Japanese Particles: A Complete List With Meanings and Examples

Quick answer: Japanese particles are short words, usually one or two kana, that come right after a word and show its role in the sentence. The core set for beginners is は (topic), が (subject), を (object), に (time, destination, target), へ (direction), で (place of action, means), と (and, with), も (also), の (possession), から (from), まで (until), より (than), や (and so on) and か (question), plus sentence-ending particles like ね and よ. Below is a chart of all the common ones, then a short section on each with examples.

This page is the overview. For the two particle pairs that confuse learners most, we have full guides: wa vs ga (は vs が) and ni vs de (に vs で). If you're new to how Japanese sentences are built, start with our guide to Japanese grammar for the JLPT.

What are Japanese particles?

In English, word order tells you who did what: "The dog bit the man" is different from "The man bit the dog." Japanese does that job with particles. Each particle follows a word and labels it as the topic, the subject, the object, the place, the time and so on.

Because the labels do the work, Japanese word order is quite flexible. Both of these mean "I gave my mother flowers":

母に 花を あげました。
I gave my mother flowers.

花を 母に あげました。
I gave my mother flowers.

A few things to know before the list:

• Particles come after the word, not before it. English says "to Tokyo"; Japanese says 東京に. Linguists call them postpositions for this reason.
• Three particles have special pronunciations. は is said "wa," へ is said "e," and を is said "o." They keep their old spellings only as particles.
• Particles fall into a few rough groups: ones that mark a noun's role (が, を, に, で), ones that add focus or limits (は, も, だけ, しか), ones that join clauses (から, ので, けど), and ones that end a sentence (か, ね, よ).
• Casual speech drops some of them. Friends often leave out は and を (ご飯、食べた？ "Did you eat?"), but on the JLPT you're expected to know which one belongs.

Japanese particles chart

Here are the common particles in one table. Everything down to よ is N5 material; the last five rows (ので, けど, でも, ばかり and ずつ) come in as you move toward N4.

Particle	Romaji	Main job	Example
は	wa	topic: "as for …"	兄は 医者です。 My older brother is a doctor.
が	ga	subject; new information; "but"	誰が 来ましたか。 Who came?
を	o	direct object; route; place you leave	毎朝 パンを 食べます。 I eat bread every morning.
に	ni	time; destination; where something is; target person	七時に 起きます。 I get up at seven.
へ	e	direction: "toward"	友達が 日本へ 来ました。 My friend came to Japan.
で	de	place of an action; means, tool, language	図書館で 勉強します。 I study at the library.
と	to	"and" (full list); "with"; quotation	パンと 卵を 買いました。 I bought bread and eggs.
も	mo	"also, too"; "not … either"	今日も 雨です。 It's raining today too.
の	no	possession; links two nouns; "the one"	姉の 靴は 赤いです。 My older sister's shoes are red.
から	kara	"from"; "because"	家から 駅まで 歩きます。 I walk from my house to the station.
まで	made	"until, as far as"	九時から 五時まで 働きます。 I work from nine to five.
より	yori	"than" (comparison)	電車は バスより 速いです。 Trains are faster than buses.
や	ya	"and" (a few examples from a longer list)	本や ペンが あります。 There are books, pens and so on.
か	ka	question marker; "or"	明日は 休みですか。 Is tomorrow a day off?
だけ	dake	"only, just" (neutral)	日曜日だけ 休みです。 I only have Sundays off.
しか	shika	"only" (with a negative verb)	時間が 五分しか ありません。 I only have five minutes.
など	nado	"and so on, etc."	卵や 牛乳などを 買いました。 I bought eggs, milk and other things.
ぐらい／くらい	gurai / kurai	"about" (an amount)	駅まで 十分ぐらい かかります。 It takes about ten minutes to the station.
ごろ	goro	"around" (a point in time)	十一時ごろ 寝ます。 I go to bed around eleven.
ね	ne	"…, right?" (seeking agreement)	今日は 暑いですね。 It's hot today, isn't it?
よ	yo	"…, you know" (new information)	あの 店は 日曜日も 開いていますよ。 That store is open on Sundays too, you know.
ので	node	"because" (softer than から)	頭が 痛いので、早く 帰ります。 I have a headache, so I'm going home early.
けど	kedo	"but" (casual)	高いけど、おいしい。 It's pricey, but it's good.
でも	demo	"… or something" (a soft suggestion)	お茶でも 飲みませんか。 Would you like some tea or something?
ばかり	bakari	"nothing but"	弟は ゲームばかり しています。 My little brother does nothing but play games.
ずつ	zutsu	"… each, … at a time"	一人 二つずつ 取ってね。 Take two each, okay?

The main particles explained one by one

Each section below gives the particle's main uses, with one to three examples. The examples use kanji the way normal Japanese text does; on the N5 exam, many of these words appear in kana.

は (wa): the topic marker

は marks what the sentence is about, a bit like "as for …" or "speaking of …". The important new information comes after it. は also shows contrast: "this one, as opposed to others."

今日は 土曜日です。
Today is Saturday.

肉は 食べますが、魚は 食べません。
I eat meat, but I don't eat fish. (contrast)

When to choose は and when to choose が is the most common particle question at N5. Our は vs が guide walks through it rule by rule.

が (ga): the subject marker

が marks the subject and puts the spotlight on it. Use it when the subject is new information, when a question word like 誰 (who) or 何 (what) is the subject, and with あります／います (there is).

庭に 花が 咲いています。
Flowers are blooming in the garden.

A group of words also marks its object with が instead of を: 好き (like), きらい (dislike), ほしい (want), 上手 (good at), 下手 (bad at) and わかる (understand).

私は 音楽が 好きです。
I like music.

Between two clauses, が means "but." This use is a little more formal than けど.

漢字は 難しいですが、面白いです。
Kanji are hard, but they're interesting.

を (o): the object marker

を marks the direct object, the thing an action is done to: what you eat, read, buy or watch.

昨日 雑誌を 読みました。
I read a magazine yesterday.

With movement verbs, を also marks the space you move through (walk along a road, cross a bridge) or the place you leave (get off a bus, leave a room).

毎朝 公園を 散歩します。
I take a walk in the park every morning.

次の 駅で 電車を 降ります。
I get off the train at the next station.

に (ni): time, destination, location and target

に has more jobs than any other particle, but they share one idea: a fixed point that something is at, goes to or is aimed at. The main uses:

• A specific time: clock times, days, dates, months. Relative words like 今日, 明日 and 毎日 take no に.
• A destination: the place you go, come or return to.
• Where something exists: with あります and います.
• The person on the receiving end: who you give to, call, meet or ask.

八月に 日本へ 行きます。
I'm going to Japan in August.

部屋に テレビが あります。
There's a TV in the room.

分からない ことは 先生に 聞きます。
I ask the teacher about things I don't understand.

に also shows frequency (一週間に 一回, "once a week") and purpose with movement verbs (映画を 見に 行く, "go to see a movie").

へ (e): direction

へ marks the direction you're heading. With verbs like 行く, 来る and 帰る, it works almost the same as に. へ points toward the direction, に toward the arrival point.

夏休みに 海へ 行きました。
I went to the sea during summer vacation.

Only に works for time, existence and the other uses above, so when in doubt, に is the safer choice. The に vs で guide covers に and へ too.

で (de): place of action and means

で marks where an action happens (eat, study, work, play) and how you do something: by bus, with chopsticks, in English.

レストランで 晩ご飯を 食べました。
I ate dinner at a restaurant.

はしで ご飯を 食べます。
I eat rice with chopsticks.

英語で 手紙を 書きました。
I wrote a letter in English.

It also marks a cause (風邪で 休みました, "I was off with a cold"), a scope (クラスで いちばん, "the best in the class") and a total (全部で, "in total"). The difference between で and に for places is one of the most tested points at N5, so it has its own guide: に vs で explained.

と (to): "and," "with" and quotes

Between nouns, と means "and" and names every item. After a person, it means "(together) with." After a quote, it marks what someone said or thought.

来週 母と 京都へ 行きます。
I'm going to Kyoto with my mother next week.

先生は 明日 試験が あると 言っていました。
The teacher said there is a test tomorrow.

と only joins nouns. To join verbs or adjectives, use the て-form instead; see our Japanese te-form guide.

も (mo): "also, too"

も means "also" or "too." It replaces は, が and を, but it's added after other particles: 東京にも (to Tokyo too), 友達とも (with friends too). With a negative verb, it means "not … either," and after a question word it makes "no one," "nothing" and so on.

兄は 犬が 好きです。猫も 好きです。
My older brother likes dogs. He likes cats, too.

冷蔵庫に 何も ありません。
There's nothing in the fridge.

の (no): possession and linking nouns

の joins two nouns, and the first one describes or owns the second. It works like "'s" or "of," but in reverse order: 私の 本 is "my book."

山田さんは 大学の 友達です。
Ms. Yamada is a friend from college.

の can also stand in for a noun that's already clear, like English "one":

白い シャツより 青いのが いいです。
I'd rather have a blue one than a white shirt.

から (kara) and まで (made): from and until

から means "from," and まで means "until" or "as far as." They work for both time and place, together or alone.

図書館は 十時から 六時までです。
The library is open from 10:00 to 6:00.

After a sentence, から means "because." The reason comes first, then the result.

時間が ありませんから、タクシーで 行きましょう。
We don't have time, so let's take a taxi.

Watch out for までに, which is different from まで. まで is "until" for something that continues; までに is "by" for a deadline.

金曜日までに 宿題を 出してください。
Please turn in your homework by Friday.

より (yori): "than"

より marks the thing you're comparing against. The adjective doesn't change; Japanese has no "-er" ending.

東京は 大阪より 大きいです。
Tokyo is bigger than Osaka.

You'll often see it with のほうが: 電車より 飛行機の ほうが 速いです (Planes are faster than trains).

や (ya) and など (nado): "things like"

や lists a few examples from a longer set, and など at the end adds "and so on." Compare と, which lists everything.

デパートで シャツや 靴などを 買いました。
I bought shirts, shoes and so on at the department store.

At N4, とか does the same job in casual speech and can follow verbs as well as nouns.

か (ka): questions and "or"

At the end of a sentence, か turns a statement into a question. In written Japanese, a question with か usually ends with 。, not ？.

トイレは どこですか。
Where is the restroom?

Between nouns, か means "or," and after a question word it makes "some-": 何か (something), 誰か (someone).

土曜日か 日曜日に 部屋を 掃除します。
I'll clean my room on Saturday or Sunday.

だけ (dake) and しか (shika): "only"

だけ is a neutral "only" or "just." しか also means "only," but the verb is always negative, and it often sounds like "not as much as I'd like."

朝は コーヒーだけ 飲みます。
In the morning, I only drink coffee.

財布に 千円しか ありません。
I only have 1,000 yen in my wallet.

ぐらい／くらい (gurai / kurai) and ごろ (goro): "about"

ぐらい (or くらい) gives an approximate amount or length of time. ごろ gives an approximate point in time.

一年に 二回ぐらい 外国へ 行きます。
I go abroad about twice a year.

毎朝 七時ごろ 起きます。
I get up around seven every morning.

N4 particles: でも, ばかり, ずつ and ので

These come up at N4. You'll find them, with more examples, in our N4 grammar list.

• でも after a noun softens a suggestion: "… or something." コーヒーでも 買って きます (I'll go get some coffee or something).
• ばかり means "nothing but" and often sounds critical. 最近、甘い 物ばかり 食べています (Lately I've been eating nothing but sweets).
• ずつ means "each" or "at a time" after a number. 毎日 新しい 言葉を 五つずつ 覚えています (I'm learning five new words a day).
• ので means "because," like から, but it sounds softer and more objective, so it's common when asking permission or apologizing. 電車が 遅れたので、授業に 間に合いませんでした (The train was late, so I didn't make it to class).

What are sentence-ending particles?

Sentence-ending particles come at the very end of a sentence and add the speaker's attitude: asking, checking, telling, wondering. They're everywhere in conversation, so they matter a lot for the listening section.

Particle	What it adds	Example
か	makes a question	英語が わかりますか。 Do you understand English?
ね	"…, right?"; shares a feeling or checks agreement	この ケーキ、おいしいですね。 This cake is delicious, isn't it?
よ	"…, you know"; tells the listener something new	この 辞書を 使ってもいいですよ。 You can use this dictionary.
よね	"…, right?" when you're fairly sure but checking	明日の 授業は 十時からですよね。 Tomorrow's class starts at ten, right?
かな	"I wonder …" (casual, often to yourself)	明日は 晴れるかな。 I wonder if it'll be sunny tomorrow.
の	casual question or explanation	どこへ 行くの？ Where are you going?
な (after a dictionary verb)	blunt "don't!"	ここで 泳ぐな。 Don't swim here.
な (after other words)	casual feeling or musing, like a softer ね	いい 天気だな。 What nice weather.

A few tips:

• ね vs よ: use ね when the listener already knows or will agree, and よ when you're giving them information they don't have. Too much よ can sound pushy.
• わ, ぞ and ぜ also appear in casual speech, manga and drama, mostly to add a personal or strong tone. You only need to recognize them, not use them.
• Polite speech still uses ね and よ. They attach after です and ます, as in the examples above. The casual-only ones are かな, の, な, ぞ and ぜ.

What are compound particles?

Compound particles are fixed phrases built from a particle plus a verb form, such as に＋ついて. They behave like a single particle and are more common in writing. Two appear at N4 and the rest at N3; see the N3 grammar list for more.

Compound	Meaning	Level	Example
について	about, concerning	N4	日本の 歴史について レポートを 書きました。 I wrote a report on Japanese history.
によると	according to	N4	天気予報に よると、明日は 雪が 降るそうです。 According to the forecast, it's going to snow tomorrow.
によって	depending on; by (an author); because of	N3	国に よって、食事の マナーは 違います。 Table manners differ from country to country.
にとって	for (from someone's point of view)	N3	私に とって、家族は 何より 大切です。 For me, family matters more than anything.
として	as (a role or purpose)	N3	この 部屋は 物置と して 使っています。 We're using this room as a storeroom.
に対して	toward; in contrast to	N3	客に 対して、そんな 言い方を しては いけない。 You shouldn't talk to customers that way.

Which Japanese particles are easy to confuse?

These are the pairs that trip up learners most, and the ones JLPT grammar questions like to test.

は vs が

は marks the topic and focuses on what comes after it; が marks the subject and focuses on the word itself. Question words and new information take が. Full rules in our は vs が guide.

に vs で

に marks where something is (or where it goes); で marks where an action happens. 図書館に います (I'm at the library) but 図書館で 勉強します (I study at the library). See に vs で for the details, including the 住む vs 働く trap.

に vs へ

For destinations they're interchangeable: 学校に 行く and 学校へ 行く both work. Only に works for time, existence and the receiving person.

と vs や

と lists every item: パンと 卵 means exactly bread and eggs. や gives examples from a longer list: パンや 卵 means bread, eggs and other things.

を vs が with 好き, ほしい and わかる

These words take が, not を: 猫が 好きです, not 猫を 好きです. The same goes for 上手, 下手 and ほしい. This is one of the most common N5 mistakes.

と vs に with people

友達と 話す means talking together with a friend. 友達に 話す means telling a friend something, one way. Verbs like 会う can take either; with に, it's more like "I ran into" or "went to see" someone.

から vs ので

Both mean "because." から is direct and personal; ので sounds softer and more polite, so it's the better choice when apologizing or asking a favor.

だけ vs しか

だけ is neutral and works with any verb form. しか needs a negative verb and suggests "not enough": 千円だけ あります (I have just 1,000 yen) vs 千円しか ありません (I only have 1,000 yen).

まで vs までに

まで is "until," for something that continues (五時まで 働きます, "I work until five"). までに is "by," for a deadline (五時までに 帰ります, "I'll be home by five").

How are particles tested on the JLPT?

At N5 and N4, many grammar questions are fill-in-the-blank items where the four choices are particles, such as に, で, を and が. Particles also matter in the sentence-ordering questions, because you have to see which particle links to which word. For how each question type works, see our JLPT test format guide.

The best way to get these right isn't memorizing rules; it's seeing each particle in many sentences until the right one sounds natural. Learn a particle together with the verbs it usually goes with: 〜に 乗る, 〜を 降りる, 〜が 好き, 〜に 会う. Our N5 grammar list has every N5 particle pattern with example sentences.

Frequently asked questions

How many Japanese particles are there?

There's no single agreed number, because grammar books group them differently and some count compounds like について. In practice, about 20 to 30 particles cover almost everything you'll meet up to N4. The chart above has the common ones.

Why is は pronounced "wa" and not "ha"?

It's a leftover from older spelling. The particle was once written with は and still is, even though the pronunciation changed to "wa." The same happened with へ ("e") and を ("o").

Which particles do I need for JLPT N5?

は, が, を, に, へ, で, と, も, の, から, まで, より, や, か, ね and よ, plus だけ, しか, ぐらい and ごろ. That covers nearly every particle question at N5.

Can you leave out particles in Japanese?

In casual speech, yes: は, が and を are often dropped when the meaning is clear. Particles like に, で and から usually stay, because they carry meaning you can't guess. On the JLPT and in polite speech, use the particle.

What's the difference between a particle and a postposition?

They're largely the same idea. "Postposition" describes where the word goes (after the noun, where English puts a preposition before it). "Particle" is the usual name in Japanese textbooks, and it also covers ones like ね and よ that aren't postpositions.

Practice particles every day

Particles stick through repetition in real sentences. Kantan JLPT is a free app for JLPT study, and its fill-in-the-blank grammar reviews bring back the particle choices you get wrong until they feel automatic. For the full picture of what comes next, read the Japanese grammar guide, which goes from N5 all the way to N1.