Introduction
We have learnt two particles for the verb before, “に” and “を” here. Today we are going to have a look at more particles. . Before that, let’s review those two particles first.
Vocabulary List
| Verbs | ||
| べんきょう（勉強）します | benkyōshimasu | to study |
| よ（読）みます | yomimasu | to read |
| い（行）きます | ikimasu | to go |
| します | shimasu | to do |
| さんぽ(散歩)をする | sanpo o suru | to go for a walk |
| あげる | ageru | to give |
| た（食）べる | taberu | to eat |
| Noun | ||
| にほんご（日本語） | Nihongo | Japanese language |
| にほん（日本） | Nihon | Japan |
| ほん（本） | hon | book |
| おおさか（大阪） | Ōsaka | Osaka |
| ほうめん（方面） | hōmen | direction, toward |
| がっこう（学校） | gakkō | school |
| あさ（朝） | asa | morning |
| さんぽ（散歩） | sanpo | walking |
| はは（母）） — mother (humble; for your own mother) | haha | mother |
| プレゼント | purezento | present |
| かれし（彼氏） | kareshi | boyfriend |
| でんしゃ（電車） | densha | train |
| どくがく（独学） | dokugaku | self studying |
| だいがく（大学） | daigaku | university |
| レストラン | resutoran | restaurant |
| ごはん（ご飯） | gohan | meal |
| とうきょう（東京） | Tōkyō | Tokyo |
| いえ（家） | ie | house/home |
| アラーム | arāmu | alerm |
| Other | ||
| 〜時 | 〜ji | 〜o’clock |
“を”(wo)
This particle marks the direct object of a verb.
The basic structure will be Subject ＋は＋Object＋を＋Verb.
・わたしは日本語を勉強します。(I study Japanese.)
・太郎は本を読みます。(Taro reads a book.)
“に”（ni)
This particle has several functions. Let’s see the basic function first.
A basic structure is: Subject + は + (time/destination/recipient) + に + Verb.
Destination/Direction
・エミリーは日本に行きます。（Emily goes to Japan.)
・大阪方面に行きます。（I head toward Osaka.)
This is what we learnt before.(Internal link)
※In Japanese, subject is often omitted, if it’s obvious who does that action.
Time
・10時に学校に行きます。（I go to school at 10 o’clock.)
・朝に散歩をします。（I go for a walk in the morning.)
The first sentence uses two particles. First one expresses time, second one expresses destination. It is totally ok to swap them like “学校に10時に行きます。“. In Japanese, word order is more flexible than in English.
You can change the order of phrases as long as the particles stay attached to the correct words.
However, the topic marked by “は” usually comes near the beginning of the sentence.
Recipient of an action
・母に本をあげます。（I give my mother a book.)
“本を母にあげます。” is also ok.
・わたしは彼氏にプレゼントをあげます。（I give my boyfriend a present.)
“わたしはプレゼントを彼氏にあげます。“ is also ok.
“で” (de)
This particle also has several functions. Today we are going to learn the most basic one.
The way of an action
・電車で大阪に行きます。(I go to Osaka by train.)
“大阪に電車で行きます。”is also ok.
・独学で日本語を勉強します。（I study Japanese by myself.)
“日本語を独学で勉強します。” is also ok.
The place where an action happens
・大学で勉強します。（I study at university.)
・レストランでご飯を食べます。（I eat a meal at a restaurant.)
“ご飯をレストランで食べます。” is also ok.
Don’t worry if you can’t remember everything at once.
Practice Section
Exercise 1: Translate to Japanese
1. Momo reads a book at home.
2. Mr. Ōtani wakes up at 6am by alarm.
3. I meet my boyfriend at station at 10 o’clock.
Exercise 2: Translate to English
1. エミリーは大学で日本語を勉強します。
2. 車で東京に行きます。
3. 5時に彼の家でご飯を食べます。
Answers are at the end.
Summary
• “を” marks the direct object of a verb.
• “に” has several basic uses: it marks destination, time, and the recipient of an action.
• “で” shows the means of an action (how you do something) and the place where an action happens.
• In Japanese, word order is flexible, but the particle “は” usually appears near the beginning of the sentence.
Answer
Exercise 1: Translate to Japanese
1. Momo reads a book at home. →ももは家で本を読みます。
2. Mr. Ōtani wakes up at 6am by alarm. → 大谷さんは6時にアラームでおきます。
3. I meet my boyfriend at statin at 10 o’clock. → 彼氏に駅で10時に会います。
Exercise 2: Translate to English
1. エミリーは大学で日本語を勉強します。→ Emily studies Japanese at university.
2. 車で東京に行きます。→ I go to Tokyo by car.
3. 5時に彼の家でご飯を食べます。→ I eat a meal at his house at 5 o’clock.