Japanese Particles List: The 10 Every Beginner Needs
Here is the short Japanese particles list most beginners need: を (o), の (no), に (ni), で (de), へ (e), と (to), も (mo) and か (ka), plus は (wa) and が (ga). A particle is a small word placed after another word to show its role in the sentence.
What is a Japanese particle?
English uses word order and words like at and with. Japanese puts a label after the word instead.
私は駅で友達を待ちます。
Watashi wa eki de tomodachi o machimasu.
I wait for my friend at the station.
で labels the station as the place of the action, and を labels my friend as the person I wait for. Particles are written in hiragana. If it is new to you, see hiragana vs katakana.
Which particles should a beginner learn first?
Each particle has one main job here, with a polite example.
| Particle | Romaji | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| を | o (written wo) | Marks the object, the thing you act on. | パンを食べます。 Pan o tabemasu. I eat bread. |
| の | no | Links two nouns, like of or the English 's. | 私の本です。 Watashi no hon desu. It is my book. |
| に | ni | Destination, a point in time, or where something exists. | 七時に起きます。 Shichiji ni okimasu. I get up at seven. |
| で | de | Where an action happens, or by what means. | バスで行きます。 Basu de ikimasu. I go by bus. |
| へ | e (written he) | Direction, towards a place. | 日本へ行きます。 Nihon e ikimasu. I am going to Japan. |
| と | to | And (between nouns), or together with someone. | 友達と映画を見ます。 Tomodachi to eiga o mimasu. I watch a film with a friend. |
| も | mo | Also or too. It replaces は, が or を. | 私も学生です。 Watashi mo gakusei desu. I am a student too. |
| か | ka | Turns a sentence into a question, at the very end. | 東京は遠いですか。 Tōkyō wa tōi desu ka. Is Tokyo far? |
Two more belong on any list. は (wa) marks the topic, what the sentence is about. が (ga) marks the subject, often new or specific information. Our guide to wa vs ga in Japanese explains both.
Why is を written wo but said o?
を was once pronounced wo. The sound changed to o, but the spelling stayed. In modern Japanese you will almost only see を as this particle, and on a keyboard you type wo to get it. Say it exactly like お (o).
Two other particles work the same way. は is the character for ha but is said wa, and へ is the character for he but is said e. You can hear は as wa in how to say hello in Japanese.
What is the difference between ni and de?
- に (ni) marks a destination, a time, or the place where something exists.
- で (de) marks the place where an action happens, or the means you use.
部屋に猫がいます。
Heya ni neko ga imasu.
There is a cat in the room.
図書館で勉強します。
Toshokan de benkyō shimasu.
I study at the library.
The cat just exists there, so に. Studying is an action, so で. For movement, に and へ are often both fine: 学校に行きます (gakkō ni ikimasu) and 学校へ行きます (gakkō e ikimasu) both mean I go to school.
How do you practise Japanese particles?
Learn each particle inside a short sentence, not on its own. Swap one word and keep the particle. パンを食べます becomes 魚を食べます (sakana o tabemasu, I eat fish).
All ten are usually taught at N5, the easiest JLPT level. Our guide to the JLPT levels from N5 to N1 explains each level.
Learn particles with LanguaCards
Particles make sense once you know the words around them. LanguaCards teaches Japanese words as flashcards with audio, grouped by JLPT level from N5 to N1, so you build the nouns and verbs that particles connect. Romaji shows under the Japanese and can be switched off. Choose a female or male voice. Reviews bring each word back before you would forget it. Learn from topic packs or make your own. Free gives full access for the first 24 hours, then a set number of cards a day. Pro gives unlimited learning and every pack, with a 7-day free trial on monthly and yearly plans. No ads.