Japanese particles (じょし) are the skeleton of every sentence. Nouns and verbs provide meaning, but particles define the relationships between them. Same words, different particle, completely different meaning:
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 車が走る。 | The car runs. (が = subject) |
| 道を走る。 | Running on the road. (を = space traversed) |
| 公園で走る。 | Running in the park. (で = location of action) |
This lesson covers the 7 most important particles.
The Four Families of Particles
Japanese particles fall into 4 categories — here's the big picture:
| Category | Function | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Case particles | Link nouns to predicates, marking "who does what" | が, を, に, で, へ, と, から, まで |
| Adverbial particles | Add extra meaning (also, only, even...) | は, も, だけ, しか, まで |
| Conjunctive particles | Connect clauses — cause, contrast, etc. | から, ので, ても, けど |
| Sentence-final particles | Express mood or emotion | よ, ね, か, な |
Case particles are the foundation — master が・を・に・で and sentence structure clicks into place.
が: Subject Marker
が marks the doer of an action or the subject of a state:
| Example | Note |
|---|---|
| 雨が降っている。 It's raining. | 雨 = subject |
| 誰が田中さんですか。 Who is Tanaka? | が after question words |
| 花が咲いた。 The flowers bloomed. | Subject of intransitive verb |
When が is mandatory
が must be used (は won't work) in these cases:
- Question word as subject: 誰が来た？ (Who came?)
- Subject inside a relative clause: 友達が作ったケーキ (the cake my friend made)
- Different subjects in conditional clauses: 春が来たら、桜を見に行く。 (When spring comes, I'll go see cherry blossoms.)
を: Object + Space of Movement
The most basic function of を is marking the direct object of a transitive verb:
本を読む。 Read a book.
But を has a second important use — marking the space traversed or point of departure:
| Usage | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Object | 本を読む。 Read a book. | Direct object |
| Space traversed | 道を走る。 Run on the road. | Route traveled |
| Point of departure | バスを降りる。 Get off the bus. | Place you leave |
| Point of departure | 大学を卒業する。 Graduate from university. | Institution you leave |
How to tell: With movement verbs (run, fly, cross, swim), を marks the space. With departure verbs (get off, leave, graduate), を marks the starting point.
に: Destination / Time / Target
に is the most versatile particle. Its core meaning is a specific point of arrival or existence:
| Usage | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Destination | 学校に行く。 Go to school. | Endpoint of movement |
| Location of existence | ここに本がある。 There's a book here. | Where something is |
| Point in time | 7時に起きる。 Wake up at 7. | Specific time |
| Target/recipient | 先生に聞く。 Ask the teacher. | Person the action is directed at |
| Result of change | 赤に変わる。 Turn red. | State something becomes |
に vs へ: に emphasizes the arrival point; へ emphasizes direction. In everyday speech they're mostly interchangeable.
で: Place of Action / Means / Cause
The core idea of で is "within what scope or conditions something happens":
| Usage | Example | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Place of action | 公園で遊ぶ。 Play in the park. | Where something happens |
| Means/tool | 箸で食べる。 Eat with chopsticks. | What you use |
| Cause | 病気で休む。 Rest due to illness. | What caused it |
| Scope | 世界で一番。 Best in the world. | Range of comparison |
に vs で: Existence vs Activity
This pair causes the most confusion:
| Particle | Example | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| に | ここに猫がいる。 There's a cat here. | Location of existence |
| で | ここで試合がある。 There's a match here. | Venue of an event |
Quick test: If something is sitting there (static existence), use に. If something is taking place (dynamic event), use で.
は: Topic Marker (Contrasted with が)
は isn't a case particle — it's an adverbial particle that marks the topic of the sentence, not the grammatical subject:
| は | が |
|---|---|
| What we're talking about | Who/what does the action |
| Known information, topic | New information, focus |
Compare:
| Sentence | Nuance |
|---|---|
| 猫は魚を食べる。 | (Speaking of cats,) cats eat fish. |
| 猫が魚を食べた。 | It was the cat (not the dog) that ate the fish! |
は can replace が or を, but never に or で. When は appears, the original が or を disappears.
も: Also
も means "also/too" and, like は, replaces が or を:
| Original | With "also" |
|---|---|
| 猫が好きだ。 I like cats. | 猫も好きだ。 I like cats too. |
| 肉を食べる。 I eat meat. | 肉も食べる。 I eat meat too. |
も can also stack onto other particles: にも (also to/at), でも (even at/with), からも (also from).
の: Possession + Apposition
The most basic function of の is showing possession (A's B):
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 私の本 | my book |
| 日本語の先生 | Japanese (language) teacher |
| 母へのプレゼント | a gift for mom |
Note the last example: 母へのプレゼント. You can't say ×母のプレゼント to mean "a gift for mom" — that would mean "mom's gift" (one she owns). Using へ + の expresses the direction "for."
から・まで: Start Point & End Point
This pair often appears together:
| Particle | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| から | Starting point (from) | 9時から働く。 Work from 9. |
| まで | End point (until/to) | 5時まで働く。 Work until 5. |
| Combined | From...to... | 東京から大阪まで3時間。 3 hours from Tokyo to Osaka. |
から can also mean "because" (as a conjunctive particle): 暑いから、窓を開けた。 (Because it was hot, I opened the window.)
Summary
- が: Subject marker. Required after question words, in relative clauses, and in conditionals with different subjects
- を: Object + space traversed + point of departure
- に: Destination / existence location / time point / target / result of change
- で: Place of action / means & tools / cause / scope
- は: Topic marker; replaces が and を
- も: "Also"; replaces が and を; can stack onto に, で, から
- の: Possession (A's B)
- から・まで: From...to...
- に vs で: Existence → に; events happening → で
Practice Questions
Q1. Fill in the particle: 「公園＿散歩する。」(Take a walk in the park.)
Show answer
公園を散歩する。
Walking is a movement verb, and the park is the space you move through, so use を. Note: not で — で marks where a general action happens, but 散歩 emphasizes "walking through" a route.
Q2. Fill in: 「ここ＿試合がある」 and 「ここ＿猫がいる」 — what goes in each blank?
Show answer
- ここで試合がある。 → A match is a dynamic event → で
- ここに猫がいる。 → A cat is a static existence → に
Q3. Why can't you say 「×母のプレゼント」 to mean "a gift for mom"?
Show answer
Because 母のプレゼント means "mom's gift" (a gift she owns), not "a gift for mom." To express the direction "for," you need 母へのプレゼント — using へ to show direction, then の to connect to the following noun.