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In Japanese, particles are called \u52a9\u8a5e (joshi<\/em>) or \u3066\u306b\u3092\u306f (tenioha<\/em>). These one-syllable building blocks within a Japanese sentence follow immediately after a noun, verb, or adjective. They modify each of these words, indicating what the word\u2019s role is within the sentence. In this article, we\u2019re going to cover the major Japanese particles, how they work, and when to use them.<\/p>\n Before we begin, it\u2019s important to remember three rules that almost every Japanese particle must follow.<\/p>\n With these rules in mind, let\u2019s take a look at the major Japanese particles you\u2019ll find in every sentence.<\/p>\n These are the particles that you need<\/strong> to form even the most basic Japanese sentences. Some particles mark a topic, object, or action, while others have more specific roles like destination or time. While there are a few particles in this section that closely resemble other particles, each Japanese particle does have its own important role to play.<\/p>\n \u306f (wa<\/em>) marks the topic of the sentence<\/strong>, or the word that will be the focus of the following phrase or conversation. That means that wa<\/em> will always follow either a noun or a personal pronoun. As personal pronoun topics can sometimes be omitted in Japanese, you might notice that wa<\/em> can tend to disappear from sentences as well. But don\u2019t be alarmed\u2014leaving the topic and wa<\/em> in your sentence is perfectly okay if you don\u2019t feel comfortable omitting it.<\/p>\n In English, wa <\/em>could best be translated to am, is, <\/em>or are. <\/em>Here are a couple of basic sentences in which people use the Japanese particle wa<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u304c (ga<\/em>) is often hard to distinguish from wa<\/em> for many Western studiers of Japanese. These two Japanese particles can and often do appear within the same sentence. While wa<\/em> points to the topic of the conversation, ga<\/em> appears when necessary to differentiate the topic from the subject.<\/p>\n For example, let\u2019s look at this sentence:<\/p>\n It means, I can\u2019t remember his name.<\/em> I, or the person speaking, is the topic of the sentence. This is about their inability to remember a name. But the name<\/strong> cannot be remembered is the subject, and is therefore marked with ga.<\/em><\/p>\n Another way ga<\/em> is used in a sentence is to emphasize or narrow the focus down to the word it precedes. Using the same example, a second wa<\/em> can technically be inserted in the place of ga<\/em>. That would make the sentence look like this:<\/p>\n The translation of this sentence to English is still the same: I can\u2019t remember his name. <\/em>However, the use of wa<\/em> changes the nuance<\/strong> of the sentence. It doesn\u2019t narrow the focus down to his name<\/em>, and thus implies that the speaker has several other<\/strong> names that they cannot remember.<\/p>\n However, \u79c1\u306f\u5f7c\u306e\u540d\u524d\u304c<\/strong>\u899a\u3048\u3089\u308c\u306a\u3044 (Watashi <\/em>wa<\/em><\/strong> kare no namae <\/em>ga<\/em><\/strong> oboerarenai.<\/em>) narrows the implication of this sentence down to his name<\/em><\/strong> only. The speaker cannot remember this man\u2019s name, but they probably remember other names just fine.<\/p>\n This might be a bit confusing, but don\u2019t worry. The differences between wa<\/em> and ga<\/em> will often become a natural instinct you gain with practice. Here are a few more examples to look at before we move on to the next Japanese particle.<\/p>\n The particle \u306b (ni<\/em>) has two uses. First, it directs the action of a following verb to the word it follows. For example, the sentence:<\/p>\n means I gave bread <\/em>to<\/em><\/strong> him.<\/em> Whom or what was the bread given<\/strong> to? Tom. This is why the English prepositions to, from, <\/em>or at<\/em> are often used as translations for ni. <\/em><\/p>\n Ni<\/em> is also used to indicate a time, place, or direction. For example, the sentence I will go to the market at 12:00<\/em> translates to:<\/p>\n Here are a few more example sentences to help you understand the particle ni. <\/em><\/p>\n \u3078 (e<\/em>) is similar to ni<\/em> in that it indicates direction and destination. The biggest differences between e <\/em>and ni <\/em>are that e<\/em> is limited to indicating destination and direction and that unlike ni,<\/em> it can be combined with other Japanese particles.<\/p>\n The most common English translation of e<\/em> is towards. <\/em>This might not be a literal translation, but it sums up the nuance of this particle quite well. Take this Japanese sentence, for example:<\/p>\n The English translation of this sentence is, The girl faced the sun<\/em>, but it can also be translated as, The girl faced <\/em>towards<\/em><\/strong> the sun. E <\/em>marks the direction in which the girl is facing: sun-wards.<\/p>\n As far as marking destination is concerned, e<\/em> is practically interchangeable with ni. <\/em>We can use it in the supermarket example from the previous section:<\/p>\n This does sound a bit clunkier than when ni<\/em> is used after \u201csupermarket,\u201d but it\u2019s still an acceptable sentence. Note that e<\/em> cannot replace ni<\/em> to mark the time of 12:00<\/em>. E <\/em>is more limited in its use than ni<\/em> in this regard.<\/p>\nRules for Japanese Particles<\/h2>\n
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Major Japanese Particles<\/h2>\n
\u306f (wa<\/em>) <\/strong>\u2013 Marks the Sentence Topic<\/h3>\n
Examples<\/h4>\n
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\u304c (ga<\/em>) <\/strong>\u2013 Marks the Subject; Emphasizes Words<\/h3>\n
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Examples:<\/h4>\n
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\u306b (ni<\/em>) <\/strong> – Marks the Direction of an Action<\/h3>\n
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Examples:<\/h4>\n
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\u3078 (e<\/em>) <\/strong>\u2013 Marks Destination, and Direction<\/h3>\n
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Examples:<\/h4>\n
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\u3092 (o<\/em>) <\/strong>\u2013 Indicates the Direct Object<\/h3>\n