These help you grasp how to use a particular grammar point, word, particle, or form.
Adding 〜さ to an adjective turns it into a noun, and gives it the nuance that the noun is objective and measurable.
〜そう can be added to adjectives to mark them as speculative, such as おいしそう = "looks delicious".
Adding 〜み to an adjective turns it into a noun with a subjective quality, like the "warmth" of a person or the "weight" of a decision.
Understanding clauses will help you to break down and understand complicated sentences in Japanese.
Verbs in the command form express strong orders or demands. The form changes depending on the verb type, so learn more, 読め (read it)！
Just like the English conjunction "so," ので is a conjunctive particle that explains a reason or cause. It also contains a polite feel, a…
のに is a conjunctive particle that expresses a sense of surprise or frustration when something goes against the set expectation.
Conjunctive particles が and けど are often used in a similar way to the English word "but." Additionally, they can be used to link contex…
First-person pronouns are words that a speaker or a writer uses when they refer to themselves, like "I" or "we" in English.
御 (read as お, ご or おん) is an "honorific prefix" that is generally placed before nouns. It adds politeness and shows respect to the pers…
Nouns are words that label the world around us and are used to identify things.
か indicates that something is unknown. It's used to form questions, indefinite pronouns, and lists of alternatives.
から is a particle that marks the "source," such as a starting point, an origin, or a reason.
が marks the subject of a sentence. In other words, whatever comes before が is the person or thing that's doing whatever comes next.
で specifies where or how an activity or event takes place.
と is used to connect two or more words together as companions
と can be used to show a "strong causal relationship." In other words, it shows a condition and a result that always follows.
に is like a pin on a map. It shows where you are, where you are headed, or where you were before.
ね is a sentence ending particle that marks information as shared by the speaker and listener.
の is a nominalizer. It turns non-nouns — things like verbs, adjectives, or clauses — into nouns.
の is like a label maker. It turns a noun into a label that modifies another noun.
は marks the topic of a clause, sentence, or paragraph. It creates focus as well as a nuance of contrast with other potential topics.
へ is like an arrow that points the way to a destination or a direction.
まで is a particle that indicates the end point in space, time, and numbers.
The particle も is similar to the English words "too" and "also." It is placed after a word to show that the word is part of a set.
や is used to list multiple items (usually two or three) as examples. It implies that there are more items on the list that you haven't …
よ is a sentence-ending particle that gives an informative feel.
よね is a sentence-ending particle that is commonly used for confirmation.
In a comparative sentence, より is equivalent to the English word "than..."
より is a formal version of the particle から (from).
を tells us what the direct object of a sentence is. In other words, it marks the thing that gets affected by the verb.
Personal pronouns are used to refer to people from various perspectives: the first person (I, we), the second person (you), and the thi…
Plural suffixes attach to the end of nouns to indicate that they are plural.
The ways we express plurality and quantity are different in Japanese and English. In Japanese, we use quantifiers, plural suffixes, and…
Questions words are words like 何 (what), いつ (when), and なぜ (why). They are used for asking questions.
Second-person pronouns are words like "you" that a speaker uses to refer to their audience.
The stem form is a type of Japanese verb form also known as V-stem form, and 〜ます form—this last name comes from the fact that it can be…
Third-person pronouns are words like "he" and "she." They are used for people who are neither "I" nor "you."
Transitive verbs describe actions that happen to something else. Intransitive verbs describe actions that happen by themselves.
Japanese verbs have different conjugation patterns depending on what type they are — godan, ichidan, or irregular. Learn all about verb…
Adding 〜そう to a verb is the equivalent of "looks like (someone or something) is going to do something" in English.
〜かもしれない follows a sentence and expresses "uncertainty."
By adding 〜ことがある to a word in the plain, non-past form, you can talk about what you do on occasion.
When a verb ends in 〜させる, it tells us that someone is forced to do the action, or allowed to do the action, depending on context. For t…
し is often used to add emphasis to a list of parallel or sequential fields, much as "and what's more" or "not only...but also..." in En…
The suffix 〜た puts a plain form verb into the past tense. It tells us that the verb is completed or happened before the present moment.…
〜たい is a verb suffix that adds a meaning of desire. Use it to say "I want to do [this verb]."
〜たがる is used to say that someone is "showing signs of wanting to do" something. Use it to say what other people want to do.
When 〜たことがある follows the past tense, it expresses what you've experienced in the past.
〜たら is a conditional form. Depending on the context, it can express time sequence like "when/after" and conditions like "if."
〜たりする is used to list actions and states. It indicates the list is incomplete, meaning that there are more things speakers could list.
Used with a verb that expresses intentions, 〜てある describes a current state that's the result of a past action done by somebody, usually…
〜ていく and 〜てくる can express a gradual process that takes place over time. While 〜ていく focuses on the starting point of the process, 〜てくる f…
〜ていた is the past tense version of 〜ている. This form puts emphasis on the duration of a past action.
Depending on the verb that 〜ている is used with, it can describe an ongoing action, or a current state that's the result of a past action.…
〜ておく follows a transitive verb and generally adds the nuance that you do the action in advance for future convenience.
〜てほしい expresses that you want someone to do something or something to happen.
〜てみる follows the stem form of a verb and expresses an exploratory nuance, as in "to try doing something" to find out more about it.
〜てもいい is a phrase that expresses permission, concession, or approval.
〜という is a phrase with a wide array of functions, but it always denotes that what it's marking is based on hearsay or something that's s…
When な is added to the plain form of a verb, it marks a strong negative imperative. It's like very strongly saying "Don't…!" in English…
When 〜ない appears on the end of a verb, it means it is in the negative plain form. In other words, it has a similar function to "not".
〜なかった is the past tense negative plain form of verbs. It adds the meaning of "did not do [verb]" to a sentence.
ながら for contrasting clauses is used to describe two contradictory situations, and is often translated as "although."
ながら is used to indicate that two actions take place simultaneously. It is similar to "while" in English.
〜なさい is a suffix that is used to make polite commands or directions. While polite, it still implies a sense of authority.
〜にくい is a verb suffix that means "difficult to do (the verb)."
The suffix 〜ば puts verbs into the conditional form. In other words, it adds an "if" meaning to a sentence.
When a verb ends in 〜ます, it shows that you are speaking politely.
〜やすい is a verb suffix that means "easy to do (the verb)."
〜よう is a verb suffix that expresses volition, proposition, or invitation, akin to "let's" or "shall we?" in English.
The passive suffix 〜られる tells us that a verb is done to someone. It takes the emphasis off of who does the action, and places it on who…
〜れる appears on the end of a verb show ability or possibility, similarly to "can" or "be able to" in English.
あまり〜ない indicates that the degree or extent of something is not high or great, as in "not very" or "not much."
〜かった allows you to make い-adjectives past tense, in a similar way to "was" in English.
い-adjectives can take the suffix 〜がる to describe how other people seem to feel, based on how they look or behave. This lets you state w…
This page teaches you how to put an adjective into the くform and provides basics of its three usages.
Adding 〜くない to the end of an い-adjective makes it negative, kind of like how "not" functions in English.
Adding 〜ければ to the end of an い-adjective makes it conditional, similar to using "if" or "when" in English.
い-adjectives are one type of adjective in Japanese. Their main function is to describe nouns, and they can take different ending to cha…
The く form can be used to turn い-adjectives into adverbs, in a similar way to "-ly" in English.
The く form of い-adjectives allows you to combine words and clauses together.
A few い-adjectives that relate to time or location can be used like nouns in their く form.
The Japanese verbs いる and ある mean things like “to be” or “to exist” and can often be used in a similar way to “there is” and “there are…
うち is a word that means “inside,” as opposed to “outside.” When it’s used with other grammar elements, like 〜のうち or 〜のうちに, it indicates…
ください indicates a direct request while paying respect to the speaker. By adding it to a verb in its て form, you can request that someone…
くらい (or ぐらい) signifies approximation. It follows another word or phrase and indicates that something is around a certain amount or leve…
あげる and くれる are Japanese words for "to give," and もらう means "to receive/get." When speaking from the giver's perspective, you use あげる. …
こいつ, そいつ, あいつ, and どいつ are a set of こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words). These words are used to refer to people, but they're very informal, and …
こう, そう, ああ, and どう are a set of こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words). They come before an adjective or a verb to specify the way the adjective or …
ここ, そこ, あそこ, and どこ are a set of こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words). They are equivalent to "here," "there," and "over there" in English. どこ is …
こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words) are a series of Japanese words that can be used to refer to things, people and locations. The word you choose…
こちら, そちら, あちら, and どちら, along with their contractions こっち, そっち, あっち, and どっち, are a set of こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words). They refer primar…
こと basically means "thing." It's a versatile word for intangible, abstract things — ideas, events, experiences, and many others. こと can…
こなた, そなた, あなた and どなた are a set of こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words). The first three all mean "you," though only あなた is still in use today, an…
この, その, あの, and どの are a set of こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words). They are placed before nouns to give information about their location in rel…
これ, それ, あれ, and どれ are a set of こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words). They are equivalent to "this one," "that one," and "that one over there" in …
こんな, そんな, あんな, and どんな are a set of こそあど言葉 (ko-so-a-do words). They all get placed before a noun to indicate what that noun is like.
Used for both compliments and contradictions, さすが always adds the nuance that something is inevitable.
すぎる follows other verbs and adjectives and signifies that there's too much of something.
する basically means "to do," but it is incredibly versatile and goes beyond its English equivalent.
だ marks nouns and な-adjectives as present tense and positive, but it can also add an emphatic nuance in some contexts.
だけ means "only" and indicates the limitation or extent of something.
だった is a plain form past tense marker, typically used with nouns and な-adjectives.
Often translated as "probably," "I assume," or "I believe," だろう is used to speculate based on your interpretation of something.
つもり expresses the speaker's predetermined intention.
The て form links actions, events, and states. The relationship between linked words can be different depending on the context.
でした is a polite past tense marker, typically used with nouns and な-adjectives.
でしょう is used to speculate based on your interpretation of something, though you lack proof. It's often translated as "perhaps," "I assu…
です is used to mark words as polite if they cannot conjugate to show politeness themselves.
な-adjectives are one type of adjective in Japanese. Their main function is to describe nouns, but many can function as nouns themselves…
なら is a conditional particle. It means something like "if" in English.
なる is equivalent to the English verb "to become."
まだ means "still" and まだ〜ない means "not…yet."
もう suggests "a little more" than the current quantity or condition.
もう is the equivalent of "already" or "(not) any more" in English.
んだ and its variants such as んです add an explanatory feel to a sentence. It’s often used to provide information in order to fill the gap …
自分 is a Japanese pronoun that means "self."
行く and 来る are Japanese words for "to go" and "to come." 行く indicates that the speaker's on the departure side of the movement, while 来る…