Japanese/Grammar/More Particles
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Having covered the basic particles, there are still several important ones left that are necessary to speak the language.
Contents |
[edit] The question marker
Placing か at the end of a sentence changes a statement into a question. Use it at the end of a verb to make it a question, or at the end of an interrogative pro-form to make it into a demonstrative pronoun.
- 私は男です [I am a man] -> 私は男ですか [Am I a man]
- これは どういうもの です か。 — "What is mean this?(How to say/describe this thing?)"
- ねこ は います か。 — "Is there a cat?"
- どこ か いきました か。 — "Did you go somewhere?"
Vocabulary used in these examples:
- いう say
- もの thing
- どういうもの how to say(=how to describe) ※use for object, because of もの
- ねこ cat
- どこ where
[edit] の no, the Possessive Marker
の no is most commonly used as the equivalent of the English "'s" to a noun or pronoun, but can also be used to show ownership in many other ways.
「わたしのなまえはフィリップです。」 (Watashi no namae wa Phillip* desu) means "The name of me is Phillip."
* Note: Notice that the word Phillip is in Katakana because it is not a native Japanese word. (It is technically spelled "huirippu" or "fuirippu" due to the lack of a bona fide L in Japanese)
とうきょうのたてもの (Tōkyō no tatemono) means "buildings in Tokyo"
の can also be used after verbs for emphasis and with adjectives to make it a response stating which one is being described.
[edit] に ni, the Adverb marker
に ni is the equivalent of the English ending "-ly" in that it makes a noun or な-adjective into an adverb.
「ほんとうにおもしろいです。」 (Hontō ni omoshiroi desu.) means "Truly interesting [it] is."
に can also be used to describe location, and it can be used like "at" when describing a time, or "to" when describing a destination. (See へ he for a particle that is used exclusively for marking the destination.)
「ほしにとんでいく。」 (Hoshi ni tonde iku.) means "Fly to the stars".
[edit] へ e, the Destination marker
へ he (pronounced e when used as a particle) is the equivalent of English "to" or "toward", and marks the preceding noun as the destination of a verb that describes motion from one place to another.
「おかあさんはみせへいく。」 (Okaasan wa mise e iku.) means "Mother is going to the store."
In simple sentences like the above, the particle に ni can be used instead of へ; but with more complex sentences, it is often necessary to use へ to be clear which word is the destination.
[edit] と to, the "and" marker
This particle combines the previous word with the next word and treats them as one group for the rest of the sentence, in essence, acting as an "and".
SYNTAX: [ Noun - (Particle) - Noun ... ]
「これ と それ がみどりです」 (kore to sore ga midori desu) means "This and that are green"
Vocabulary used in this example:
- これ this
- それ that
- みどり(の) green
[edit] と to, for expressing "together with"
This particle is used for expressing when one person does something with another person.
SYNTAX: [ (Subject) - (Particle) - (Verb) ]
「 スミスさん と テニスを しました」 (sumisu-san to tenisu wo shimashita) means "(I) played tennis with Smith"
Nouns used in these examples:
- スミスさん Mr.Smith
- テニス tennis
[edit] や ya, the incomplete list marker
This particle is used to connect various words implying that the listing is not exaustive.
SYNTAX: [ Noun - (Particle) - Noun ... ]
「ほん や ペン があります」 (hon ya pen ga arimasu) means "There are books, pens (and other things)"
Nouns used in this example:
- ほん book
- ペン pen
Note: in th past, や was also an indication of location. (This could be found in many haikus, for instance.)
[edit] も mo, the "also" marker
も mo is quite simply a marker that says "also".
SYNTAX: [ (Subject) - (Particle) - (Verb) ]
「ねこ も のみます。」 (neko mo nomimasu) means "The cat also drinks."
This can also be used to form a large list of words all acting as though one of the basic particles (は, を, or が) were affecting the whole list. This particle tends to be used for lists that are longer than 2, since 2 words can simply use the と particle.
「しょうねん も しょうじょ も じょせい も だんせい も にんげん です。」 (shounen mo shoujo mo josei mo dansei mo ningen desu) means "Boys, girls, women and men are human."
Nouns used in these examples:
- しょうねん boys
- しょうじょ girls
- じょせい women
- だんせい men
- にんげん human
[edit] で de, for the location of action
で de is used for expressing where an action was performed.
SYNTAX: [ (Place/Question) - (Particle) - (Verb) ]
「わたしは レストラン で たべます」 (watashi wa resutoran de tabemasu) means "I eat at a restaurant."
「スミスさんと こうえん で テニスを しました」 (sumisu-san to kōen de tenisu wo shimashita) means "I played tennis with Smith at the park."
Nouns used in these examples:
- わたし I, me
- レストラン restaurant
- こうえん park
[edit] で de, for expressing a means
で de is also used for expressing a means.
SYNTAX: [ (Means/Question) - (Particle) - (Verb) ]
「だいがくに なん で いきますか」 (daigaku ni nan de ikimasu ka) means "By what means do you go to University?"
「じてんしゃ で いきます」 (jitensha de ikimasu) means "I go by bicycle."
Nouns used in these examples:
- だいがく university
- じてんしゃ bicycle
