Japanese Grammar, pattern by pattern
The 25 building blocks of JLPT N5 Japanese. Each page shows how the pattern is built, real example sentences you can tap to hear, and the mistake everyone makes with it. Read them in order or jump to what's confusing you today.
Particles
は (wa) — the topic particle
Marks what the sentence is about: “as for X…”.
が (ga) — the subject particle
Marks new or emphasized information; used with あります/います and question words.
を (o) — the object particle
Marks what the action is done to: read a book, drink tea.
に (ni) — time, destination and existence
At 3 o'clock, to Tokyo, in the room: the “pinpoint” particle.
で (de) — place of action and means
Where you do something, and what you do it with.
へ (e) — direction “toward”
Toward a place; written へ, pronounced e.
の (no) — possession and connection
X's Y, and gluing any two nouns together.
も (mo) — “also / too”
Replaces は・が・を to say “X too”.
と (to) — “and” & “together with”
Complete lists of nouns, and doing things with people.
か (ka) — the question marker
Turns any statement into a question — no word-order change.
ね and よ — agreement and emphasis
ね = “right?” / よ = “I'm telling you”.
Verbs & Politeness
です (desu) — “is/am/are”, politely
The polite copula: X is Y. Negative: じゃないです.
〜ます — the polite verb form
Polite non-past: 食べます eat / will eat; negative 〜ません.
〜ました / 〜ませんでした — polite past
Did / didn't: 食べました ate, 食べませんでした didn't eat.
〜てください — polite requests
Please do X: 見てください please look.
〜ています — “is doing” and ongoing states
Progressive and states: 食べています eating / 住んでいます live.
〜ましょう / 〜ましょうか — “let's” and offers
Let's eat! Shall I help? Suggestions made easy.
〜たいです — “want to do”
I want to eat / go / see: verb stem + たい.
Adjectives
い-adjectives — 高い, 楽しい and friends
Adjectives ending in い conjugate themselves: 高くない, 高かった.
な-adjectives — きれい, 静か, 元気
Noun-like adjectives: きれいな町, 静かでした.
Core Patterns
あります / います — “there is”
Existence: あります for things, います for people & animals.
〜がすきです — likes and dislikes
I like X: Xがすきです; love = だいすき, hate = きらい.
これ・それ・あれ — this, that, that over there
The ko-so-a-do system: near me, near you, far from both.
〜から — because / so
Reason + から + result: 暑いから、まどを開けます.
〜から〜まで — from … until …
Ranges of time and space: 9時から5時まで, 東京から大阪まで.