If Japanese vocabulary is the bricks of a house, then particles are the mortar holding everything together. These tiny words (は, が, を, に, で) might look insignificant, but they're absolutely essential for constructing meaningful Japanese sentences. Master particles, and you'll unlock the ability to express almost any idea in Japanese.

What Are Japanese Particles?

Particles (助詞 - joshi) are small words that follow nouns, verbs, or sentences to indicate grammatical relationships. Unlike English, which relies heavily on word order, Japanese uses particles to show:

• Who is doing something (subject)
• What is being done to (object)
• Where something happens (location)
• When something occurs (time)
• How something is done (manner)

Think of particles as labels that tell you each word's role in the sentence.

English relies on word order:

"The dog bit the man" vs "The man bit the dog" – totally different meanings!

Japanese uses particles:

犬が男を噛んだ (inu GA otoko WO kanda) – The dog bit the man 男が犬を噛んだ (otoko GA inu WO kanda) – The man bit the dog

The particles が (subject marker) and を (object marker) tell us who did what, regardless of word order!

The 8 Essential Particles Every Beginner Must Know

Quick Reference Chart

Particle	Main Function	Example	Translation
は (wa)	Topic marker	私は学生です	I am a student
が (ga)	Subject marker	雨が降っています	It's raining
を (wo)	Object marker	すしを食べます	I eat sushi
に (ni)	Direction/time/location	東京に行きます	I go to Tokyo
で (de)	Location of action/means	学校で勉強します	I study at school
の (no)	Possession/connection	私の本	My book
と (to)	And/with	友達と話す	Talk with friends
か (ka)	Question marker	これは何ですか？	What is this?

Now let's explore each one in depth!

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は (wa) – The Topic Marker

Function: Marks the topic of the sentence – what you're talking about.

Pronunciation note: Written with the hiragana は (ha), but pronounced "wa" when used as a particle.

Basic Usage

The topic is the subject matter under discussion:

Japanese	Romaji	English
私は田中です	Watashi wa Tanaka desu	I am Tanaka (As for me, I'm Tanaka)
今日は暑いです	Kyou wa atsui desu	Today is hot (As for today, it's hot)
天気は良いです	Tenki wa yoi desu	The weather is nice

は as Contrast Marker

When emphasizing contrast between two things:

コーヒーは飲みますが、紅茶は飲みません。 Koohii wa nomimasu ga, koucha wa nomimasen. I drink coffee, but I DON'T drink tea.

The repeated は emphasizes the contrast between coffee (yes) and tea (no).

When to Use は

✅ Use は when:

• Introducing a topic for the first time
• Stating general facts about something
• Contrasting two things
• The subject is known/assumed

Common patterns:

• 〇〇は〇〇です (X is Y)
• 〇〇は好きです (I like X)
• 〇〇は分かりません (I don't understand X)

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が (ga) – The Subject Marker

Function: Marks the grammatical subject OR emphasizes new/important information.

Basic Usage

Identifies WHO or WHAT performs the action:

Japanese	Romaji	English
雨が降っています	Ame ga futte imasu	Rain is falling
電車が来ました	Densha ga kimashita	The train arrived
誰が来ますか？	Dare ga kimasu ka?	Who is coming?

が for New Information

When introducing something unknown or answering "who/what" questions:

A: 誰が来ましたか？(Who came?) B: 田中さんが来ました。(Tanaka came.)

が with Existence Verbs

Always use が with ある (aru) and いる (iru):

Japanese	Romaji	English
猫がいます	Neko ga imasu	There is a cat
本があります	Hon ga arimasu	There is a book
時間がありません	Jikan ga arimasen	There's no time

が with Ability and Preference

Use が (not を) with these patterns:

Pattern	Example	Meaning
〇〇ができる	日本語ができます	I can [speak] Japanese
〇〇が分かる	意味が分かります	I understand the meaning
〇〇が好き	寿司が好きです	I like sushi
〇〇が欲しい	水が欲しいです	I want water

は vs が: The Million-Dollar Question

This is one of the trickiest distinctions in Japanese. Here's a simplified approach:

Situation	Use	Example
Introducing topic	は	私は学生です (I am a student)
Answering "who/what"	が	私が犯人です (I am the culprit)
Known information	は	東京は大きいです (Tokyo is big)
New information	が	電話がなっています (The phone is ringing)
General statements	は	猫は可愛いです (Cats are cute)
Specific observations	が	あの猫が可愛い (That cat is cute)

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を (wo) – The Object Marker

Function: Marks the direct object – the thing receiving the action.

Pronunciation: Written with を but pronounced "o."

Basic Usage

Whatever directly receives the verb's action takes を:

Japanese	Romaji	English
本を読みます	Hon wo yomimasu	I read books
水を飲みます	Mizu wo nomimasu	I drink water
映画を見ます	Eiga wo mimasu	I watch movies
日本語を勉強します	Nihongo wo benkyou shimasu	I study Japanese

Movement Through/Along

を also marks a path of movement:

Japanese	Romaji	English
道を歩く	Michi wo aruku	Walk down the road
空を飛ぶ	Sora wo tobu	Fly through the sky
橋を渡る	Hashi wo wataru	Cross the bridge

Leaving a Place

を marks the place you leave from:

Japanese	Romaji	English
家を出ます	Ie wo demasu	I leave the house
電車を降ります	Densha wo orimasu	I get off the train
大学を卒業しました	Daigaku wo sotsugyou shimashita	I graduated from university

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に (ni) – The Multi-Purpose Particle

Function: Direction, time, location of existence, recipient, purpose.

に is incredibly versatile – it's the Swiss Army knife of particles!

Direction/Destination

Where you're going TO:

Japanese	Romaji	English
日本に行きます	Nihon ni ikimasu	I go to Japan
学校に行きます	Gakkou ni ikimasu	I go to school
家に帰ります	Ie ni kaerimasu	I return home

Time

When something happens:

Japanese	Romaji	English
7時に起きます	Shichiji ni okimasu	I wake up at 7
月曜日に会いましょう	Getsuyoubi ni aimashou	Let's meet on Monday
2024年に生まれました	2024 nen ni umaremashita	I was born in 2024

Note: Relative time words (today, tomorrow, now) do NOT take に.

• ✓ 今日、学校に行きます (Today I go to school) – no に after 今日
• ✓ 月曜日に行きます (I go on Monday) – specific day uses に

Location of Existence

Where something IS (used with いる/ある):

Japanese	Romaji	English
猫が部屋にいます	Neko ga heya ni imasu	The cat is in the room
本が机にあります	Hon ga tsukue ni arimasu	The book is on the desk
東京に住んでいます	Tokyo ni sunde imasu	I live in Tokyo

Recipient/Target

Person receiving something or targeted by action:

Japanese	Romaji	English
友達に電話します	Tomodachi ni denwa shimasu	I call my friend
母にプレゼントをあげます	Haha ni purezento wo agemasu	I give mom a present
先生に質問します	Sensei ni shitsumon shimasu	I ask the teacher

Purpose (when combined with verbs)

Japanese	Romaji	English
食べに行きます	Tabe ni ikimasu	I go to eat
見に来ました	Mi ni kimashita	I came to see
泳ぎに行きませんか	Oyogi ni ikimasen ka	Shall we go swimming?

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で (de) – Location of Action & Means

Function: Where an ACTION happens, or by what MEANS.

Location of Action

Where you DO something (not where something EXISTS – that's に):

Japanese	Romaji	English
レストランで食べます	Resutoran de tabemasu	I eat at a restaurant
図書館で勉強します	Toshokan de benkyou shimasu	I study at the library
駅で友達に会いました	Eki de tomodachi ni aimashita	I met a friend at the station

に vs で for Location

This confuses many learners! Here's the key difference:

Particle	Usage	Example
に	Where something EXISTS	猫が部屋にいる (The cat is in the room)
で	Where an ACTION happens	部屋で遊ぶ (I play in the room)

Memory trick: に is static (being somewhere), で is dynamic (doing something somewhere).

Means/Method

How something is done:

Japanese	Romaji	English
電車で行きます	Densha de ikimasu	I go by train
日本語で話します	Nihongo de hanashimasu	I speak in Japanese
箸で食べます	Hashi de tabemasu	I eat with chopsticks
ペンで書きます	Pen de kakimasu	I write with a pen

Material

What something is made of:

Japanese	Romaji	English
木で作りました	Ki de tsukurimashita	Made it with wood
紙で折りました	Kami de orimashita	Folded it from paper

Reason/Cause

Why something happens:

Japanese	Romaji	English
病気で休みました	Byouki de yasumimashita	I took off due to illness
事故で遅れました	Jiko de okuremashita	I was late because of an accident

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の (no) – Connection & Possession

Function: Connects nouns, shows possession or relationship.

Possession

Like English "'s" or "of":

Japanese	Romaji	English
私の本	Watashi no hon	My book
田中さんの車	Tanaka-san no kuruma	Tanaka's car
日本の文化	Nihon no bunka	Japanese culture
大学の先生	Daigaku no sensei	University professor

Noun Modification

Describes relationships between nouns:

Japanese	Romaji	English
日本語の本	Nihongo no hon	Japanese language book
東京の電車	Tokyo no densha	Tokyo trains
夏の天気	Natsu no tenki	Summer weather

の as Pronoun

の can replace a noun already mentioned:

この本は私のです。(Kono hon wa watashi no desu.) This book is mine.

Here, の replaces 本 (book) to avoid repetition.

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と (to) – And/With

Function: Lists items together, or indicates companionship.

Listing Items

Complete list of items (exhaustive):

Japanese	Romaji	English
りんごとバナナ	Ringo to banana	Apples and bananas
ペンと紙と消しゴム	Pen to kami to keshigomu	Pen, paper, and eraser
肉と魚と野菜	Niku to sakana to yasai	Meat, fish, and vegetables

Note: と implies a complete list. For incomplete lists, use や (ya).

Companionship

"Together with" someone:

Japanese	Romaji	English
友達と遊びます	Tomodachi to asobimasu	I play with friends
彼女と映画を見ました	Kanojo to eiga wo mimashita	I watched a movie with my girlfriend
誰と行きますか	Dare to ikimasu ka	Who are you going with?

Quotation/Comparison

Marks quoted content or comparison:

Japanese	Romaji	English
「はい」と言いました	"Hai" to iimashita	Said "yes"
日本語で「hello」は「こんにちは」と言います	Nihongo de "hello" wa "konnichiwa" to iimasu	"Hello" in Japanese is "konnichiwa"

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か (ka) – Question Marker

Function: Turns statements into questions.

Basic Questions

Simply add か to the end:

Statement	Question
これは本です (This is a book)	これは本ですか？ (Is this a book?)
日本人です (I am Japanese)	日本人ですか？ (Are you Japanese?)
食べます (I eat)	食べますか？ (Do you eat?)

With Question Words

Question words + か creates a question:

Japanese	Romaji	English
何ですか	Nan desu ka	What is it?
どこですか	Doko desu ka	Where is it?
誰ですか	Dare desu ka	Who is it?
いつですか	Itsu desu ka	When is it?

Or Questions

か can mean "or" when used between options:

Japanese	Romaji	English
コーヒーか紅茶か	Koohii ka koucha ka	Coffee or tea
行くか行かないか	Iku ka ikanai ka	Whether to go or not

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More Useful Particles

も (mo) – Also/Too

Japanese	Romaji	English
私も学生です	Watashi mo gakusei desu	I am also a student
これも欲しい	Kore mo hoshii	I want this too
誰もいません	Dare mo imasen	No one is here

から (kara) – From

Japanese	Romaji	English
東京から来ました	Tokyo kara kimashita	I came from Tokyo
9時から始まります	Kuji kara hajimarimasu	Starts from 9 o'clock
なぜ？だから…	Naze? Dakara...	Why? Because...

まで (made) – Until/To

Japanese	Romaji	English
5時まで働きます	Goji made hatarakimasu	I work until 5
東京から大阪まで	Tokyo kara Osaka made	From Tokyo to Osaka
最後まで頑張って	Saigo made ganbatte	Hang in there until the end

へ (e) – Direction/Toward

Similar to に for direction, but emphasizes the journey rather than arrival:

Japanese	Romaji	English
日本へ行きます	Nihon e ikimasu	I'm going toward Japan
未来へ	Mirai e	Toward the future

より (yori) – Comparison

Japanese	Romaji	English
犬より猫が好き	Inu yori neko ga suki	I like cats more than dogs
昨日より暖かい	Kinou yori atatakai	Warmer than yesterday

ね (ne) – Agreement Seeking

Japanese	Romaji	English
暑いですね	Atsui desu ne	It's hot, isn't it?
いい天気ですね	Ii tenki desu ne	Nice weather, right?

よ (yo) – Emphasis/New Information

Japanese	Romaji	English
美味しいですよ	Oishii desu yo	It's delicious (I'm telling you)!
行きますよ	Ikimasu yo	I'm going (for sure)!

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Common Particle Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Using を with Preference Verbs

❌ 寿司を好きです ✓ 寿司が好きです (I like sushi)

Mistake 2: Confusing に and で for Location

❌ レストランに食べます ✓ レストランで食べます (I eat at a restaurant)

❌ 猫が部屋でいます ✓ 猫が部屋にいます (The cat is in the room)

Mistake 3: Overusing は

❌ 毎日は学校に行きます ✓ 毎日学校に行きます (I go to school every day)

Time words like 毎日 (every day), 今日 (today) often don't need は.

Mistake 4: Forgetting を in Object-Verb Sentences

❌ 本読みます ✓ 本を読みます (I read books)

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Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Particles

Fill in the correct particle:

1. 01私＿＿学生です。(I am a student)
2. 02本＿＿読みます。(I read books)
3. 03東京＿＿行きます。(I go to Tokyo)
4. 04学校＿＿勉強します。(I study at school)
5. 05友達＿＿電話します。(I call my friend)

Answers

1. 01は (topic marker)
2. 02を (object marker)
3. 03に (direction)
4. 04で (location of action)
5. 05に (recipient)

Exercise 2: Translate to Japanese

1. 01I eat sushi with chopsticks.
2. 02There is a cat in the room.
3. 03I came from America.
4. 04I study Japanese every day.
5. 05I like coffee more than tea.

Answers

1. 01箸ですしを食べます (Hashi de sushi wo tabemasu)
2. 02部屋に猫がいます (Heya ni neko ga imasu)
3. 03アメリカから来ました (Amerika kara kimashita)
4. 04毎日日本語を勉強します (Mainichi nihongo wo benkyou shimasu)
5. 05紅茶よりコーヒーが好きです (Koucha yori koohii ga suki desu)

Exercise 3: Fix the Mistakes

Each sentence has a particle error. Fix it:

1. 01映画に見ます
2. 02寿司を好きです
3. 03電車に乗ります（正しい）
4. 04カフェに働きます
5. 05私が田中です（自己紹介で）

Answers

1. 01映画を見ます (を for object)
2. 02寿司が好きです (が with 好き)
3. 03電車に乗ります is correct!
4. 04カフェで働きます (で for action location)
5. 05私は田中です (は for topic in introductions)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know when to use は vs が?

Start with this simple rule:

• は: Topic/contrast, known information
• が: Subject of new information, with specific verbs (ある, いる, 好き, 分かる)

Don't overthink it! Your intuition will develop with practice.

Do I need to memorize particles with vocabulary?

Yes! Learn verbs with their particles:

• 〇〇を食べる (eat something)
• 〇〇に行く (go to somewhere)
• 〇〇で働く (work at somewhere)

Can I skip particles in casual speech?

Native speakers often drop particles in casual conversation, but as a learner, practice with particles first. Once you have the patterns down, you'll naturally know when they can be dropped.

Why does Japanese have particles when English doesn't?

English uses strict word order to show meaning. Japanese uses particles, which actually provides more flexibility – you can rearrange sentence elements more freely!

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Conclusion: Particles Are Your Foundation

Mastering particles is essential for Japanese fluency. They're the glue that holds your sentences together and makes your meaning clear.

Key takeaways: ✅ Start with the 8 core particles (は, が, を, に, で, の, と, か) ✅ Learn particles WITH vocabulary, not separately ✅ Don't obsess over は vs が – it develops naturally ✅ Practice with real sentences, not isolated rules ✅ Make mistakes! They're part of learning

Your next step: These particles work with the words you know! Practice your vocabulary with KanaDojo and watch your sentence-building skills grow.

がんばって！(Ganbatte!) – Do your best!

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