japanese particles

Japanese particles 1

Japanese particlesJapanese particles, joshi () or teniwoha (), are suffixes or short words in Japanese grammar thatimmediately follow the modified noun, verb, adjective, or sentence. Their grammatical range is varied, and cansometimes indicate speaker affect, assertiveness etc.

Orthography and dictionJapanese particles are written in hiragana in modern Japanese, even though some of them have kanji forms. Theyfollow the same rules of phonetical transcription as all Japanese words, with the exception of the phonetical wa, eand o, written (ha), (he) and (o) respectively; note that some speakers pronounce the last particle as wo.These exceptions are a relic of historical kana usage.

Types of particlesThere are eight types of particles, depending on what function they serve.

Case markers ( kaku-joshi) Parallel markers ( heiritsu-joshi) Sentence ending particles ( sh-joshi) Interjectory particles ( kant-joshi) Adverbial particles ( fuku-joshi) Binding particles ( kakari-joshi) Conjunctive particles ( setsuzoku-joshi) Phrasal particles ( juntai-joshi)Note that some particles appear in two types. For example, "kara" is a case marker where it describes wheresomething is from or what happens after something. When it describes a cause it is a conjunctive particle.

List of particles

bakari kara na and n shi bakari ka ka shira nado shika bakashi kedo nanka/nante sura dake kiri nara to da no koro/goro ne to ka darake koso ni to mo de kurai/gurai ni wa tte de mo made no tteba ni te made ni no de wa dokoro ka me nomi ya e mo no ni yara ga mono/mon o yo hodo mono-de sa/s yori ka mono-ka/mon-ka sae ze kai mononara de sae zo ka na mono-o sae...ba/ra zutsu


Preceding syntacticelement

Example sentence Translation

bakari

Translates to: "just, only, full of"Colloquially: bakkari, bakka

Noun Tky wa hito bakari da.

Tokyo is just full of people.

Verbs (ta form) Tabeta bakari da.

I just ate.

Verb (te form) Kare wa tabete bakari iru

He's always eating

bakari ka

Translates to: "not only".Accompanied by sae ("but also") indicates something unusual or unexpected.Etymology: bakari + ka

Nouns Sofu bakari ka, ssofu sae ikite iru.

Not only is my grandfatherliving, but so is mygreat-grandfather.

bakashi

bakashi is another form of bakari.

dake

Translates to: "only"; limit.Dake functions as a noun.

Nouns rmaji dake no jisho

a rmaji-only dictionary

Verbs (volitional) Netai dake nete mo ii.

You can sleep as much as youwant [to sleep].

da no

Translates to: "and, things like".Etymology: da (copula) + no.This particle is used far less frequently than to ka.Often has negative connotations.

Nouns, adjectives, verbs Natt da no, shfdo da no, wasabi da no nihonshoku ga nigate da.

Natto, seafood, wasabiJapanese food isn't my thing.

darake

Translates to: "covered with". Often has negative connotations.

Nouns Watashi no fuku wa doro darake!

My clothes are covered withmud.

de

Etymology: Originally an alteration of ni te, later treated as a conjugation of the copula da. de can be used as "by meansof"

Nouns: instrument Jitensha de ikimash.

Let's go by bicycle.

Nouns: location Koko de yasumitai.

I want to rest here.

Nouns: language Nihongo de tegami wo kaita.

I wrote the letter in Japanese.


de mo

Translates to: "even; or; but, however; also in"Etymology: de + mo

Nouns, particles: "even" Uch kara de mo Banri-no-Chj ga mieru.

Even from space you can seethe Great Wall of China.

Noun: "or something" Ocha de mo, ikaga?

Would you like tea orsomething?

Noun: "also in" Nihon de mo eigo o benky suru

In Japan also, we studyEnglish.

Beginning of phrase:"but, however, even so"

De mo, watashi wa s omowanai

But I don't think so.

ni te

Formal version of de, functions in exactly the same way. Etymology: Case particle ni + conjunctive particle te (c.f. teform of Japanese verbs)

dokoro ka

()

Translates to: "anything but, far from"Etymology: dokoro (tokoro: place) + ka

Nouns Kare wa keisatsukan dokoro ka, hanzaisha da.

He's anything but apoliceman; he's a criminal.

e

Translates to: "to, in"; directionE is written with rather than , reflecting old kana usage.

Nouns: direction Nihon e ykoso!

Welcome to Japan!

ga

Functions as: identifier (identifies something unspecified), conjunction ("but") Ga ( or ): Historical possessiveused to connect nouns, most often seen in place names as

Nouns: identifier(answers a silent or askedquestion)

Neko ga esa o tabeta.

The cat ate the catfood.[Answers: "What ate thecatfood?"]

Inu ga suki.

I like dogs. [Answers: Whatdo you like?]

Noun: noun connector wa ga kuni

my/our [collective] country

Fujimi ga Oka

Fuji View Hill

Seki ga hara

Gateway Plains (site of theBattle of Sekigahara)

Phrases: conjunction Inu wa suki da ga, neko wa kirai da.

I like dogs but I hate cats.

hodo

()

Translates to: "as much as"; upper limit

Nouns Kare hodo nihongo ga umakunai.

My Japanese isn't as good ashis

Adjectives* Hayai hodo ii.

The sooner, the better.

Verb Aitsu o koroshitai hodo kirai da

I hate him enough (to want)to kill him


ka

Functions as: question denominator, alternative item conjunction, quotation expressing doubt; "whether," especiallywhen used with d ka ("or not").

Nouns, verbs: listingalternatives

Kore ka, sore ka, dotchika erande yo.

This or that, choose one ofthem.

Noun, verbs: "whether (ornot)"

Iku ka [d ka] wakaranai.

I don't know [whether or not/ if] he'll go.

Phrases: question Wakaru ka?

Do you understand?

Phrase: quotationexpressing doubt

Iku ka to omoimasu ga...

I think he'll go (but I'm notsure)...

kai

kai is a gentler and masculine variant of the question marker ka.

ka na

Translates to: "I wonder" (Note: 'Ka na' implies having mostly made up one's mind. Drawing out the 'na' [ka naa]implies less certainty.) Etymology: ka + na

Phrases Kare wa ayashii hito ka na.

I wonder if he's a suspiciousperson.

kara

Translates to: "from, after, because"Kara may be followed by no to link two nouns.

Nouns: "from, out of" Tky kara kaetta.

He returned from Tokyo.

zutto mae kara no hanashi

a conversation from way back

Verb (te form): "after" Owatte kara, kite kudasai.

Please come by afterfinishing (after you'vefinished).

Adjectives, Verbs:"because"

Niku o tabenai kara, rmen wa dame da

Because he doesn't eat meat,ramen is bad (a bad idea).

ka shira

Ka shira is like ka na, but is used more by women. See also Gender differences in spoken Japanese. Etymology: ka +shira, the irrealis form (i.e. negative form minus the -nai) of shiru "to know"

Phrases Kare wa ayashii hito ka shira.

I wonder if he's a suspiciousperson.

kedo

Translates to: "although, but"Etymology: kedo is a shortened version of formal keredomo. It also appears semi-abbreviated and semi-formally askeredo or kedomo.

Adjectives, verbs Kanojo wa hen da kedo kirei da.

She is strange but pretty

kiri

()

Translates to: "just, only"Kiri is more rarely used than dake, functions as a noun and may be followed by no.

Nouns futari kiri no o-mise

a shop with just two people[who work there]

koro/goro

()

Translates to: "around, about, approximately"Koro functions as a noun and may be followed by no.


Nouns San-ji goro ni aimash.

Let's meet around 3 o'clock.

koso

Functions as: Emphasis marker. There is no direct translation, but roughly analogous to "precisely" or "exactly", as inexamples below.

Phrases Ky koso, yaru zo!

Today, I'm going to do it!

Kimi ga suki da kara koso kore hodo ganbatte iru n da yo.

It's precisely because I likeyou that I'm working this hard.

Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Nice to meet you, too.(Emphasizes this side or metoo)

kurai/gurai

()

Translates to: "about, approximately"Kurai functions as a noun and may be followed by no.

Nouns Juppun kurai kakaru

It takes about 10 minutes.

made

()

Translates to: "up to, until, as far as"Indicates a time or place as a limit.

Nouns (specificallyplaces or times)

Kono densha wa, Shimonoseki made ikimasu.

This train goes as far asShimonoseki.

Verb Kaeru made matte iru.

I'll wait until you come home.

made ni

()

Translates to: "by (a certain time)" Etymology: made + ni

Nouns, verbs Ku-ji made ni kaeru.

I'll come home by nineo'clock.

me

()

me ( only): ordinal particleme ( only): "Damn..."; abusive/pejorative

Classifier nouns: ordinal Amerika wa nikai me desu.

This is my second time toAmerica.

Noun: abusive "damn..." Orokamono me!

[You] damn fool!

mo

Translates to: "also"Mo always replaces wa and ga, but may follow other particles.

Nouns, phrases Watashi ni mo kureta.

She gave some to me, too.

mono/mon

Verb + mono () : creates a noun from the verb (only applies to certain verbs)/ at the end of a sentence: casual feminine sentence ender like ; is very feminine and a bit cheeky.


With verbs Nomimono

Drink

Tabemono

Food

Ikimono

Living thing

At the end of a sentence "Doushite konakatta no?" "Jugyou ga atta mono."

"Why didn't you come?" "Ihad class."

"Doushite konakatta no?" "Jugyou ga atta mon."

"Why didn't you come?" "Ihad class, hah."

mono-de

Similar meaning as .

mono-ka/mon-ka

/

Put at the end of sentences,Use in Strongly Decline. (More Gentler : /)

At the end of sentences Makeru-monka!!

I will not surrender!

Dare ga anna tokoro-e nido to iku-mondesuka!!

Who dares to go to the placelike that at the second time!

mono-nara

mono-o

Used in phrases to show deplore feelings about not doing something they should do.

Phrases "Sukida" to hito koto it-te kure-sae shi-tara kekkon deki-ta mono'o...""...

If I said "I like you" ,even nowwe would get married...

na and n

Na ( only): used with a class of adjectives which behave grammatically like nouns (see na-adjectives) if used withverb,it is like a command "Don't... ". It is also used to modify general nouns before other particles which cannot directlyfollow nouns (e.g. no de).Etymology: The na used with nouns (including na-adjectives) is a form of the copula. Na or n at the end of a sentenceis a variant of ne, implying more reflection.

Verb Suru-na

Don't do (something).

Na-adjectives hen na hito

a strange person

Phrases Hen da na!

How strange!

nado

()

Translates to: "for example, things like, such as, etc., and so on"Functions as a noun and may be followed by no.

Nouns Natt ya kabuki nado wa Nihon dake ni aru.

Things like natto and kabukiare only in Japan.

nanka/nante

Functions to: emphasize disgust, contempt, or otherwise negative feelings of the speaker.Nante is slightly more formal than nanka.

Nouns Jogen nanka iranai.

I don't need any (damn)advice.


Verb[1] Oyogu nante dekinai.

I can't swim.

Adjectives[2] kiku nante nai kedo, kirei da.

It's not big [or anything], butit's clean.

nara

Translates to: "if"; conditionalHypothetical () or conditional form of the copula da. Related to the more formal naraba.

Nouns, adjectives, verbs,phrases

Atsui nara, eakon o tsukete

If you're hot, turn on the airconditioner.

ne

Translates to: "eh"; interjection, tag questionSimilar to English "hey", "eh?", French "non?" and Spanish "no?" Asks or shows agreement and reflection atphrase-end, also used before sentences to catch listener's attention (informal).

Phrases Kimi wa kashikoi yo ne.

You're pretty smart, aren'tyou.

Kakk ii desu ne.

That's pretty neat, eh?

Ne, ima nanji?

Hey, what time is it?

ni

Translates to: "to, in, at, by"; indirect object, direction

Noun: location Gakk ni iru.

I'm at/in school.

Noun: direction Gakk ni iku.

I'm going to school.

Noun: indirect object Ore ni kaese.

Give it back to me.

Noun: passive agent Ka ni sasareta.

I was bitten by a mosquito.

Noun, verbs (stem only):purpose, intent

Eiga o mi ni iku.

I'm going to see a movie.

ni wa

Translates to: "for; in, to";Etymology: ni + wa (always written )

The wa part is the topic particle.Serves as emphasis for a negative ending.

Nouns: "for" Shichimi wa, watashi ni wa kara-sugiru.

Shichimi is too spicy for me.(i.e., "you might like it, but I'mnot touching it.")

Noun: "in, to" Kyto ni wa hana ga aru.

There are flowers in Kyto.(Lit.: As for in Kyto, thereare flowers.)

no

Functions as: possession indicator, noun link, topic marker (subordinate clauses), nominalization

When nominalizing whole phrases, the no may function either as emphasis or as a question, depending on tone of voice.Similar to English, a falling tone denotes a statement, and a rising tone a question. Its use to mark statements tends to bemore typical of feminine speech. See also Gender differences in spoken Japanese.

Nouns: possession ex. a sensei no kuruma

the teacher's car

Noun: possession ex. b watashi no konpyuuta

My computer


Noun: possession ex. c anata no shukudai

your homework

Noun: linking kuruma no Toyota

Toyota the car [company]

Noun: subject marker insubordinate clauses (seealso: ga)

Kare no tsukutta kki wa oishikatta.

The cake that he made wastasty.

i-adjectives:nominalization

Yasui no wa, kore.

This is the cheap[er] one.

Verb: nominalization Taberu no ga daisuki.

I love eating.

Phrases: nominalization M, tabeta no?

Have you eaten yet?

Kuruma na no?

Is it a car?

Kare ni m ageta no yo!

I already gave it to him!

no de

Translates to: "because"Etymology: no + deColloquially, no de is often shortened to n de.

Phrases[3] Tesuto ga aru no de, ikenai.

Because I have a test, I can'tgo.

Gakk na no de, kin'en da.

Because this is a school it'sno smoking.

nomi

Translates to: "only, just"Nomi is more formal and far less common than dake. Unlike dake, its only meaning is that of small quantity orsingleness of frequency.

Nouns T-ten de wa, Nihon en nomi go-riy itadakemasu.

This store accepts JapaneseYen only.

no ni

Translates to: "despite, although, even though; would have; in order to"Etymology: no + niNouns and na-adjectives must be followed by na before using this particle.No ni has a stronger meaning than kedo when used to mean "although," and conveys regret when used to mean "wouldhave."

Adjectives, verbs:"although"

Benky shiteiru no ni, eigo ga hanasenai.

Although I am studying, Ican't speak English.

Adjectives (conditional),verbs (conditional):"would have"

Kaette kitara, yokatta no ni.

It would have been nice ifyou had come home.

Verb (plain form): "inorder to"

Hikkosu no ni torakku ga hitsuy da.

(In order) to move, you needa truck.

o

Functions as: direct objectTranslates to: "through, from, past (motion verbs only)"This is unrelated to the honorific prefix o, written or .

Nouns: direct object Neko ga esa o tabeta.

The cat ate the food.

Noun: through, etc.(motion)

Sora o tobu

fly through the sky


sa/s

Functions as: Masculine sentence/phrase final particle, indicating explanation of obvious facts. It is softer than yo.S: Feminine sentence/phrase final particle, used like ne, but often more frequently as extremely colloquial filler.

Phrases: masculine sa Kanojo wa inai kara, dansu ni ikanai sa.

I don't have a girlfriend, so I'mnot going to the dance.

Phrases: s Kin s, gakk de s, sensei ni s, chi sarete s, ch mukatsuita.

Like yesterday, in like school,I like got fussed at by likesome teacher, and it totallymade me sick.

sae

Sae: "even"

Note the meaning overlaps with mo. Sae implies (usually) positive emphasis that the evident extent of something isgreater than initially expected. Can be followed by mo for additional emphasis. Contrast this with sura.

Nouns Kanji sae kakeru.

He can even write kanji.

de sae

Translates to: "even"Etymology: de + saeDe sae replaces wa and ga, like de mo above.

Nouns Sonna koto wa saru de sae dekiru.

Even a monkey can do that.

sae...ba/ra

Function: sae followed by a verb in the conditional means "if only."

Nouns 'Kore sae nomeba, futsukayoi ga naoru yo.

If you would just drink this,your hangover would getbetter.

shi

Translates to: "and what's more" (conjunction)

Adjectives, verbs Kirei da shi, hiroi shi, ii ne, kono apto!

It's clean, it's spacious; thisapartment is nice, isn't it!

shika

Translates to: "only, just"Shika must be followed by a negative verb.Shika may be compounded as dakeshika, kirishika, and nomishika (plus the negative verb) to stress an extremely limitedquantity or frequency.

Nouns Ichi en dama shika nai.

I have just a one-yen coin.

Verb Ybin-kyoku ni iku shika nai.

The only thing [to do] is to goto the post office.

sura

Translates to: "even"

Note the meaning overlaps with mo. Sura implies (usually) negative emphasis that the evident extent of something isless than initially expected. Contrast this with sae.

Nouns Kanji sura kakenai.

He can't even write kanji.

to

Translates to: "and" (conjunction); "with" (preposition) "if"; quotation

Nouns: conjunction sore to kore

that and this


Noun: preposition Boku to ikitai?

Do you want to go with me?

Verb, adjectives: "if" Benky suru to wakaru.

If you study, you'llunderstand.

Any phrase: quotation Umi made! to sakenda.

"To the sea!" he cried.

to ka

Functions as: A listing particle used like nado. Often used with the question word nani (what) in the form nantoka("something or other").Etymology: to + ka

Nouns Kani to ka, hotate to ka, zenbu tabeta yo.

We had crab, scallops, [otherstuff,] we ate them all.

to mo

()

To mo (): "both, all of the"To mo (no kanji): "even if, even though; at the ...-est; whether; [emphasis]"If following a noun and used with a negative verb, meaning changes to "none".

Etymology: to + mo

Counted nouns Watashi wa, aitsura ga futari to mo kirai da.

I hate the both of those guys.

Zannen nagara, sono kuruma wa san dai to mo irimasen.

Unfortunately, we need noneof those three cars.

Volitional verbs D shiy to mo amari susumanai.

No matter how we try [to dosomething], we don't makemuch progress.

Adverbial (continuative)form of i-adjectives

Sukunaku to mo go-j mairu aruite kita.

We walked at least fifty miles[to get here].

Osoku to mo itte miy yo.

Even if it's late, let's go andcheck it out.

Verb (paired with sameverb in negative)

Kau to mo kawanai to mo hakkiri shite imasen.

It isn't clear whether they'regoing to buy or not.

Verb, adjectives

This use is similarto the Englishexpression, "as if[something]wouldn't[phrase]."

Waratte ii to mo.

[4]It's okay to laugh.

Ikimasen to mo.

As if I would go.

tte

Written as in hiragana, this is another form of to. It is a shortened version of itte (), the present progressiveform of the verb iu (), "to say"; it functions as a type of verbal quotation mark. It is sometimes used for a directquote, sometimes for an indirect quote, and sometimes simply to emphasize a word or concept.tte is casual, and (because it can be a direct quote) the politeness level of the quoted material does not necessarily reflecton the speaker. If you wish to be assuredly formal, use to iimasu instead of tte.

Any phrase Sugu kimasu tte

Could be, "He said he'll comesoon" (more politely) or, "Hesaid, 'I'll come soon.'" (lessso).

Arabiago tte, muzukashikunai?

"Arabic, huh, isn't thatdifficult?" (emphasizing aword or concept thoughtfully)

tteba

Functions as:'strong emphasis marker, especially when the speaker has grown impatient.Etymology: te + ba


Any phrase: quotation kh datteba !

I said "coffee"!

wa

wa is a topic marker. It is written with the hiragana ha, rather than the hiragana , wa. Not to be confused withthe particle .

wa

wa is often used by females at the end of the sentence to establish an emotional connection. This also conveys acertain deference to the speaker's wishes and emotions.

ya

Ya is used to make incomplete lists of things. To make an exhaustive list, the particle to is used instead.

Watashi no suki na tabemono wa okashi ya pan ya mikan nado desu

"I like snacks, bread andtangerines."

yara

Denotes either uncertainty or listing.

yo

Yo comes at the end of the sentence, and is used to make assertions. Compare zo and ze below. Yo is also sometimesused after nouns, and functions as a vocative marker. This is especially used in older speech, poetry, and songs.

Kaeru yo!

"I'm going home!"

Saraba, tomo yo

"Farewell, oh friend!"

yori

Yori can mean "from", and is also used to make comparisons. Yori is usually written in hiragana.

Kono densha-wa, Kashiwa-yori saki, kaku eki-ni tomarimasu

"This train will stop at everystation after Kashiwa".

Dare-yori-mo kanemochi-ni naritai

"I want to become richer thananyone (else)".

ze

ze indicates assertion. Used mostly by men, it is never considered polite. Compare yo and zo.

zo

zo indicates assertion. Used mainly by men, it is considered somewhat less forceful and more positive than ze. Compareyo and ze above.

zutsu

Zutsu means "each" and usually follows counted nouns: Zutsu is written with hiragana as .

Noun: counted Chokorto-o ni-ko-zutsu tabemashita

I ate two pieces of each (kindof) chocolate.


Contrast

ni and deNi and de can both be used to show location, corresponding to the prepositions "in" or "at" in English. Their uses aremutually exclusive.Ni, when used to show location, is used only with stative verbs such as iru, "to be, exist;" aru, "to be, exist, have;"and sumu, "to live, inhabit."

Nihon-ni sundeiru. "I live in Japan."Gakk-ni iru. "I am in school."

De is used with action verbs to convey the place of action, as opposed to location of being.Gakk-de neru. "I sleep in school."*Gakk-ni neru. *"I sleep to school," is not usually used.

ni and eNi and e can both indicate direction of motion, meaning "to" or "at" in English. In this sense, e is perhaps closer toEnglish "towards" in terms of use (see example below). As long as ni is used directionally, it is possible to substitutee in its place. Ni used in other senses cannot be replaced by e:

Gakk ni iku. "I'm going to school," where gakk, "school," is the destination of iku, "go."Gakk e iku. "I'm going to school," where gakk, "school," is the destination of iku, "go."Gakk ni iru. "I'm at school," where gakk, "school," is the location of iru, "be;" not a destination.*Gakk e iru. *"I'm to school," is not a possible construction since "be" is not a verb of motion.Tomodachi ni au "I'll meet my friends," where tomodachi, "friends," is the indirect object of au, "meet;" not adestination.*Tomodachi e au *"I'll meet to my friends," which is impossible because "meet" is not a verb of motion.Hon o kai ni itta "I went to buy a book," where kai ni, "to buy," shows purpose or intent, and is a verbaladverb; not destination.*Hon o kai e itta *"I went towards buying a book," is not possible because kai, "buying," cannot be adestination.

Indicating direction, using e instead of ni is preferred when ni is used non-directionally in proximity:Tomodachi ni ai ni Kyto e itta. "I went to Kyoto to meet my friends."

ga and oIn some cases, ga and o are interchangeable. For example, with the tai form, meaning "want to", it is possible to sayeither of the following:

Gohan-ga tabetai. "I want to eat rice."Gohan-o tabetai. "I want to eat rice."

Similarly, suki, a na adjective meaning "liked", can take either ga or o:Kimi-ga suki da "I like you"Kimi-o suki de yokatta "I'm glad I like you" (words from a popular song)


ni and toNi and to are sometimes interchangeable in forms like ni naru and to naru. The to naru form suggests a naturalchange, whereas ni naru suggests some indirect agent.

ya and toYa is used for incomplete lists, whereas to is used for complete ones.

Differences from English prepositionsMany Japanese particles fill the role of prepositions in English, but they are unlike prepositions in many ways.Japanese does not have equivalents of prepositions like "on", and often uses particles along with verbs and nouns tomodify another word where English might use prepositions. For example, ue is a noun meaning "top/up"; and nitsuite is a fixed verbal expression meaning "concerning", and when used as postpositions:

Tburu-no -ue-ni aru.Table-OF top/up-AT exists."It's on the table."

Ano hito-wa, git-ni tsuite nandemo wakaru.That person-TOPIC guitar-TO concerning anything knows."That person knows everything about guitars."

Post-positional idioms

Noun-derived

Preceding syntactic element Example sentence Translation

j

Translates to: "from the standpoint of"

Nouns Rekishi j wa, tadashii to omoimasu.

From a historical point of view, I think you'reright.

ch

Translates to: "in progress, in the midst of, now doing"

Nouns Tadaima, denwa ch desu.

He's on the phone right now.

j

Translates to: "throughout, all across"; often followed by de

Nouns: time Ichi nichi j shigoto shimasu.

I'll work all day long.

Nouns: place Amerika j de hayatte iru.

It's getting popular all over America.

kata/gata

()

Functions as: Plural marker for some pronouns, most polite among plural markers such as ra and tachi.

Personal pronouns: plural marker Anata gata no okage de, yoi seiseki o ageraremashita.

Thanks to you (folks), we have achieved success.


Person nouns: plural marker Sensei gata ni tasukete moraimashita.

The teachers helped me.

ra

()

Functions as: Plural marker for some pronouns, least polite among plural markers such as kata/gata and tachi.

Personal pronouns: plural marker Boku ra wa ikanai.

We won't go.

Place pronouns: approximate area Koko ra hen ga itai.

It hurts around here [hereabouts].

tachi

()

Functions as: Plural/group marker for nouns and some pronouns referring to people; neutral politeness.

Animate nouns: plural marker Sensei tachi ga kita.

The teachers came.

Pronouns: plural marker Watashi tachi wa raish kaeru.

We will return next week.

Personal/family names: groupmarker

Saiaku no ko wa, Okada tachi da.

The worst kids are Okada and the others in thatgroup.

Verb-derived

Preceding syntactic element Example sentence Translation

zoi

Translates to: "along"; followed by ni.

Nouns Tri zoi ni aruku.

Walk along the street.

See also Adposition Japanese counter words Japanese grammar: particles Japanese verb conjugations and adjective declensions

Notes[1] Nanka/nante is usually followed by a verb which conveys some kind of undervalue, lacking, or dislike, often in the negative.[2] Can immediately follow i-adjectives, using the adjective's ku form if followed by the negative, or if the adjective is followed by no.

Na-adjectives require the copula da or no before nante or nanka.[3] Phrases ending in a noun or na-adjective require the na form of the copula before the nominalizing no.[4] Title of a Japanese TV programme hosted by Tamori.


References Chino, Naoko. How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles. Tokyo; New York: Kodansha

International, 2005. ISBN 4-7700-2200-X. Martin, Samuel E. A Reference Grammar of Japanese. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1975. ISBN

0-300-01813-4. Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: Japan Times, 1986.

ISBN 4-7890-0454-6. Makino, Seiichi, and Michio Tsutsui. A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar. Tokyo: Japan Times,

1997. ISBN 4-7890-0775-8. McClain, Yoko Matsuoka. A Handbook of Modern Japanese Grammar: Including Lists of Words and

Expressions with English Equivalents for Reading Aid. Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 1981. ISBN 4-590-00570-0,ISBN 0-89346-149-0.

Article Sources and Contributors 16

Article Sources and ContributorsJapanese particles Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=381736364 Contributors: 1ForTheMoney, AMHR285, Albuseer, Andycjp, Armyrifle9, BiT, Blacksaingrain, Bueller 007,Canterbury Tail, CapnPrep, Chortos-2, Cryptic star, DannyWilde, Dave-ros, Dinoguy1000, DocWatson42, Eirikr, Emmaskis, Furrykef, Goldenpelt, Hoshi.ni.Drifting, Ironsand, JFHJr, Kuru,Kwamikagami, Leucius, Luoboni, Metta Bubble, Mkill, Moonriddengirl, Nictius, Noveltyghost, Oda Mari, Quasirandom, Radagast83, Redevil89101, Regregex, Reigaaru, Rodasmith,Sherlockindo, Squids and Chips, Swift, Tgies, Thunderrabbit, Tohru, Tokeen, ToothingLummox, Trotter332, Winterkoninkje, Woohookitty, Yslop, 82 anonymous edits

LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unportedhttp:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/

Japanese particlesOrthography and dictionTypes of particles List of particlesContrastni and deni and ega and oni and toya and to

Differences from English prepositionsPost-positional idioms Noun-derived Verb-derived

See also Notes References

License

japanese particles

Documents