How Japanese Sentences Work
Japanese Grammar 1
Chapter 1 ยท How Japanese Sentences Work
๐งฑ How Japanese Sentences Work โ ใซใปใใใฎ ใถใใฎ ใใใฟ
You already know Japanese as ready-made phrases from Japanese Basic Conversation 1. This course turns those phrases into rules you can apply to sentences you have never heard. Before any particle or verb ending, you need the shape of a Japanese sentence, because it is built almost back to front compared with English. This chapter gives you that shape and nothing else: the rest of the course fills it in, one piece per chapter.
1. The verb goes last
English puts the verb in the middle (I eat sushi): Subject, Verb, Object. Japanese puts it at the end: Subject, Object, Verb (SOV).
| English (S V O) | Japanese (S O V) | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| I eat sushi. | ใใใใฏ ใใใ ใในใพใใ | watashi wa sushi o tabemasu |
| Anna drinks tea. | ใขใณใใใใฏ ใใกใใ ใฎใฟใพใใ | Anna-san wa ocha o nomimasu |
| My father reads the newspaper. | ใกใกใฏ ใใใถใใ ใใฟใพใใ | chichi wa shinbun o yomimasu |
2. Particles tag the jobs
Where English uses word order to show who did what, Japanese uses particles, short words placed straight after a noun. The same three words can then appear in any order and the meaning stays clear:
| Japanese | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| ใใฌใ ใญใใ ใฟใพใใ | inu ga neko o mimasu | The dog looks at the cat. |
| ใญใใ ใใฌใ ใฟใพใใ | neko o inu ga mimasu | The dog looks at the cat. (same meaning, the cat is stressed) |
ใ tags the one doing, ใ tags the one done to. Swap the nouns and the particles, and the meaning changes: ใญใใ ใใฌใ ใฟใพใ is "the cat looks at the dog". The particles are the subject of Japanese Grammar 1, chapters 4 to 6.
3. Topic and comment
The most important particle for a beginner is ใฏ (written ใฏ, pronounced wa). It marks the topic: what the sentence is about. The rest of the sentence is a comment on that topic. English speakers hear it as "as for โฆ".
| Topic (ใฏ) | Comment | English |
|---|---|---|
| ใใใใฏ watashi wa | ใใใใใงใใ gakusei desu | As for me, (I) am a student. |
| ใใฎ ใฉใผใกใณใฏ kono rฤmen wa | ใใใใใงใใ oishii desu | As for this ramen, (it) is delicious. |
| ใใใใฏ kyล wa | ใใใงใใ ame desu | As for today, (it) is rain. = It's raining today. |
4. What Japanese leaves out
Compared with English, Japanese is wonderfully economical. Four things you may be used to simply do not exist:
| English has it | Japanese | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Articles (a, the) | none | ใปใใ ใใฟใพใใ hon o yomimasu = I read a book / the book / books. |
| Plural endings (-s) | none (the noun stays as it is) | ใญใใ ใใพใใ neko ga imasu = There is a cat / There are cats. |
| Grammatical gender (he/she, la/le) | none | ใใใใใฏ ใใใใคใงใใ sensei wa shinsetsu desu = The teacher (he or she) is kind. |
| Verb agreement (I am, he is) | the verb is the same for every person | ใใใใ ใใชใใ ใใใพใใ watashi mo anata mo ikimasu = I go, and you go. |
When a number or the situation makes the count important, Japanese adds it with counters (ใฒใจใ, ใตใใ, ใใใซใ for people; Japanese Grammar 1, chapter 3). The noun itself never changes.
5. Dropped subjects
Japanese drops any part the listener can work out: especially "I" and "you". The result is a short sentence that would be incomplete in English but is perfectly natural in Japanese.
| Short Japanese | Say it | What it can mean |
|---|---|---|
| ใใใพใใ | ikimasu | (I) will go. / (We) are going. / (He) goes. (context decides) |
| ใในใพใใใใ | tabemashita ka | Did (you) eat? |
| ใใใใใในใฆใใพใใใ | iie, tabete imasen | No, (I) haven't eaten. |
6. Three levels of politeness, in outline
The same sentence can be said at different levels of formality. This course uses the middle level, the polite style (ใพใ / ใงใ), because it is safe with everyone. The other two levels are previewed here, and treated later.
| Level | Example: "I eat / go" | Say it | Where you will meet it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain (casual) | ใในใ / ใใ | taberu / iku | friends, family, anime; Japanese Grammar 2 |
| Polite (the style of this course) | ใในใพใ / ใใใพใ | tabemasu / ikimasu | strangers, shops, work; Japanese Grammar 1 |
| Honorific / humble (keigo) | ใใใใใใพใ / ใพใใใพใ | meshiagarimasu / mairimasu | formal service and business; Japanese Grammar 4 |
The level changes the verb ending and a few words, but the sentence shape stays the same: topic, other parts with particles, verb last.
๐ฃ๏ธ In Use โ ใคใใใใ
The shape in real exchanges. Read each aloud and spot the verb at the end.
โ At the cafรฉ
โก Introducing yourself
โข Dropped subject
๐ Quick Reference
| Idea | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb last | โฆ + verbใ | ใใฏใใ ใในใพใใ gohan o tabemasu |
| Topic | ใใฏ โฆ | ใใใใฏ ใใใใใงใใ watashi wa gakusei desu |
| Particle after a noun | noun + ใ / ใ / ใซ โฆ | ใญใใ ใใใชใ ใในใพใใ neko ga sakana o tabemasu |
| Question | sentence + ใ | ใในใพใใใ tabemasu ka |
| Drop what is obvious | leave out I / you | ใใใพใใ ikimasu |
| Polite style | ใใพใ / ใใงใ | ใในใพใ / ใใใใใงใ |
โ๏ธ Practice โ ใใใใ ใ
Try each one, then click to check.
1. Where does the verb go in a Japanese sentence?
Show answer
At the end of the sentence.
2. Put in order: ใในใพใ / ใใใ / ใใใใฏ
Show answer
ใใใใฏ ใใใ ใในใพใใ (watashi wa sushi o tabemasu): topic first, object next, verb last.
3. What does ใใฌใ ใญใใ ใฟใพใ mean? And ใญใใ ใใฌใ ใฟใพใ?
Show answer
The dog looks at the cat; the cat looks at the dog. The particle ใ marks the one doing, ใ the one done to.
4. Does ใปใใ ใใฟใพใ mean "I read a book", "I read the book" or "I read books"?
Show answer
Any of them. Japanese has no articles or plural endings; context decides.
5. Translate: ใใใใฏ ใใใงใใ
Show answer
"It's raining today." Literally "As for today, (it) is rain." ใใใ is the topic.
6. Which subject is dropped in ใในใพใใใใ?
Show answer
"You": Did (you) eat? In a question, the dropped subject is usually the listener.
7. Why is it better to say ใใชใใใ than ใใชใ?
Show answer
ใใชใ ("you") can sound pushy or rude; a name plus ใใ is polite, and the subject can often be dropped altogether.
8. Name the three politeness levels in order, from casual to most formal.
Show answer
Plain (ใในใ), polite (ใในใพใ), honorific/humble (ใใใใใใพใ). This course uses the polite level.
9. Make a question: ใใใ ใใใพใใ โ ?
Show answer
ใใใ ใใใพใใใ (ashita ikimasu ka): add ใ at the end; no word order change is needed.
10. Say in Japanese: "As for me, (I) am a student."
Show answer
ใใใใฏ ใใใใใงใใ (watashi wa gakusei desu)