Particles
Sentence Particles at a glance
| Sentence particles | Functions | NOTES |
| か | 1. Question marker (2-1 BTS 3)
2. Embedded yes/no questions (12-2 BTS 4) 3. Embedded information questions (12-3 BTS 6) |
As a phrase particle:
1. Either X or Y (6-6 BTS 23) |
| ね | 1. Confirmation (2-1 BTS 3)
2. Rising vs. falling intonation (2-3 BTS 14) |
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| よ | 1. Certainty/new information (2-2 BTS 6) | |
| ねえ | 1. Assuming shared attitude/opinion from others (2-3 BTS 3; 2-6 BTS 23, 24)
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| けど
（けれども）
|
1. Contrast/Background information (2-4 BTS 16) | |
| が | 1. Contrast/Background information (2-4 BTS 16) | As a phrase particle
1. Subject marker (4-3 BTS 13) 2. Object marker: Double-ga sentences (4-6 BTS 27) |
| なあ | 2. Shared agreement (2-6 BTS 23, 24)
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| かねえ | 1. Shared question (Multiple Sentence Particles かなあ、かねえ (2-7 BTS 24) | |
| かなあ | 1. Shared question (self-directed) (Multiple Sentence Particles かなあ、かねえ (2-7 BTS 24) | |
| よね | 1. Multiple particle: よね (3-6 BTS 33) | |
| から
|
1. Reasons (5-5 BTS 12)
2. Phrase particle + です (4-4 BTS 23; 6-2 BTS 5) 3. 〜んだから ‘Because, as you must surely know’ (8-2 BTS 5) 4. Specifying order of events: Verb 〜てから (9-6 BTS 15) 5. だから as a discourse connector (21-6 BTS 12) |
As a phrase particle
1. Origin/source (4-4 BTS 22) |
| し | 1. Sentence + し: 教えるの好きだし (9-3 BTS 9) | |
| さ | 1. (informal) topic marker (12-3 BTS 7)
2. Assertion/new information (12-3 BTS 7) |
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| わ
|
1. Emphasis (Rising intonation—feminine) (20-6 BTS 8)
2. Emphasis (Falling intonation—both) (20-6 BTS 8) |
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| ぞ | 1. Force or emphasis (21-4 BTS 7) | |
| かしら | 1. Wondering (22-2 BTS 6) | |
| ぜ | 1. Force or emphasis (blunt) (23-2 BTS 4) | |
| な | 1. Negative imperative: Verb + な (23-2 BTS2) | As a phrase particle
1. Nouns modifying Nouns: Nの・なN |
Phrase Particles at a glance
| Phrase particle | Functions | Relevant expressions |
| は
|
1. Contrast: Noun Xは？ (2-6 BTS 22)
2. Topic: As for X (3-2 BTS 7) |
|
| と | 1. Connecting Nouns ‘and’ and ‘with’ (3-2 BTS 10)
2. Comparison: Noun + と + Sentence (6-6 BTS 25) 3. Quotation with と・（っ）て (7-3 BTS 9) |
1. Xと一緒に ‘together with’ (3-3 BTS 17)
2. Name + といいます・おっしゃいます・申します (6-2 BTS 6) 3. Noun + と + Sentence (6-6 BTS 25) 4. Sentenceと思う (7-4 BTS 12) 5. Xと・に代わる (11-1 BTS 3) 6. と・って言うか (18-3 BTS 9) 7. 〜としては・も (19-1 BTS 3) |
| って | 1. Topic (3-1 BTS 4)
2. Quotation with と・（っ）て (7-3 BTS 9) |
1. と・って言うか (18-3 BTS 9) |
| の | 1. の as a Connecter (3-2 BTS 2)
2. の as a Noun (3-6 BTS 29) |
1. Nouns modifying Nouns: Nの・なN (3-1 BTS 2)
2. Noun + のこと ‘a matter of noun’ (3-1 BTS 5) 3. Sentence + の (9-1 BTS 2) |
| に
|
1. Timeに (3-4 BTS 20)
2. Location にあります・います (3-6 BTS 30) 3. Relative time (4-4 BTS 20) 4. Place/goal (5-4 BTS 8) 5. Decision: カレーにします (6-6 BTS 28) 6. Purpose (9-2 BTS 5) (A Verb stem+ に + motion verb) 7. Giving verbs 8. Marks the person from whom you get something: Verbs of receiving: もらう・いただく and 〜てもらう・いただく (12-1 BTS 4 BTS 9) 9. Marks the person who is made or allowed to do something (17-3 BTS 5 Causative Verb form: させる) 10. Marks the original subject: Passive verbs (18-1 BTS 1) |
1. Change of state: noun + になります・なりました (6-2 BTS 7)
2. Xと・に代わる (11-1 BTS 3) 3. 〜ことにする (11-3 BTS 7) 4. 朝に強い・弱い (12-4 BTS 12) 5. Nounにしては・も (18-1 BTS 2) |
| で
|
1. Place [of Activity]で (3-4 BTS 15)
2. Means (5-4 BTS 9) |
1. Noun + です in the 〜て form (5-1 BTS 1b)
2. で、 at the Beginning of a Sentence (12-3 BTS 8) 3. Nounでも (14-6 BTS 19) |
| も | 1. Additional [also, too] (3-6 BTS 31)
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1. Question word + も(6-6 BTS 22)
2. All or nothing: Quantity + も + negative or affirmative Sentences (9-6 BTS 17) |
| だけ | 1. Xだけ (4-2 BTS 9) | As a sentence particle
1. Sentence + だけ (17-6 BTS 6) Sentence + だけ〜てみる (20-3 BTS 7) |
| とか
|
1. Listing (4-2 BTS 8)
2. Multiple particle とかも(4-2 BTS 10) |
Other expressions
1. 何とかスーパー (7-6 BTS 19) 2. なんか (13-1BTS 2)
As a sentence particle 1. Sentenceとか (10-6 BTS 11) |
| が | 1. Subject marker (4-3 BTS 13)
2. Object marker: Double-ga sentences (4-6 BTS 27) |
1. Describing people: 背が高い・背が低い人 (6-3 BTS 13) |
| から
|
1. Origin/source (4-4 BTS 22)
2. Marks the person from whom you get something: Verbs of receiving: もらう・いただく and 〜てもらう・いただく |
1. Phrase particle + です (4-4 BTS 23)
2. Phrase particle + です (6-2 BTS 5)
As a clausal particle 3. Reasons (5-5 BTS 12) 4. Phrase particle + です (4-4 BTS 23; 6-2 BTS 5) 5. 〜んだから ‘Because, as you must surely know’ (8-2 BTS 5) 6. Specifying order of events: Verb 〜てから (9-6 BTS 15) 7. だから as a discourse connector (21-6 BTS 12) |
| まで
|
1. Origin/source (4-4 BTS 22)
2. Time までに (5-5 BTS 13) |
1. Phrase particle + です (4-4 BTS 23)
2. Phrase particle + です (6-2 BTS 5) |
| を | 1. Object (4-5 BTS 24)
2. Locationを(7-6 BTS 17) |
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| へ
|
1. Place/goal (5-4 BTS 8)
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| より | 1. Compared to: Comparison of two items (6-6 BTS 24) | As a sentence particle
1. Comparisons of two activities (10-6 BTS 12) |
| ほど | 1. As much as: Comparison of two items (6-6 BTS 24)
2. [quantity] + ほど (about, as many as) (19-6) |
As a sentence particle
1. 〜れば〜ほど (20-5 BTS 9) |
| か
|
1. Either X or Y (6-6 BTS 23) | As a sentence particle
1. Question marker (2-1 BTS 3) 2. Multiple Sentence Particles かなあ、かねえ (2-7 BTS 24) 3. Multiple particle: よね (3-6 BTS 33)
4. Embedded yes/no questions (12-2 BTS 4)
5. Embedded information questions (12-3 BTS 6) |
| なんか | 1. For example (casual), something/anything like that (13-1 BTS 2) | |
| しか | 1. しか + Negative (13-1 BTS 3) | As a sentence particle
1. しか + Negative (13-1 BTS 3) 2. Non-past Sentence + しかない (18-2 BTS 5) |
| でも | 1. Nounでも (14-6 BTS 19)
2. 一度Question Word + Phrase Particle + でも (15-4 BTS 11) 3. たとえNounでも (18-6 BTS 13) |
(At the beginning of a sentence) But, however, and yet (5-1 Special expression)
Te-form of です 1. Nounでも (5-1 BTS 2b) 2. XでもYでも Whether it’s X or Y (5-1 Special expression) |
| や | 1. Things like (17-7R BTL 1) | |
| ばかり | 2. Exclusivity: Nばかり・ばっかり (22-2 BTS 3) | As a sentence particle
1. Past Sentenceばかり・ばっかり (22-1 BTS 1) 2. Non-past sentence + ばかり・ばっかり (22-4 BTS 4) 3. 〜てばかり・ばっかり (22-6 BTS 12) |
| さえ | 1. If and only if (22-3 BTS 8) | |
| など | 1. And the like, et cetera (22-2 BTS 5) |
