphasize the subject or distinguish it from others. While は is used when a question word (who, where, etc.) comes after the topic in the sentence (レストランはどこですか。), we use the particle が when the question word is the subject or part of it.

Formation:

subject + が / Sentence 1 + が + Sentence 2

Example:

Dare ga kimasu ka 【だれ が 来ますか】

Who will come

から (kara) - because; since; from

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Description:

から (kara) indicates the source of an object or action. This starting position may be either a point in space (in which case it is translated as “from”), or a point in time (in which case it is translated as “since” or “after”).

Formation:

Noun + kara (から)

Example:

Gakkō kara ie made dorekurai kakarimasu ka 【学校から 家までどれくらいかかりますか】

How long does it take you to get home from school

まで (made) - until; as far as; to (an extent); even

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Description:

まで (made) indicates that an action/effect extends or reaches a specified limit or a point in time or space. It is therefore equivalent to the English expression “until.”

Formation:

Noun + made (まで)

Example:

Kanojo to shichi-ji made doraibu shimashita 【彼女と７時まで ドライブしました】

I went driving around with my girlfriend until 7 o’clock

と (to) - and; with; as; connecting particle

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Description:

と (to) is used to join nouns together into an exhaustive list that functions as a single noun: ”with,” “and.” It’s also the particle used to indicate a direct quote (from someone’s mind or speech), functioning like quotation marks in English.

Formation:

Noun + to (と) + Noun

Example:

Niku to sakana ga suki desu 【肉と 魚が好きです】

I like meat and fish

や (ya) - and; or; connecting particle

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Description:

や (ya) is used in the same way as the first sense of と, but the list is not exhaustive. It means “such things as A, B, and C.”

Formation:

AやB

Example:

Aka ya kīro no hana ga saiteita 【赤や 黄色の花が咲いていた】

There were red, yellow, and other color flowers blooming

の (no) - possessive particle

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Description:

の (no) indicates possession (functioning like the English “apostrophe-S”). In the structure A no B, B belongs to A, however, many nouns act like adjectives when followed by no. It directly follows nouns and noun phrases.

Formation:

Object1 + の + Object2

Example:

Anata no namae wa nan desuka 【あなた の 名前はなんですか】

What’s your name

ね (ne) - isn't it? right? eh?

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Description:

ね (ne) is used at the end of sentences, basically in the same way as an English tag question. If said with rising intonation, it indicates a request for confirmation from the listener (i.e., “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?” ), whereas if said with falling intonation, it’s used as a rhetorical device (i.e., “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it.” )

Formation:

End of the sentence + ne (ね)

Example:

Kore wa oishii desu ne 【これは美味しいです ね】

This is delicious, isn’t it

よ (yo) - you know; emphasis (ending particle)

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Description:

よ (yo) is used by the speaker to express a strong conviction about something or to emphatically declare something.

Formation:

End of the sentence + yo (よ)

Example:

Ashita Watashi wa iku yo 【明日私は行く よ】

I’ll go tomorrow