Quick reference chart
Particles are small words which usually consist of one or two Hiragana letters.
They are really important to make a perfect Japanese sentence
although you might be able to make yourself understand without particles.
| Particle | Function |
|---|---|
| は | after a subject, no meaning |
| が | after a subject, no meaning |
| を | after an object, no meaning |
| に | in, on, at (time) / to (place) |
| へ | to (place) |
| と | and / with (person, animal) |
| や | and |
| も | also, too |
| で | in (language) / with (tool) / by (transport) / at (place) |
| か | ? |
| の | of, ‘s |
は
Subject (or topic) marking particle
は is a subject marking particle.
It needs to be placed after the subject of a sentence.
は is ‘ha’ when you read it,
but it needs to be ‘wa’
when は is used as a subject marking particle.
It does not have a meaning on its own.
が
Subject (or topic) marking particle
が is a subject marking particle too.
It does not have a meaning on its own.
を
Object marking particle
を is an object marking particle.
It needs to be placed after an object.
A verb comes after を.
It does not have a meaning on its own.
へ
Destination marking particle
へ is a destination marking particle.
Its pronunciation is ‘e’ when へ is used as a particle.
It is the same as ‘to’ in English.
へ is often used with ‘go’ or ‘come’.
私は日本へ行きます。
I go to Japan.
There is another destination marking particle, which is に.
に
Location marking particle
に is used with following Japanese verbs: live（すむ）, stay（とまる）etc.
父は日本にすんでいます。
My father lives in Japan.
私はきのうホテルにとまりました。
I stayed at a hotel yesterday.
Time marking particle
に is also placed after ‘time’.
- 八月に → in August
- 月曜日に → on Monday
- 九時に → at 9 o’clock
Destination marking particle
に is a destination marking particle as well.
It is the same as ‘to’ in English.
に is often used with ‘go’ or ‘come’.
私は日本に行きます。
I go to Japan.
There is another destination marking particle, which is へ.
で
Location marking particle
で is placed after ‘place’.
- 店で → at a shop
- 学校で → at school
- アメリカで → in U.S.A.
に can also be a location marking particle.
Transport marking particle
で is also placed after transport.
It is the same as ‘by’ in English.
- 車で → by car
- バスで → by bus
Tool marking particle
で is placed after tool as well.
- はしで → with chopsticks
- でんわで → on the phone
と
Joining nouns
と is used to join nouns.
- 犬と猫（ねこ） → dogs and cats
- 兄と私 → my older brother and I
- 日本とインド → Japan and India
with (somebody)
と is also used to talk about who you do something with.
- 父と → with my father
- 友だちと → with friends
や
joining nouns
や is used to join nouns.
- 犬や猫（ねこ） → dogs and cats
- 兄や私 → my older brother and I
- 日本やインド → Japan and India
の
Possessive Particle (of / ‘s)
の indicates who has what.
- ともだちのかばん → friend‘s bag
- 父のくるま → my father‘s car
- 母のぼうし → my mother‘s cap
Make a sentence sound soft
の can be placed at the end of a sentence
by girls and children.
In this case, の has to follow Verb Plain Form or Adjective Plain Form.
テレビをよく見るの。
- Do you often watch TV? (the intonation rises at the end)
- I often watch TV. (the intonation does not rise at the end)
やさいはおいしいの。
- Are vegetables yummy? (the intonation rises at the end)
- Vegetables are yummy. (the intonation does not rise at the end)
か
Question mark (?)
か is equivalent to a question mark if you have it at the end of a sentence.
Do you eat apples?
りんごを食べますか。
わ
Women put わ at the end of a sentence.
It does not mean anything.
In this case, わ has to follow Verb Plain Form or Adjective Plain Form
Men just use Verb Plain Form or Adjective Plain Form.
Women say: 私は学校に行くわ。
Men say: 私は学校に行く。
Both mean ‘I go to school.’
Exercise
Task: Fill in the brackets with correct particles.
- 私（ ）名前（ ）トーマスです。
- きのう父（ ）こうえん（ ）さんぽしました。
- 日本で会った友だち（ ）日本語（ ）手紙（ ）書くつもりです。
- オーストラリア（ ）行ったことがありますか。
- はし（ ）食事するのはむずかしいです。
- 母はテニスだけでなくバスケットボール（ ）上手です。
- 今年学校で数学（ ）英語（ ）日本語を勉強します。
- 私（の）名前（は）トーマスです。
- きのう父（と）こうえん（を）さんぽしました。
- 日本で会った友だち（に）日本語（で）手紙（を）書くつもりです。
- オーストラリア（に）行ったことがありますか。Note: へ is correct too.
- はし（で）食事するのはむずかしいです。
- 母はテニスだけでなくバスケットボール（も）上手です。
- 今年学校で数学（や）英語（や）日本語を勉強します。Note: と is correct too.