Japanese particles

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Japanese particles, joshi (助詞?) or teniwoha (てにをは?), are suffixes or short words in Japanese grammar that immediately follow the modified noun, verb, adjective, or sentence. They have a wide range of grammatical functions, including the indication of a question or the speaker's assertiveness, certitude, or other feelings.

Contents

[edit] Orthography

Japanese particles, like okurigana, are usually written in hiragana. Some of the particles have kanji forms, but in modern writing, the hiragana forms are always preferred. Three common particles, o, e and wa, are written with the hiragana wo, he, and ha respectively. This is a relic of historical kana usage, although the particle o is still pronounced wo by some speakers.

[edit] List of particles

[edit] bakari

ばかり Bakari: "just, only, full of"
Colloquially: bakkari, bakka
Following Japanese Meaning
Nouns Tōkyō wa hito bakari da.

東京は人ばかりだ。

 Tokyo is just full of people.
Verbs (ta form) Tabeta bakari da.

食べたばかりだ。

 I just ate.
Verbs (te form) Kare wa tabete bakari iru

彼は食べてばかりいる。

 He's always eating

[edit] bakari ka

ばかりか Bakari ka: "not only". May be accompanied by sae ("but also") to indicate something unusual or unexpected.
Etymology: bakari + ka
Following Japanese Meaning
Nouns Sofu bakari ka, sōsofu sae ikite iru.

祖父ばかりか、曽祖父さえ生きている。

 Not only is my grandfather living, but so is my great-grandfather.

[edit] bakashi

ばかし (bakashi) is another form of bakari, written ばかし.

[edit] dake

だけ Dake: "only"; limit.
Dake functions as a noun.
Following Japanese Meaning
Nouns rōmaji dake no jisho

ローマ字だけの辞書。

 a rōmaji-only dictionary
Verbs (volitional) Netai dake nete mo ii.

寝たいだけ寝てもいい。

 You can sleep as much as you want [to sleep].

[edit] da no

だの Da no: "and, things like".
Etymology: da (copula) + no.
This particle is used far less frequently than to ka.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns, adjectives, verbs Nattō da no, shīfūdo da no, wasabi da no — nihonshoku ga nigate da.

納豆だの、シーフードだの、わさびだの — 日本食が苦手だ。

 Natto, seafood, wasabi — Japanese food isn't my thing.

[edit] darake

だらけ Darake: "covered with". Often has negative connotations.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Watashi no fuku wa doro darake!

私の服は泥だらけ！

 My clothes are covered with mud.

[edit] de

で Etymology: Originally an alteration of ni te, later treated as a conjugation of the copula da
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: instrument Jitensha de ikimashō.

自転車で行きましょう。

 Let's go by bicycle.
Nouns: location Koko de yasumitai.

ここで休みたい。

 I want to rest here.
Nouns: language Nihongo de tegami wo kaita.

日本語で手紙を書いた。

 I wrote the letter in　Japanese.

[edit] de mo

でも De mo: "even; or; but, however; also in"
Etymology: de + mo
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns, particles: "even" Uchū kara de mo Banri-no-Chōjō ga mieru. Even from space you can see the Great Wall of China.
Nouns: "or" Ocha de mo, kōhī de mo, dō desu ka? How about some tea or coffee?
Nouns: "also in" Nihon de mo eigo o benkyō suru In Japan also, we study English.
Beginning of phrase: "but, however, even so" De mo, watashi wa sō omowanai But I don't think so.

[edit] ni te

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

Etymology: Case particle ni + conjunctive particle te (c.f. te form of Japanese verbs)

[edit] dokoro ka

どころか (所か) Dokoro ka: "anything but, far from"
Etymology: dokoro (tokoro: place) + ka
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Kare wa keisatsukan dokoro ka, hanzaisha da. He's anything but a policeman; he's a criminal.

[edit] e

へ E: "to, in"; direction
E is written with へ rather than え, reflecting old kana usage.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: direction Nihon e yōkoso! Welcome to Japan!

[edit] ga

が, ヶ Ga (が only): subject marker, conjunction ("but")

Ga (が or ヶ): Historical possessive used to connect nouns, most often seen in place names as ヶ
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: subject marker Neko ga esa o tabeta. The cat ate the catfood.
Nouns: noun connector wareware ga kokoro

Fujimi ga Oka

Seki ga hara

 our [collective] heart

Fuji View Hill

Gateway Plains (site of the Battle of Sekigahara)
Phrases: conjunction Inu wa suki da ga, neko wa kirai da. I like dogs but I hate cats.

[edit] hodo

ほど (程) Hodo: "as much as"; upper limit
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Kare hodo nihongo ga umakunai. My Japanese isn't as good as his
Adjectives* Hayai hodo ii. The sooner, the better.
Verbs Aitsu ga koroshitai hodo kirai da I hate him enough (to want) to kill him
*When an i-adjective is marked with hodo, there should be no verb, since an adjective cannot be the agent or patient of a verb in Japanese.

[edit] ka

か Ka: questions, alternatives in a list, quotation expressing doubt; "whether," especially when used with dō ka ("or not").
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns, verbs: listing alternatives Kore ka, sore ka, dotchika erande yo. This or that, choose one of them.
Nouns, verbs: "whether (or not)" Iku ka [dō ka] wakaranai. I don't know [whether or not / if] he'll go.
Phrases: question Wakaru ka? Do you understand?
Phrase: quotation expressing doubt Iku ka to omoimasu ga... I think he'll go (but I'm not sure)...

[edit] kai

かい kai is a gentler variant of the question marker ka, used by some men.

[edit] ka na

かな Ka na: "I wonder"

Etymology: ka + na
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Phrases Kare wa ayashii hito ka na. I wonder if he's a suspicious person.

[edit] kara

から Kara: "from, after, because"
Kara may be followed by no to link two nouns.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: "from, out of" Tōkyō kara kaetta. He returned from Tokyo.
zutto mae kara no hanashi a conversation from way back
Verbs (te form): "after" Owatte kara, kite kudasai. Please come by after finishing (after you've finished).
Adjectives, Verbs: "because" Niku o tabenai kara, rāmen wa dame da Because he doesn't eat meat, ramen is bad (a bad idea).

[edit] ka shira

かしら Ka shira is like ka na, but is used more by women. See also Gender differences in spoken Japanese.

Etymology: ka + shira, the irrealis form (i.e. negative form minus the -nai) of shiru "to know"
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Phrases Kare wa ayashii hito ka shira. I wonder if he's a suspicious person.

[edit] kedo

けど Kedo: "although, but"
Etymology: kedo is a shortened version of formal keredomo. It also appears semi-abbreviated and semi-formally as keredo or kedomo.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Adjectives, verbs Kanojo wa henda kedo kirei da. She is strange but pretty

[edit] kiri

きり (切り) Kiri: "just, only"
Kiri is more rarely used than dake, and functions as a noun and may be followed by no.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns futari kiri no o-mise a shop with just two people [who work there]

[edit] koro/goro

ころ・ごろ (頃) Koro: "around, about, approximately"
Koro functions as a noun and may be followed by no.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns San-ji goro ni aimashō. Let's meet around 3 o'clock.

[edit] koso

こそ Koso: Used for emphasis.

There is no direct translation, but roughly analogous to "precisely" or "exactly", as in examples below.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Phrases Kyō koso, yaru zo!

Kimi ga suki da kara koso kore hodo ganbatte iru n da yo.

Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

 Today is the day I'm going to do it!

It's precisely because I like you that I'm working this hard.

Nice to meet you, too. (Emphasizes this side or me too)

[edit] kurai/gurai

くらい・ぐらい (位) Kurai: "about, approximately"
Kurai functions as a noun and may be followed by no.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Juppun kurai kakaru It takes about 10 minutes.

[edit] made

まで (迄) Made: "up to, until, as far as"

Indicates a time or place as a limit.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns (specifically places or times) Kono densha wa, Shimonoseki made ikimasu. This train goes as far as Shimonoseki.
Verbs Kaeru made matte iru. I'll wait until you come home.

[edit] made ni

までに (迄に) Made ni: "by (a certain time)"

Etymology: made + ni
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns, verbs Ku-ji made ni kaeru. I'll come home by nine o'clock.

[edit] me

め (目) me (目 only): ordinal particle
me (め only): "Damn..."; abusive/pejorative
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Classifier nouns: ordinal Amerika wa nikai me desu. This is my second time to America.
Nouns: abusive "damn..." Orokamono me! [You] damn fool!

[edit] mo

も Mo: "also"
Mo always replaces wa and ga, but may follow other particles.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns, phrases Watashi ni mo kureta. She gave some to me, too.

[edit] mono/mon

[edit] mono-de

[edit] mono-ka/mon-ka

[edit] mononara

[edit] mono-o

[edit] na and nā

な・なぁ Na (な only): used with a class of adjectives which behave grammatically like nouns (see na-adjectives). It is also used to modify general nouns before other particles which cannot directly follow nouns (e.g. no de).
Etymology: The na used with nouns (including na-adjectives) is a form of the copula. Na or nā at the end of a sentence is a variant of ne, implying more reflection.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Na-adjectives hen na hito a strange person
Phrases Hen da nā! How strange!

[edit] nado

など (等) Nado: "for example, things like, such as, etc., and so on"
Functions as a noun and may be followed by no.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Nattō ya kabuki nado wa Nihon dake ni aru. Things like natto and kabuki are only in Japan.

[edit] nanka/nante

なんか・なんて (何か・何て) Nanka/nante: emphasizes disgust, contempt, or otherwise negative feelings of the speaker.
Nante is slightly more formal than nanka.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Jogen nanka iranai. I don't need any (damn) advice.
Verbs* Oyogu nante dekinai. I can't swim.
Adjectives** Ōkiku nante nai kedo, kirei da. It's not big [or anything], but it's clean.
*Nanka/nante is usually followed by a verb which conveys some kind of undervalue, lacking, or dislike, often in the negative.
**Can immediately follow i-adjectives, using the adjective's ku form if followed by the negative, or if the adjective is followed by no. Na-adjectives require the copula da or no before nante or nanka.

[edit] nara

なら Nara: "if"; conditional
Hypothetical (仮定形) or conditional form of the copula da. Related to the more formal naraba.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns, adjectives, verbs, phrases Atsui nara, eakon o tsukete If you're hot, turn on the air conditioner.

[edit] ne

ね Ne: "eh"; interjection, tag question
Similar to English "hey", "eh?", French "non?" and Spanish "no?" Asks or shows agreement and reflection at phrase-end, also used before sentences to catch listener's attention (informal).
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Phrases Kimi wa kashikoi yo ne.

Kakkō ii desu ne.

Ne, ima nanji?

 You're pretty smart, aren't you.

That's pretty neat, eh?

Hey, what time is it?

[edit] ni

に Ni: "to, in, at, by"; indirect object, direction
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: location Gakkō ni iru. I'm at/in school.
Nouns: direction Gakkō ni iku. I'm going to school.
Nouns: indirect object Ore ni kaese. Give it back to me.
Nouns: passive agent Ka ni sasareta. I was bitten by a mosquito.
Nouns, verbs (stem only): purpose, intent Eiga o mi ni iku. I'm going to see a movie.

[edit] ni wa

には Ni wa: "for; in, to";
Etymology: ni + wa (always written は)

The wa makes the phrase ending in ni the topic of the sentence. Serves as emphasis for a negative ending.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: "for" Shichimi wa, watashi ni wa kara-sugiru. Shichimi is too spicy for me. (i.e., "you might like it, but I'm not touching it.")
Nouns: "in, to" Kyōto ni wa hana ga aru. There are flowers in Kyōto.

(Lit.: As for in Kyōto, there are flowers.)

[edit] no

の No: possession, noun linking, topic marking (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. See also Gender differences in spoken Japanese.
Following: Function Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: possession sensei no kuruma the teacher's car
Nouns: linking kuruma no Toyota Toyota the car [company]
Nouns: subject marker in subordinate clauses (see also: ga) Kare no tsukutta kēki wa oishikatta. The cake that he made was tasty.
i-adjectives: nominalization Yasui no wa, kore. This is the cheap[er] one.
Verbs: nominalization Taberu no ga daisuki. I love eating.
Phrases: nominalization Mō, tabeta no?

Kuruma na no?

Kare ni mō ageta no yo!

 Have you eaten yet?

Is it a car?

I already gave it to him!

[edit] no de

ので No de: "because"
Etymology: no + de
Colloquially, no de is often shortened to n de.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Phrases* Jugyō ga aru no de, ikenai.

Gakkō na no de, kin'en da.

 Because I have a test, I can't go.

Because this is a school it's no smoking.
*Phrases ending in a noun or na-adjective require the na form of the copula before the nominalizing no.

[edit] nomi

のみ Nomi: "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.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Tō-mise de wa, Nihon en nomi no go-riyō itadakimasu. This store accepts Japanese Yen only.

[edit] no ni

のに No ni: "despite, although, even though; would have; in order to"
Etymology: no + ni
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."
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Adjectives, verbs: "although" Benkyō suru no ni, eigo wa hanasenai. Although I study, I can't speak English.
Adjectives (conditional), verbs (conditional): "would have" Kaette kitara, yokatta no ni. It would have been nice if you had come home.
Verbs (plain form): "in order to" Hikkosu no ni torakku ga hitsuyō da. (In order) to move, you need a truck.

[edit] o

を O: direct object; "through, from, past (motion verbs only)"
This is unrelated to the honorific prefix o, written お or 御.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: direct object Neko ga esa o tabeta. The cat ate the food.
Nouns: through, etc. (motion) Sora o tobu fly through the sky

[edit] sa/sā

さ・さぁ Sa: Masculine sentence/phrase final particle, indicating explanation of obvious facts. It is softer than yo.
Sā: Feminine sentence/phrase final particle, used like ne, but often more frequently as extremely colloquial filler.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Phrases: masculine sa Kanojo wa inai kara, dansu ni ikanai sa. I don't have a girlfriend, so I'm not going to the dance.
Phrases: sā Kinō sā, gakkō de sā, sensei ni sā, chūi sarete sā, chō mukatsuita. Like yesterday, in like school, I like got fussed at by like some teacher, and it totally made me sick.

[edit] sae

さえ Sae: "even"

Note the meaning overlap 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. Contrast this with sura.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Kanji sae kakeru. He can even write kanji.

[edit] de sae

でさえ De sae: "even"
Etymology: de + sae
De sae replaces wa and ga, like de mo above.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Sonna koto wa saru de sae dekiru. Even a monkey can do that.

[edit] sae...ba/ra

さえ…〜ば・ら Sae...ba/ra: sae followed by a verb in the conditional means "if only."
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Kore sae nomeba, futsukayoi ga naoru yo. If you would just drink this, your hangover would get better.

[edit] shi

し Shi: "and what's more" (conjunction)
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Adjectives, verbs Kirei da shi, hiroi shi, ii ne, kono apāto! It's clean, it's spacious; this apartment is nice, isn't it!

[edit] shika

しか Shika: "only, just"
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.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Ichi en dama shika nai. I have just a one-yen coin.
Verbs Yūbin-kyoku ni iku shika nai. The only thing [to do] is to go to the post office.

[edit] sura

すら Sura: "even"

Note the meaning overlap with mo. Sura implies (usually) negative emphasis that the evident extent of something is less than initially expected. Contrast this with sae.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Kanji sura kakenai. He can't even write kanji.

[edit] to

と To: "and" (conjunction); "with" (preposition) "if"; quotation
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: conjunction sore to kore that and this
Nouns: preposition Boku to ikitai? Do you want to go with me?
Verbs, adjectives: "if" Benkyō suru to wakaru. If you study, you'll understand.
Any phrase: quotation Umi made! to sakenda. "To the sea!" he cried.

[edit] to ka

とか To ka: A listing particle used like nado. Often used with the question word nani (what) in the form nantoka ("something or other").
Etymology: to + ka
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Kani to ka, hotate to ka, zenbu tabeta yo. We had crab, scallops, [other stuff,] we ate them all.

[edit] to mo

とも (共) To mo (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".

Etymology: to + mo
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Counted nouns Watashi wa, aitsura ga futari to mo kirai da.

Zannen nagara, sono kuruma wa san dai to mo irimasen.

 I hate the both of those guys.

Unfortunately, we need none of those three cars.
Volitional verbs Dō shiyō to mo amari susumanai. No matter how we try [to do something], we don't make much progress.
Adverbial (continuative) form of i-adjectives Sukunaku to mo go-jū mairu aruite kita.

Osoku to mo itte miyō yo.

 We walked at least fifty miles [to get here].

Even if it's late, let's go and check it out.
Verbs (paired with same verb in negative) Kau to mo kawanai to mo hakkiri shite imasen. It isn't clear whether they're going to buy or not.
Verbs, adjectives
This use is similar to the English expression, "as if [something] wouldn't [phrase]."
 Waratte ii to mo.

Ikimasen to mo.

 It's okay to laugh. (Name of a Japanese TV programme hosted by Tamori)

As if I would go.

[edit] tte

This is another form of to. It is a shortened version of to iu or to iu-no-wa, and is a type of verbal quotation marks. 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.

Sugu kimasu tte could be, "He said he'll come soon" (more politely) or, "He said, 'I'll come soon.'" (less so).

Emphasizing a word or concept thoughtfully:

Arabugo tte, muzukashikunai?, "Arabic, huh, isn't that difficult?"

[edit] tteba

Tteba is sometimes used for strong emphasis, especially when the speaker has grown impatient.

kōhī tteba, "Bring me my coffee!"

[edit] wa

Wa is a topic marker. It is written with the hiragana は ha, rather than the hiragana わ, wa.

Wa is also often used by females at the end of the sentence to establish an emotional connection (in this case, it is written with the hiragana わ, wa). This also conveys a certain deference to the speaker's wishes and emotions.

[edit] ya

Ya is used to make incomplete lists of things.

Watashi no suki na tabemono wa okashi ya pan ya mikan nado, "I like snacks, bread and tangerines."

To make an exhaustive list, the particle to is used instead.

[edit] yara

Written やら, this particle denotes either uncertainty or listing.

[edit] yo

Yo comes at the end of the sentence, and is used to make assertions. Compare zo and ze below.

Kaeru yo! means "I'm going home!"

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

Saraba, tomo yo, "Farewell, oh friend!"

Yo is written in hiragana: よ.

[edit] yori

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

Kono densha-wa, Kashiwa-yori saki, kaku eki-ni tomarimasu "This train will stop at every station after Kashiwa".
Dare-yori-mo kanemochi-ni naritai "I want to become richer than anyone (else)".

Yori is usually written より in hiragana.

[edit] ze

Written ぜ, ze is a particle which indicates assertion. Its use is mostly by men, and is never considered polite. Compare yo and zo.

[edit] zo

Written ぞ, zo is a particle which indicates assertion. It is used mainly by men, but its use is considered somewhat less forceful and more positive than ze. Compare yo and ze above.

[edit] zutsu

Zutsu means "each" and usually follows counted nouns:

Chokorēto-o ni-ko-zutsu tabemashita, which means "I ate two pieces of each (kind of) chocolate.

Zutsu is written with hiragana as ずつ.

[edit] Contrast

[edit] wa and ga

Main articles: Japanese grammar#Topic.2C theme.2C and subject: .E3.81.AF .28wa.29 and .E3.81.8C .28ga.29 and Japanese grammar: wa and ga particles

[edit] ni and de

Ni and de can both be used to show location, corresponding to the prepositions "in" or "at" in English. Their uses are mutually exclusive.

Ni, when used to show location, is used only with stative verbs such as iru, "to be, exist;" aru, "to be, exist, have;" and sumu, "to live, inhabit."

Nihon-ni sumu. "I live in Japan."
Gakkō-ni iru. "I am in school."

De is used with action verbs to convey the place of action, as opposed to location of being.

Gakkō-de neru. "I sleep in school."
*Gakkō-ni neru. *"I sleep to school," is not a meaningful construction

[edit] ni and e

Ni and e can both indicate direction of motion, meaning "to" or "at" in English. In this sense, e is perhaps closer to English "towards" in terms of use (see example below). As long as ni is used directionally, it is possible to substitute e in its place. Ni used in other senses cannot be replaced by e:

Gakkō ni iku. "I'm going to school," where gakkō, "school," is the destination of iku, "go."
Gakkō e iku. "I'm going to school," where gakkō, "school," is the destination of iku, "go."
Gakkō ni iru. "I'm at school," where gakkō, "school," is the location of iru, "be;" not a destination.
*Gakkō e iru. *"I'm to school," is not a possible construction since "be" is not a verb of motion, and "school" cannot be a destination.
Tomodachi ni au "I'll meet my friends," where tomodachi, "friends," is the indirect object of au, "meet;" not a destination.
*Tomodachi e au *"I'll meet to my friends," which is impossible because "meet" is not a verb of motion.
Hon o kai ni itta "I went to buy a book," where kai ni, "to buy," shows purpose or intent, and is a verbal adverb; not destination.
*Hon o kai e itta *"I went towards buying a book," is not possible because kai, "buying," cannot be a destination.

Indicating direction, using e instead of ni is preferred when ni is used non-directionally in proximity:

Tomodachi ni ai ni Kyōto e itta. "I went to Kyoto to meet my friends."

[edit] ga and o

In some cases, ga and o are interchangeable. For example, with the tai form, meaning "want to", it is possible to say either of the following:

Gohan-ga tabetai. "I want to eat rice."
Gohan-o tabetai. "I want to eat rice."

Similarly, suki, a na adjective meaning "liked", can take either ga or o:

Kimi-ga suki da "I like you"
Kimi-o suki de yokatta "I'm glad I like you" (words from a popular song)

[edit] ni and to

Ni and to are sometimes interchangeable in forms like ni naru and to naru. The to naru form suggests a natural change, whereas ni naru suggests some indirect agent.

[edit] ya and to

Ya is used for incomplete lists, whereas to is used for complete ones.

[edit] Differences from English prepositions

Many Japanese particles fill the role of prepositions in English, but they are unlike prepositions in many ways. Japanese does not have equivalents of prepositions like "on", and often uses particles along with verbs and nouns to modify another word where English might use prepositions. For example, ue is a noun meaning "top/up"; and ni tsuite is a fixed verbal expression meaning "concerning", and when used as postpositions:

Tēburu-no　　-ue-ni　　　aru.
Table-OF　　top/up-AT　exists.
"It's on the table."
Ano　　hito-wa, 　　　gitā-ni 　　tsuite　　nandemo　wakaru.
That　person-TOPIC　guitar-TO　concerning　anything　　knows.
"That person knows everything about guitars."

[edit] Noun- and verb-derived postpositional idioms

[edit] Noun-derived postpositional idioms

[edit] jō

上 Jō: "from the standpoint of"
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Rekishi jō wa, tadashii to omoimasu. From a historical point of view, I think you're right.

[edit] chū

中 Chū: "in progress, in the midst of, now doing"
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Tadaima, denwa chū desu. He's on the phone right now.

[edit] jū

中 Jū: "throughout, all across"; often followed by de
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns: time Ichi nichi jū shigoto shimasu. I'll work all day long.
Nouns: place Amerika jū de hayatte iru. It's getting popular all over America.

[edit] kata/gata

かた・がた (方) Kata: Plural marker for some pronouns, most polite among plural markers such as ra and tachi.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Personal pronouns: plural marker Anata gata no okage de, yoi seiseki o ageraremashita. Thanks to you (folks), we have achieved success.
Person nouns: plural marker Sensei gata ni tasukete moraimashita. The teachers helped me.

[edit] ra

ら (等) Ra: Plural marker for some pronouns, least polite among plural markers such as kata/gata and tachi.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Personal pronouns: plural marker Boku ra wa ikanai. We won't go.
Place pronouns: approximate area Koko ra hen ga itai. It hurts around here [hereabouts].

[edit] tachi

たち (達) Tachi: Plural/group marker for nouns and some pronouns referring to people; neutral politeness.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Animate nouns: plural marker Sensei tachi ga kita. The teachers came.
Pronouns: plural marker Watashi tachi wa raishū kaeru. We will return next week.
Personal/family names: group marker Saiaku no ko wa, Okada tachi da. The worst kids are Okada and the others in that group.

[edit] Verb-derived postpositional idioms

[edit] zoi

沿い Zoi: "along"; followed by ni.
Following Rōmaji Meaning
Nouns Tōri zoi ni aruku. He walks along the street.

[edit] See also

For a list of words relating to Japanese particles, see the Japanese particles category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary

[edit] References

  • A Dictionary of Elementary Japanese Grammar, Seiichi Makino and Michio Tsutsui, ISBN 4-7890-0454-6
  • A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar, Seiichi Makino and Michio Tsutsui, ISBN 4-7890-0775-8
  • Handbook of Modern Japanese Grammar, Yoko McClain.
  • A Reference Grammar of Japanese, Samuel L. Martin.
  • How to Tell the Difference Between Japanese Particles, Naoko Chino, ISBN 4-7700-2200-X