Japanese Particles (Romaji Only)

If you’re like me and mostly want to speak Japanese, not read or write it, this post is for you. Everything here is written in romaji (the Romanized version of Japanese). If you’re interested in learning hiragana, katakana, or kanji, I recommend using other resources, or even asking ChatGPT for a custom plan.
(Feel free to check out the r/languagelearning and r/LearnJapanese subreddits for extra resources or recommendations).

🔰 I don’t have any certificates, just a learner sharing what I know, so if I get something wrong, feel free to double-check or correct me!

💬 I’m still learning Japanese too, (on my journey from bronze to grandmaster), I document everything in my weekly language progress logs.
Every week I post a page with:

• A short speaking video or update
• My test assessment
• Notes and improvements
• What rank I’m at (from Bronze to Grandmaster)

👉 Check out the Language Progress Glossary Here

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🎯 What Are Particles?

Particles in Japanese are small words that follow nouns, verbs, or other phrases and show the relationship between them.
There are over 180+ particles in the language, but this page will focus only on the core beginner particles:

• を (wo)
• は (wa)
• が (ga)
• で (de)
• の (no)
• に (ni)

✳️ Note: か (ka) is also a core particle for questions, but that has its own dedicated page.
⚠️ Note: There will be other use cases for these particles, but those are more advanced for this page

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を (wo) – Direct Object Marker

“wo” marks the direct object of a sentence, the thing being acted upon.

🔹 Basic Pattern:

[Noun] + wo + [Verb]

🧾 Examples:

• Sushi wo taberu. – I eat sushi.
• Hon wo yomu. – I read a book.
• Terebi wo miru. – I watch TV.

🗣️ Note: In casual speech, “wo” is often dropped if the context is clear.

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は (wa) – Topic Marker

“wa” marks the topic of a sentence, what the sentence is “about.” Think of it like:
It tells the listener what the sentence is about.In Japanese, topics are very important because the language relies heavily on context. That’s why “wa” is often used when switching or introducing a new topic.

“As for…” or “Speaking of…”

It’s often used when introducing or changing topics.

🧾 Examples:

• Watashi wa choco ga hoshii. – As for me, I want chocolate.
• Hon wa akai desu. – The book is red.
• Kore wa genjitsu. – This is reality.

🧠 Note: It’s written as は (ha) in kana, but pronounced “wa.”

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が (ga) – Subject Marker

“ga” highlights the subject, especially when:

• Introducing new info
• Contrasting with something else
• Emphasizing “who” or “what” did something
• Talking about likes, abilities, existence

Think of “ga” as putting a spotlight on the doer or experiencer.

🧾 Examples:

• Kore ga pen desu. – This is the pen (not that one).
• Ramen ga suki desu. – I like ramen.
• Nigai ga suki ja arimasen. – I don’t like bitter things.

🧠 Used with feelings, preferences, and potential: suki (like), kirai (dislike), dekiru (can do), iru/aru (to exist).

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で (de) – Action Location / Means Marker

“de” indicates where an action happens, or how it’s done.

1️⃣ Location of Action

“at,” “in,” “on”

• Restoran de sushi wo tabemashita. – I ate sushi at the restaurant.
• Gakkou de utau. – I will sing at school.
• Puuru de oyoimashita. – I swam in the pool.

2️⃣ Means / Instrument

“with,” “by”

• Densha de kimashita. – I came by train.
• Hashi de sushi wo tabemashita. – I ate sushi with chopsticks.
• Piano de ongaku wo tsukurimashita. – I made music with the piano.

💡 Note: “Hashi” can mean bridge or chopsticks, so context matters.

3️⃣ Quantity / Groups

“with [# people],” “alone”

• San-nin de kimashita. – We came with three people.
• Hitori de Tokyo ni ikimashita. – I went to Tokyo alone.
  (“Hitori de” = alone)

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の (no) – Possession & Noun Connection

“no” shows ownership or connects two nouns.

Think of it like the English “‘s” or “of.”

🔹 Basic Use: Possession

• Tomodachi no ie. – Friend’s house.
• Nihongo no sensei. – Japanese teacher.
• Inu no kutsu desu. – Dog’s shoes / Dog shoes.

🔹 Basic Use: Noun-to-Noun

• Gakkou no kyoushitsu. – School classroom.
• Eki no chikaku. – Near the station.

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🔍 Additional Uses of “no”:

1️⃣ Nominalizer (Turns phrases into noun-ideas)

Used with “ga suki”, “wakaru”, etc.

• Taberu no ga suki desu. – I like eating.
  (Lit: “The act of eating is liked.”)

2️⃣ Casual Sentence-End “no”

Adds curiosity or emotion. Common in questions.

• Kino, nande konakatta no? – Why didn’t you come yesterday?

🗣️ This usage sounds softer or more feminine; men often say “no ka?” or omit it.

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に (ni) – Direction, Time, Target, Change

“ni” is super versatile! It can mean “to,” “in,” “at,” “on,” or “into”, depending on the context.
When in doubt, try thinking of it as pointing toward a specific destination, location, or point in time.

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1️⃣ Direction / Destination

Used when moving toward something.

• Gakkou ni ikimasu. – I go to school.
• Basu wa kouen ni ikimasu. – The bus is going to the park.

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2️⃣ Existence (Where something is)

Used with iru (living) and aru (non-living):

• Tomu wa ginkou ni imasu. – Tom is at the bank.
• Kuruma wa ie ni arimasu. – The car is at home.

💡 “iru” = people/animals. “aru” = objects/things.

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3️⃣ Time Marker

Used for specific times/dates.

• Ku-ji ni okimasu. – I wake up at 9 o’clock.
• San-gatsu ni hajimarimasu. – It starts in March.

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4️⃣ Receiver of an Action

Used for giving/receiving verbs:

ageru, morau, kureru
More on giving and receiving verbs in a later page.

• Inu ni hone wo agemashita. – I gave a bone to the dog.
• Tanaka-san wa otousan ni keitaidenwa wo kuremashita. – Tanaka gave a phone to Dad.

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5️⃣ Result of Change (with naru)

Used when something becomes something else.

• Sensei ni naritakunai desu. – I don’t want to be a teacher.
• Otona ni naritai. – I want to become an adult.
• Kirei ni narimashita. – It became beautiful.

Adjectives in Japanese fall into two main types: –i adjectives (ending in –i) and na-adjectives.

When using naru (to become):

• –i adjectives change –i → –ku
    ➡️ No ni particle is used
• Na-adjectives add the ni particle before naru

(More on –i and na-adjectives in another page.)

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🧾 Examples:

• Atsuku narimashita. – It became hot.
    (Atsui → atsuku — i-adjective form)
• Puroguramaa ni naritai desu. – I want to become a programmer.
    (“Puroguramaa” is a noun → needs ni)

🧠 “Atsui” and “yasashii” become “atsuku” and “yasashiku” in this grammar form. More on that in a later page!

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✅ Summary Table

Particle	Role	Example
wo	Direct object	Sushi wo taberu (I eat sushi)
wa	Topic marker	Watashi wa sushi ga suki (for me, I like sushi)
ga	Subject emphasis	Ramen ga suki desu (I like ramen)
de	Location / Means	Gakkou de benkyou suru (I study at school)
no	Possession / Connection	Tomodachi no kuruma (my friend’s car)
ni	Direction / Time / Receiver	Kareshi ni present wo agemashita (I gave my boyfriend a present)

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💬 Want to Practice?

Use ChatGPT to:

• Conjugate new verbs for you
• Quiz you on plain vs formal past
• Give you more example sentences based on your level

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🧱 Why I Learn This Way

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👇 Check out my glossaries below

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🌍 Language Learning Glossary:

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👉 Language progress