What Is a Particle?
In Japanese, a particle (助詞 じょし) is a small grammatical word that follows a noun, verb, or phrase and defines its role in the sentence. Particles are the backbone of Japanese grammar — they tell you who is doing something, what is being acted on, where something happens, how it is done, and more.
Because Japanese word order is flexible, it is the particles — not position — that carry grammatical meaning.
Types of Particles
| Type | Examples | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Main particles | が, を, に, へ, で, と | Mark core grammatical roles |
| Auxiliary / emphatic particles | は, も, だけ, しか, こそ | Add nuance, contrast, or emphasis |
| Listing / structural particles | と, とか, か, や, の | Connect or enumerate elements |
| Sentence-ending particles | か, ね, よ, わ | Express question, confirmation, assertion |
The Main Particles in Detail
が (ga) — Subject Marker
Core concept: が identifies the grammatical subject of a sentence — the person or thing that performs the action or holds the described quality.
💡 は vs が: Both can appear before the verb, but they serve different functions. は marks the topic (what the sentence is about), while が marks the subject (who is doing or experiencing the predicate). This distinction will be explored in depth in a dedicated lesson. For now, note that が is used to identify or single out who specifically does something.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| この中で誰が強いですか？ | Who is the strongest among them? |
| シャンクスが強いです。 | Shanks is the strongest. |
| 私がやります。 | I’ll do it. (specifically me) |
を (wo) — Object Marker
Core concept: を marks the direct object of a verb — the thing that the action is performed on. It always follows a noun and always precedes the verb that acts on it.
💡 を is pronounced “o” in modern Japanese — the “w” sound is silent except in very formal or classical contexts.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 何を食べましたか？ | What did you eat? |
| 寿司を食べました。 | I ate sushi. |
| 明日は日本語を勉強する。 | Tomorrow I’ll study Japanese. |
Pattern: [Subject は/が] + [Object を] + [Verb]
に (ni) — Destination, Target, and Point in Time
Core concept: に marks a fixed point — a destination, the target of an action, a specific time, or the location where something exists. Think of に as placing a pin on a map or on a clock.
| Use | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Location of existence | 私はイタリアに住んでいます。 | I live in Italy. |
| Target of giving | ワンピースの漫画を友達にあげました。 | I gave the One Piece manga to my friend. |
| Specific time | 明日は3時にライブが始まります。 | The live event starts at 3 o’clock tomorrow. |
💡 に is used with existence and movement verbs (いる, ある, 行く, 来る, 帰る) to mark where something is or where it’s headed. It indicates direction toward or a fixed point of arrival, not ongoing activity at that place.
で (de) — Location of Action and Means
Core concept: で marks the context in which an action actively takes place — the location where something happens, the tool or method used, the language spoken, or the scope within which something is evaluated.
| Use | Japanese | English |
|---|---|---|
| Place of action | 私は日本で映画を見ます。 | I watch movies in Japan. |
| Tool / means | ゾロは剣で戦います。 | Zoro fights with a sword. |
| Language / medium | 日本語で漫画を読む。 | Reading manga in Japanese. |
| Scope / range | 彼女らのなかで誰が一番かわいいですか？ | Who is the cutest among them? |
💡 The critical に vs で distinction:
Particle Use with Example に Existence verbs (いる/ある) ねこはへやにいます。(The cat is in the room.) で Action verbs (食べる/遊ぶ etc.) へやであそびます。(I play in the room.) The same noun takes に when the sentence describes where something exists, and で when the sentence describes where an action takes place.
と (to) — “And” and Quotation Marker
Core concept: と has two distinct uses. First, it connects nouns meaning “and” — but specifically for exhaustive listing. Second, it marks quoted speech or thought, functioning like quotation marks.
Use 1 — Connecting nouns (A and B):
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ワンピースとデスノートの漫画を買いました。 | I bought One Piece and Death Note manga. |
💡 と vs や for “and”: と implies a complete list — “A and B, and that’s all.” や implies a partial list — “A and B, among other things.” Choose based on whether you are listing everything or just some examples.
Use 2 — Quotation marker:
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 日本は物価が高いと思います。 | I think things are expensive in Japan. |
| エリーザは遅刻したので、”ごめんなさい”と言いました。 | Since Elisa was late, she said “sorry.” |
💡 と as a quotation particle marks the content of speech or thought. Everything before と is what was said or thought; the verb after it (言う, 思う, etc.) describes the act of saying or thinking.
へ (e) — Direction Marker
Core concept: へ (pronounced “e” as a particle) indicates movement or direction toward a place. It is similar to に but places more emphasis on the journey or direction rather than the arrival point.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 明日、ローマへ行きます。 | I’m going to Rome tomorrow. |
| あの電車は北へ進みます。 | That train is heading north. |
💡 に vs へ with movement verbs: In many sentences, に and へ are interchangeable. The subtle difference is that に emphasizes reaching the destination, while へ emphasizes heading in that direction. In practical conversation, the distinction is minor — both are correct in most contexts.
から (kara) — “From”
Core concept: から marks the starting point of movement or time — where something comes from, or when something begins.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| プーリアはリグーリアから遠いです。 | Puglia is far from Liguria. |
| 私はアメリカから来た。 | I came from the US. |
| 9じから5じまでしごとします。 | I work from 9 to 5. |
まで (made) — “Until” / “As far as”
Core concept: まで marks the end point of movement or time — where something goes to, or when something finishes. It is frequently paired with から.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| イタリアから日本まで行きます。 | I’ll go from Italy to Japan. |
| ここまでは、わかりました。 | I understood everything up to here. |
| 18じまでここにいます。 | I’ll be here until 6 PM. |
から〜まで pattern: from ___ to ___
9じから5じまでしごとします。→ I work from 9 to 5.
Ø — The “Zero Particle” (Time Words)
Core concept: Certain time-related words — particularly relative time expressions like きのう (yesterday), きょう (today), あした (tomorrow), らいしゅう (next week) — appear in a sentence without any particle. The time reference is simply stated and the sentence continues naturally.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 来週、友達と会います。 | I’ll meet a friend next week. |
| 昨日、ライブへ行きました。 | I went to a concert yesterday. |
💡 This is different from specific clock times or calendar dates, which do take に: 3じに、2がつ3にちに, etc. Relative, freestanding time expressions (yesterday, tomorrow, next week) take no particle.
Fill-in-the-Blank Practice
Complete each sentence with the correct particle(s). Answers follow.
1. ロベルタさん __ 明日 __ 映画館 __ 1時 __ 友達 __ 映画 __ 見ます。 → Roberta will watch a movie with her friend at 1 o’clock at the theater tomorrow.
2. れいかさん __ 4日後 __ 飛行機 __ 母 __ イタリア __ 行きます。 → Reika will go to Italy with her mom in four days by plane.
3. コロッセオ __ イタリア __ (あります / います)。 → The Colosseum is in Italy.
4. あした __ かれはパリ __ きます。 → He’s coming to Paris tomorrow.
5. ちちはフランス __ しごとします。 → My dad works in France.
6. わたしのおとうとはカフェ __ コーヒー __ のみます。 → My younger brother drinks coffee at the café.
7. せんせいはがっこう __ 8じ __ つきます。 → The teacher arrives at school at 8 o’clock.
8. きょう __ わたし __ 2じ __ 6じ __ ともだち __ あそびます。 → Today I’ll hang out with a friend from 2 to 6.
9. わたしはゆうごはん __ はちじ __ かれし __ レストラン __ たべます。 → I’ll eat dinner at 8 at a restaurant with my boyfriend.
10. わたしはおじ __ めがね __ とけい __ あげました。 → I gave my uncle glasses and a watch.
Answers
| # | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | は・Ø・で・に・と・を |
| 2 | は・Ø・で・と・へ/に |
| 3 | は・に・あります |
| 4 | Ø・へ/に |
| 5 | で |
| 6 | で・を |
| 7 | に・に |
| 8 | Ø・は・から・まで・と |
| 9 | を・に・と・で |
| 10 | に・と・を |
〜と思う (to omou) — “I think that…”
1. Basic Structure
Pattern: [Clause in plain form] ＋ と ＋ 思う / 思います
Example:
ハンコックはかわいいと思う。 I think Hancock is cute.
The sentence has two layers:
| Layer | Japanese | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Subordinate clause | ハンコックはかわいい | The content of the thought |
| Quotation particle | と | Marks the preceding clause as a thought |
| Main clause | 思う | The act of thinking |
2. Why と Is Used Here
と is the quotation particle (引用の助詞 いんようのじょし) in Japanese. It marks the content of speech or thought — everything before と is being “quoted” as what was said or thought.
Just as と appears in:
- 「行こう」と言った。→ He said, “Let’s go.”
It also appears in:
- 行こうと思った。→ I thought, “Let’s go.”
In 〜と思う, the clause before と is what exists inside the speaker’s mind — a mental quotation. と draws the line between the thought content and the act of thinking.
3. The Subordinate Clause Must Be in Plain Form
The clause before と must use the plain (dictionary) form, not the polite form. This is because politeness applies to the main verb (思います), which is what the speaker is saying out loud — not to the content of the thought itself, which is internal.
| Japanese | |
|---|---|
| ✅ Correct | ハンコックはかわいいと思う。 |
| ❌ Incorrect | ハンコックはかわいいですと思う。 |
Making the sentence polite: Change only the main verb.
| Register | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Casual | ハンコックはかわいいと思う。 |
| Polite | ハンコックはかわいいと思います。 |
This applies to all predicate types in the subordinate clause:
| Predicate type | Plain form before と | Example |
|---|---|---|
| い-adjective | かわいい | かわいいと思う |
| な-adjective | きれいだ | きれいだと思う |
| Noun + copula | 先生だ | 先生だと思う |
| Verb | 食べる / 食べた | 食べると思う / 食べたと思う |
💡 な-adjectives and nouns: These require だ before と in plain form. However, だ is often dropped in casual feminine speech: きれいだと思う → きれいと思う. Both are acceptable.
4. Main Clause vs Subordinate Clause
Understanding the grammatical structure helps make 〜と思う feel natural rather than memorized.
- The subordinate clause is the object of 思う — it is what is being thought.
- The main clause (思う) is the act of thinking — what the speaker is actually asserting.
This is directly parallel to English “that” clauses:
私は [ルフィは強い] と思う。 I think [that Luffy is strong].
The bracketed portion functions as a noun phrase — the object of the verb “think.”
5. 〜と思う vs Simply Stating a Fact
Using と思う significantly softens a statement, making it a personal opinion rather than an objective assertion. This makes it one of the most natural and polite ways to express a view in Japanese.
| Japanese | Nuance |
|---|---|
| ハンコックはかわいいです。 | Hancock is cute. (stated as fact) |
| ハンコックはかわいいと思います。 | I think Hancock is cute. (personal opinion) |
In everyday Japanese conversation, と思います is preferred when sharing opinions, recommendations, or beliefs — it avoids sounding presumptuous or overly direct.
6. Extended Examples
① ルフィは強いと思う。
- Subordinate clause: ルフィは強い (Luffy is strong)
- Main clause: 思う (I think)
- → I think Luffy is strong.
② あの人は先生だと思います。
- Subordinate clause: あの人は先生だ (That person is a teacher)
- Main clause: 思います (I think — polite)
- → I think that person is a teacher.
③ このラーメンはおいしいと思う。
- Subordinate clause: このラーメンはおいしい (This ramen is delicious)
- Main clause: 思う (I think)
- → I think this ramen is delicious.
7. Summary: Key Points for 〜と思う
| Point | Rule |
|---|---|
| Structure | [Plain form clause] ＋ と ＋ 思う／思います |
| Role of と | Marks the preceding clause as the content of thought |
| Subordinate clause form | Always plain form — never polite form |
| Politeness | Applied to 思う only (思う → 思います) |
| Grammatical function | The subordinate clause acts as the object of 思う |
| Nuance | Expresses personal opinion — softer and more natural than a direct assertion |