Japanese Particles

Front 1

Particles

Back 1

Suffixes or short words in Japanese grammar that immediately follow the modified noun, verb, adjective, or sentence.

Front 2

Markers

Back 2

Particles that serve to mark a word as many things such as plurals, past tense, subject or object.

Front 3

Copula

Back 3

A word at the end of sentence that links the subject with a predicate like the word "is".

Front 4

BAKARI

hira: ばかり

kata: バカリ

kanji: 許り

informal

BAKKARI

hira:ばっかり

kata:バッカリ

BAKKA

hira:ばっか

kata:バッカ

Back 4

Translates to: "just, always, full of".

used for:

Nouns

Verbs (ta form)

Verbs (te form)

Front 5

BAKASHI

hira:ばかし

kata:バカシ

kanji:許し)

Back 5

Another form of bakari.

Front 6

BAKARI KA

hira: ばかりか

kata: バカリカ

kanji:許りか

Back 6

Translates to: "not just".

used for:

Nouns

Accompanied by さえ,サエ sae ("but also") indicates something unusual or unexpected.

Front 7

DA

hira:だ

kata:ダ

Back 7

Translates to: "be".

It's a coupla used for making two words equate like "A is B" and can only be used to predicate.

Front 8

DESU

hira:です

kata:デス

Back 8

Translates to: "be".

Similar to DA but more polite and can be used to predicate or not.

Front 9

DE

hira:で

kata:デ

Back 9

Translates to: "at, by means of, "

used for:

Nouns: instrument

Nouns: location

Nouns: language

de substitutes for da/desu, carries the meaning "is, and so..."

Front 10

NI TE

hira:にて

kata: ニテ

Back 10

Formal version of de, functions in exactly the same way.

Front 11

DAKE

hira:だけ

kata: ダケ

kanji:丈

Back 11

Translates to: "only"; limit.

Dake functions as a noun.

used for:

Nouns

Verbs(distinguishes whether the subject, or agent intentional or unintentional does an action).

Front 12

NOMI

hira: のみ

kata:ノミ

Back 12

Translates to: "only, just"

Nomi is more formal and far less common than dake. Unlike dake, its only meaning is that of small quantity or singleness of frequency.

Front 13

KIRI

hira:きり

kata: キリ

kanji:切り

Back 13

Translates to: "just, only"

Kiri is more rarely used than dake, functions as a noun and may be followed by no.

used for:

Nouns

Front 14

DA NO

hira:だの

kata: ダノ

Back 14

Translates to: "and, things like".

This particle is used far less frequently than to ka. Often has negative connotations.

used for:

Nouns

Adjectives

Verbs

Front 15

DE MO

hira:でも

kata: デモ

Back 15

Translates to: "even; or; also in"

used for:

Nouns

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

Front 16

DOKORO KA

hira:どころか

kata: ドコロカ

kanji:所か

Back 16

Translates to: "anything but, far from"

used for:

Nouns

Front 17

E

hira:へ

kata:エ

Back 17

Translates to: "to, in"; direction

used for:

Nouns: direction

Front 18

GA

hira:が

kata:ガ

Back 18

used for:

Nouns: identifier (answers a silent or asked question)

Noun: noun connector

Phrases: conjunction

Front 19

HODO

hira:ほど

kata: ホド

kanji:程

Back 19

Translates to: "as much as"; upper limit

used for:

Nouns

Verbs

Adjectives

Front 20

KA

hira:か

kata:カ

Back 20

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

used for:

Nouns, Verbs: listing alternatives

Nouns, Verbs: "whether (or not)"

Adverbs (interrogative): uncertainty

Phrases: question

Phrases: question, rhetorical

Phrases: question, invitation

Phrase: quotation expressing doubt

Front 21

KAI

hira:かい

kata: カイ

Back 21

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

Front 22

KA NA

hira:かな

kata: カナ

Back 22

Translates to: "I wonder"

used for:

Phrases

Front 23

KARA

hira:から

kata: カラ

Back 23

used for:

Nouns: "from, out of"

Verb (te form): "after"

Adjectives, Verbs: "because"

Kara may be followed by no to link two nouns.

Front 24

KA SHIRA

hira:かしら

kata: カシラ

Back 24

Ka shira is like ka na, but is used more by women.

Front 25

KORO/GORO

hira:ころ・ごろ

kata: コロ・ゴロ

kanji:頃

Back 25

Translates to: "around, about, approximately"

Koro functions as a noun and may be followed by no.

used for:

Nouns

Front 26

KOSO

hira: こそ

kata: コソ

Back 26

Functions as: Emphasis marker.

There is no direct translation, but roughly analogous to "precisely" or "exactly", as in examples below.

used for:

Phrases

Front 27

KURAI/GURAI

hira: くらい・ぐらい

kata: クライ・グライ

kanji: 位

Back 27

Translates to: "about, approximately"

Kurai functions as a noun and may be followed by no.

used for:

Nouns

Front 28

MADE

hira:まで

kata: マデ

kanji: 迄

Back 28

Translates to: "up to, until, as far as"

Indicates a time or place as a limit.

used for:

Nouns (specifically places or times)

Verbs

Front 29

MADE NI

hira: までに

kata:マデニ

kanji: 迄に

Back 29

Translates to: "by (a certain time)"

used for:

Nouns

Verbs

Front 30

ME

hira: め

kata:メ

kanji: 目

Back 30

me (目 only): ordinal particle

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

used for:

Classifier nouns: ordinal

Noun: abusive "damn..."

Front 31

MO

hira:も

kata: モ

kanji:亦

Back 31

Translates to: "also"

Mo always replaces wa and ga, but may follow other particles.

used for:

Nouns

Phrases

Front 32

MONO/MON

hira: もの・もん

kata: モンノ

kanji: 物

Back 32

used for:

Verb + mono (物) : creates a noun from the verb (only applies to certain verbs)

もの/もん at the end of a sentence: casual feminine sentence ender like の; もん is very feminine and a bit cheeky.

Front 33

MONO DE

hira: もので

kata: モンノデ

Back 33

Similar meaning as mono.

Front 34

MONO KA/MON-KA

hira: ものか・もんか

kata: モノカ・モンカ

Back 34

used for:

Put at the end of sentences, use in strongly decline. (More gently : もの/もんですか)

Front 35

MONO NARA

hira: ものなら

kata:モンノナラ

kanji: 物なら

Back 35

used for:

retrospective confession or boasting

Front 36

MONO O

hira: ものを

kata:モンノオ

Back 36

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

Front 37

NA/NAA

hira:な, なる・なあ, なぁ

kata:ナ,ナル・ナア

Back 37

A more archaic form of this na is naru(なる), which is used in the same way.

If na follows a dictionary form verb, it is a negative command ("Don't... "). However, if used with a verb stem, it implies the opposite: "Do...". It is also used to modify general nouns before other particles which cannot directly follow nouns (e.g. no de).

Na or naa at the end of a sentence is a variant of ne, implying more reflection("how").

used for:

Verbs

Na-adjectives

Phrases

Front 38

NADO

hira:など

kata: ナド

kanji:等

Back 38

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

used for:

Nouns

Front 39

NANKA/NANTE

hira: なんか・なんて

kata: ナンカ・ナンテ

kanji: 何か・何て

Back 39

Functions to: emphasize disgust, contempt, or otherwise negative feelings of the speaker.

Nante is slightly more formal than nanka.

used for:

Nouns

Verbs

Adjectives

Front 40

NARA

hira:なら

kata: ナラ

Back 40

Translates to: "if"; conditional

Related to the more formal naraba ならば

used for:

Nouns

Adjectives

Verbs

Phrases

Front 41

NE

hira:ね

kata:ネ

Back 41

Translates to: "eh"; interjection, tag question

used for:

Phrases

Front 42

NI

hira:に

kata:ニ

Back 42

Translates to: "to, in, at, by"; indirect object, direction; following a na-adjective, it creates an adverb

used for:

Noun: location

Noun: direction

Noun: indirect object

Noun: passive agent

Noun, verbs (stem only): purpose, intent

Adjective: forms adverb

Front 43

NI WA

hira:には

kata: ニテ

Back 43

Translates to: "for; in, to; in order to";

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

used for:

Nouns: "for"

Noun: "in, to"

Verb: "in order to"

Front 44

NO

hira:の

kata:ノ

Back 44

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 be more typical of feminine speech.

used for:

Nouns: possession

Noun: linking

Noun: subject marker in subordinate clauses

i-adjectives:nominalization

Verb: nominalization

Phrases: nominalization

Front 45

NO DE

hira: ので

kata: ノデ

Back 45

Translates to: "because"

used for:

Phrases

Front 46

NO NI

hira:のに

kata: ノニ

Back 46

Translates to: "despite, although, even though; would have; in order to"

Nouns 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 "would have".

used for:

Adjectives, verbs: "although"

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

Verb (plain form): "in order to"

Front 47

O

hira:を

kata:オ

Back 47

Functions as: direct object

Translates to: "through, from, past (motion verbs only)"

used for:

Nouns: direct object

Nouns: through, etc. (motion)

Front 48

SA/SAA

hira: さ・さあ・さぁ

kata: サ・サア

Back 48

SA: Masculine sentence/phrase final particle, indicating explanation of obvious facts. It is softer than yo.

SAA: Feminine sentence/phrase final particle, used like ne, but often more frequently as extremely colloquial filler.

Front 49

SAE

hira:さえ

kata: サエ

Back 49

Translates to: "even"

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

used for:

Nouns

Front 50

SURA

hira: すら

kata: スラ

Back 50

Translates to: "even"

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

used for:

Nouns

Front 51

DE SAE

hira: でさえ

kata:デサエ

Back 51

Translates to: "even"

De sae replaces wa and ga, like de mo.

used for:

Nouns

Front 52

SAE...BA/RA

hira: さえ…ば・ら

kata: サエ...バ・ラ

... = next word

Back 52

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

used for:

Nouns

Front 53

SHI

hira:し

kata:シ

Back 53

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

used for:

Adjectives

Verbs

Front 54

SHIKA

hira:しか

kata:シカ

Back 54

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 limited quantity or frequency.

used for:

Nouns

Verbs

Front 55

TO

hira:と

kata:ト

Back 55

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

used for:

Nouns: conjunction

Noun: preposition

Verbs: transition/state change

Verb, Adjectives: "if"

Any phrase: quotation

Front 56

TO KA

hira: とか

kata:トカ

Back 56

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

used for:

Nouns

Front 57

TO MO

hira: とも

kata: トモ

kanji: 共

Back 57

Tomo (共): "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".

used for:

Numbered Nouns

Volitional Verbs

Adverbial (continuative) form of i-adjectives

Verb (paired with same verb in negative)

Verb, adjectives "as if [something] wouldn't [phrase]."

Front 58

TTE

hira:って

kata: ッテ

Back 58

Written as って in hiragana, this is another form of to. It is a shortened version of toiu (という), the present progressive form of the verb iu (言う), "to say"; it functions as a type of verbal quotation mark. It is sometimes used for a direct quote, 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 reflect on the speaker. If you wish to be assuredly formal, use to iimasu instead of tte.

Front 59

TTEBA

hira: ってば

kata:ッテバ

Back 59

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

Front 60

WA

hira: は

kata: ワ

Back 60

は wa is a topic marker.

Front 61

WA

hira:わ

kata: ワ

Back 61

わ wa is used at the end of the sentence to establish an emotional connection. It is used by both gender when it is pronounced with a falling intonation especially in dialects of Kansai, Nagoya and elsewhere, but with a rising intonation, it is generally used by females. This also conveys a certain deference to the speaker's wishes and emotions.

Front 62

YA

hira: や

kata: ヤ

Back 62

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

used for:

Nouns

Front 63

YARA

hira: やら

kata:ヤラ

Back 63

Denotes either uncertainty or listing.

Front 64

YO

hira: よ

kata: ヨ

Back 64

Yo comes at the end of the sentence, and is used to make assertions.

Yo is also sometimes used after nouns, and functions as a vocative marker. This is especially used in older speech, poetry, and songs.

used for:

Nouns

Phrases

Front 65

ZE

hira:ぜ

kata:ゼ

Back 65

ze indicates assertion. Used mostly by men, it is never considered polite.

used for:

Phrases

Front 66

ZO

hira: ぞ

kata: ゾ

Back 66

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

used for:

Phrases

Front 67

YORI

hira: より

kata: ヨリ

Back 67

Yori can mean "from", and is also used to make comparisons.

used for:

Nouns

Front 68

ZUTSU

hira: ずつ

kata: ズツ

Back 68

Zutsu denotes an equal or gradual distribution of quantity like "at a time" in "one at a time", "by" in "one by one", or "each" in "one each". It usually follows counted nouns, and is written with hiragana as ずつ.

used for:

Numbered Nouns