Kitty's Quick Guide to Sentence Particles

Sentence particles are small, but they have a lot of meaning!

This is a short list of some of the most common Japanese sentence particles. You can use this as a reference for the lessons on this website! There are lots of websites that explain these in more detail, but this list is fine for an easy description of how each particle works.

Click the link to see the lesson!

は - Marks the topic of the sentence. It emphasizes the information that comes after it. When used in this way, it's actually pronounced "わ."

が - Also marks the topic of the sentence. This one emphasizes the information that comes before it, and you can also use it when you're introducing information that's new to the listener.

を - Marks the direct object of a verb.

も - Also / too

と - Used as the word "and" when you're listing nouns.

に - Used to mark a place to where something moves. Depending on the context, it can be similar to the English words "at" or "to."

へ - This particle is similar to に, but it emphasizes the direction rather than the location.

で - Used to mark the location of an action.

だけ - Only, just

から - From. Marks the starting point of an action or object.

まで - Until.

の - Possessive particle. It's a lot like the "apostrophe-s" in English.

ね - Used at the end of a sentence, often to soften it. It conveys the meaning of "Isn't it?" or "Huh?"

よ - Used at the end of a sentence to add emphasis, or to convey the feeling of "you know."

か - Used at the end of a sentence to make it into a question. It takes the place of a question mark.

For a more in-depth look at sentence particles, check out these other resources:
JapanesePod101: Japanese Particles Guide
Tofugu: Japanese Particles Cheatsheet