Grammar

XใฏYใงใ™

You can say things like "I am a musician" or "My major is Japanese" by using the pattern XใฏYใงใ™. For example:

ๅญฆ็”Ÿใงใ™ใ€‚(I am) a student.

ๆœฌ่ชžใงใ™ใ€‚(My major) is Japanese.

You'll notice that there are no subjects in these sentences like in English. That's because Japanese speakers tend to omit them when it's clear who or what they are talking about.

An example of a sentence with a subject:

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฏๅญฆ็”Ÿใงใ™ใ€‚Julianne is a student.

The ใฏ in these sentences is what's referred to as a particle and is pronounced "wa". Particles attach themselves to phrases and indicate how the phrases relate to the rest of the sentence.

Question Sentences

To turn a sentence into a question, simply add ใ‹ to the end of it. Note that it is not customary to write a question mark.

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฏๅญฆ็”Ÿใงใ™ใ‹ใ€‚ Is Julianne a student?

There are sometimes "question words" that these types of sentences might contain. The question word for "what" has two pronunciations: ใชใ‚“ and ใชใซ. ใชใ‚“ is used right before ใงใ™ or a counter. ใชใซ is used before a particle.

nounใฎnoun

The particle ใฎ is used to connect two nouns. It can act as the possessive or be used to make a noun more specific.

Example of being the possessive:

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฎๆœฌ Julianne's book

Example of making a noun more specific:

ๅคงๅญฆใฎๅ…ˆ็”Ÿ A college professor

ใ“ใ‚Œใ€€ใใ‚Œใ€€ใ‚ใ‚Œใ€€ใฉใ‚Œ

ใ“ใ‚Œ, ใใ‚Œ, ใ‚ใ‚Œ, and ใฉใ‚Œ are used to talk about things we don't know the name of. They are similar to "this" and "that" in English.

ใ“ใ‚Œ refers to a thing that is close to you:

ใ“ใ‚Œใฏใ‹ใฐใ‚“ใงใ™ใ€‚This is a bag.

ใใ‚Œ refers to a thing that is close to the person you're speaking to:

ใใ‚ŒใฏใŸใ‘ใ—ใ•ใ‚“ใฎใ•ใ„ใตใงใ™ใ€‚That is Takeshi's wallet.

ใ‚ใ‚Œ refers to something the is not close to the listener or the speaker:

ใ‚ใ‚Œใฏใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใฎใ˜ใฆใ‚“ใ—ใ‚ƒใงใ™ใ€‚That is Julianne's bike over there.

ใฉใ‚Œ means "which". When using it, ใŒ must be the following particle in question sentences.

ใฉใ‚ŒใŒใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฎ่‡ช่ปข่ปŠใงใ™ใ‹ใ€‚Which one is Julianne's bike?

ใ“ใฎใ€€ใใฎใ€€ใ‚ใฎใ€€ใฉใฎใ€€+ใ€€noun

ใ“ใฎ, ใใฎ, ใ‚ใฎ, and ใฉใฎ are more specific than ใ“ใ‚Œ, ใใ‚Œ, ใ‚ใ‚Œ, and ใฉใ‚Œ. Use these when you know what something is. Again, in question sentences you must use ใŒ as the following particle.

ใ“ใฎใ‹ใฐใ‚“ใฏ้ซ˜ใ„ใงใ™ใญใ€‚ใ€€This bag is expensive.

ใใฎใ‹ใฐใ‚“ใŒ้ซ˜ใ„ใงใ™ใ‹ใ€‚ใ€€Is that bag expensive?

ใ‚ใฎใ‹ใฐใ‚“ใฏ้ซ˜ใ„ใงใ™ใญใ€‚ใ€€That bag over there is expensive.

ใฉใฎใ‹ใฐใ‚“ใŒ้ซ˜ใ„ใงใ™ใ‹ใ€‚ใ€€Which bag is expensive?

ใ“ใ“ใ€€ใใ“ใ€€ใ‚ใใ“ใ€€ใฉใ“

These words represent places.

ใ“ใ“ basically means "here"; some place near the speaker:

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฎ่‡ช่ปข่ปŠใฏใ“ใ“ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ€€Julianne's bike is here.

ใใ“ means "there"; some place close to the listener:

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฎ่‡ช่ปข่ปŠใฏใใ“ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ€€Julianne's bike is there.

ใ‚ใใ“ essentially means "over there"; somewhere away from both the speaker and the listener:

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฎๅฎถใฏใ‚ใใ“ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ€€Julianne's house is over there.

ใฉใ“ means "where":

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฎๅฎถใฏใฉใ“ใงใ™ใ‹ใ€‚ใ€€Where is Julianne's house?

ใ ใ‚Œใฎnoun

The pattern ใ ใ‚Œใฎ<noun> is used to ask who something belongs to.

ใ“ใ‚Œใฏใ ใ‚Œใฎใ‹ใฐใ‚“ใงใ™ใ‹ใ€‚ใ€€Whose bag is this?

noun ใ‚‚

The particle ใ‚‚ essentially means "too". You use it to specify that something shares some property with a previously-mentioned thing.

ใ“ใฎใ‹ใฐใ‚“ใฏ้ซ˜ใ„ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ€€This bag is expensive.

ใใฎใ‹ใฐใ‚“ใ‚‚้ซ˜ใ„ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ€€That bag is also expensive.

Negating Statements

To negate a statement, simply replace the ending ใงใ™ with ใ˜ใ‚ƒใชใ„ใงใ™.

ใ“ใ‚Œใฏใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฎใใคใ˜ใ‚ƒใชใ„ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ€€These are not Julianne's shoes.

Note that this does not work with adjectives.

Another way of doing this is by using ใ˜ใ‚ƒใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ›ใ‚“, which is more formal. ใ˜ใ‚ƒ is a contraction of ใงใฏ, which is even more formal and more appropriate for writing.

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฏๅญฆ็”Ÿใ˜ใ‚ƒใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚ใ€€Julianne is not a student.

ใ‚ธใƒฅใƒชใ‚ขใƒณใƒŒใ•ใ‚“ใฏๅญฆ็”Ÿใงใฏใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚ใ€€Julianne is not a student.

~ใญใƒป~ใ‚ˆ

You will often hear statements end with an extra ใญ or ใ‚ˆ thrown in. Whether you hear these depends on how the speaker feels about the interaction with the listener.

Adding ใญ is equivalent to adding "right"? to the end of a sentence:

ใ“ใ‚Œใฏ่‚‰ใ˜ใ‚ƒใชใ„ใงใ™ใญใ€‚ใ€€This is not meat, right?

Adding ใ‚ˆ is similar to adding "I tell you" or "I assure you" to the end of a statement. It's used to assure the listener of what has been said.

ใใ‚Œใฏ่‚‰ใ˜ใ‚ƒใชใ„ใงใ™ใ‚ˆใ€‚ใ€€Let me assure you, that is not meat.

Verb Conjugation: ru-verbs and u-verbs

Verbs in Japanese conjugate, or change form. Here we learn three forms:

  1. Dictionary Form

  2. Present Tense Affirmative

  3. Present Tense Negative

There are two kinds of verbs that follow regular conjugation patterns:

  1. ru-verbs

  2. u-verbs

A ru-verb is a verb that ends with ใ‚‹. They are usually created by adding a ใ‚‹ to the base of the word to form the dictionary form. Note that some verbs ending with ใ‚‹ may actually be u-verbs that just happen to end with ใ‚‹. To conjugate a ru-verb, simply replace the ใ‚‹ with ใพใ™ or ใพใ›ใ‚“.

An u-verb is a verb whose dictionary form consists of the word's base and the suffix "-u" (ใ, ใ‚€, ใฌ, etc.). To conjugate an u-verb, you replace the "-u" character with an "-i" character and add the suffix ใพใ™ or ใพใ›ใ‚“.

Examples of conjugating a ru-verb and an u-verb are listed below.

It is important to remember which class each verb belongs to, especially for verbs ending with ใ‚‹. They may be irregular verbs, or ru-verbs, or u-verbs that happen to end with the consonant "r". Usually, if you see the vowels "a", "u", or "o" right before the final ใ‚‹, then it is an u-verb. If you see an "i" or "e" before the final ใ‚‹, then it is usually a ru-verb. There are exceptions to this rule, like ใ‹ใˆใ‚‹.

Irregular Verbs

There are some verbs that do not follow standard conjugation rules. These are called irregular verbs. Two examples of this are ใ™ใ‚‹ and ใใ‚‹:

These verbs are also used to form compound verbs, like ในใ‚“ใใ‚‡ใ†ใ™ใ‚‹.

Verb Types and "Present Tense"

The "present tense" of an "action verb" either means:

  1. The person regularly engages in the activity.

  2. The person will, or is planning to, perform the action in the future.

For example, a habitual action would be described as follows:

็งใฏใ‚ˆใใƒ†ใƒฌใƒ“ใ‚’ใฟใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I often watch television.

And a future action would be:

็งใฏใ‚ใ—ใŸใใ‚‡ใ†ใจใซ่กŒใใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I will go to Kyoto tomorrow.

Particles

Nouns used in sentences generally must be followed by particles, which indicate the relations that the nouns bear to the verbs.

For example, four particles are ใ‚’, ใง, ใซ, and ใธ.

ใ‚’

The particle ใ‚’ indicates "direct objects", the kind of things that are directly involved in, or affected by, the event. It is pronounced "o".

ใŠใ‚“ใŒใใ‚’ใใใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I listen to music.

ใง

ใง indicates where the event described by the verb takes place.

ใจใ—ใ‚‡ใ‹ใ‚“ใงๆœฌใ‚’ใ‚ˆใฟใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I will read books at the library.

ใซ

ใซ has many meanings, but we'll just cover two here:

  1. the goal toward which things move

  2. the time at which an event takes place

For example, as a goal of movement:

็งใฏไปŠๆ—ฅใŒใฃใ“ใ†ใซ่กŒใใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚ใ€€I will not go to school today.

And for specific times (the first ใซ):

ๆ—ฅๆ›œๆ—ฅใซใใ‚‡ใ†ใจใซ่กŒใใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I will go to Kyoto on Sunday.

Approximate time references can be made by substituting ใ”ใ‚ or ใ”ใ‚ใซ for ใซ.

ๅไธ€ๆ™‚ใ”ใ‚ใญใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I will go to bed at about eleven.

Note that you do not typically use ใซ for relative times, such as "tomorrow" or "yesterday". You also do not use it with the word for "weekend" or for parts of the day ("in the morning", "at night", etc.). You do use it for days of the week and numerical time expressions.

ใธ

ใธ also indicates goal of movement. It can replace ใซ in those cases. Pronounced "e".

็งใฏใ†ใกใธใ‹ใˆใ‚Šใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I will return home.

Extending Invitations

You can use ใพใ›ใ‚“ to extend an invitation. Just use the present tense negative verb plus the question particle.

ๆ˜ผใ”้ฃฏใ‚’้ฃŸในใพใ›ใ‚“ใ‹ใ€‚ใ€€Would you like to have lunch (with me)?

Note that you cannot use the affirmative form of a verb for this.

Word Order

Japanese sentences are fairly flexible in the arrangement of elements that appear in them. They are mostly made of several noun-particle sequences followed by a verb or an adjective, which is followed by a sentence-final particle like ใ‹, ใญ, or ใ‚ˆ. Among the noun-particle sequences, their order is mostly free.

Frequency Adverbs

You can add a frequency adverb like ใพใ„ใซใก, ใ‚ˆใ, or ใจใใฉใ to describe how often you do something.

็งใฏใจใใฉใใใฃใ•ใฆใ‚“ใซ่กŒใใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I sometimes go to the cafe.

When describing how infrequently you do sometime, you need to conclude with ใพใ›ใ‚“.

็งใฏใœใ‚“ใœใ‚“ใƒ†ใƒฌใƒ“ใ‚’่ฆ‹ใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚ใ€€I do not watch television at all.

XใŒใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ™/ใ„ใพใ™

XใŒใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ™ means "there is/are X". This is only used for nonliving things. For living things, use XใŒใ„ใพใ™.

The particle ใŒ introduces item X. You can use this pattern to say that something is in a certain location.

ใ‚ใใ“ใซใŽใ‚“ใ“ใ†ใŒใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€There's a bank over there.

Note that this pattern calls for the particle ใซ instead of ใง for place descriptions.

You can use ใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ™ to say you have or own something:

ใƒ†ใƒฌใƒ“ใŒใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚ใ€€I don't have a TV.

You can also use it to say that an event will take place:

้‡‘ๆ›œๆ—ฅใซใ‚ฏใƒฉใ‚นใŒใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€There will be class on Friday.

Describing Where Things Are

You can describe the location of an item relative to another item by using XใฏYใฎ<place>ใงใ™:

ใ‚ใฎใƒ‡ใƒ‘ใƒผใƒˆใฎๅ‰ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ€€It's in front of that department store.

You can also use location words together with a verb to describe an event that occurs in a place:

็งใฏๅญฆๆ กใฎๅ‰ใงใƒกใ‚ขใƒชใƒผใ•ใ‚“ใ‚’ใพใกใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ใ€€I waited for Mary in front of the school.

NOTE: both ใจใ‚“ใ‚Š and ใ‚ˆใ“ mean "side-by-side" or "next to". ใจใชใ‚Š is used when both things are of the same category (two people, two buildings, etc.). ใ‚ˆใ“ is used when the items are distinct.

Past Tense of ใงใ™

The past tense of ใงใ™ looks like the following:

Past Tense of Verbs

The past tense of verbs looks like the following:

Time Durations

The duration of an activity is expresses with a bare noun, like ไธ€ๆ™‚้–“. The noun is not followed by any particle.

็งใฏใ“ใ“ใงๅฑฑ็”ฐใ•ใ‚“ใ‚’ไธ€ๆ™‚้–“ใพใกใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ใ€€I waited for Yamada here for an hour.

For approximate time measurements, add ใใ‚‰ใ„ after ~ๆ™‚้–“.

Quantity

If you want to add quantity words like ใŸใใ•ใ‚“ to the direct object of a sentence, you can place it before the noun or after the particle ใ‚’.

ใจ

The particle ใจ has two meanings/functions. One is to connect two nouns A and B:

ๆ—ฅๆœฌ่ชžใจ่‹ฑ่ชžใ‚’่ฉฑใ—ใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€I speak Japanese and English.

The other meaning of ใจ is "together with". It describes with whom you do something.

ใƒกใ‚ขใƒชใƒผใ•ใ‚“ใฏใ‚นใƒผใ•ใ‚“ใจ้Ÿ“ๅ›ฝใซ่กŒใใพใ™ใ€‚ใ€€Mary will go to Korea with Sue.

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