Grammar– category –
Japanese grammar for English speakers. Particles, verb conjugation, sentence patterns, conditionals, and nuanced expressions organized by JLPT level N5 to N1. Browse by level: N4/N5, N2/N3, N1/N2. By topic: Particles, Verb Conjugation, Conditionals, Sentence Patterns. Full overview at the Japanese Grammar Hub.
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Japanese Compound Verbs
You know the word 食べる（たべる）— "to eat." You know 読む（よむ）— "to read." But what about when you want to say you started eating, kept reading, or finally finished writing? In Japanese, these nuances are built right into the verb i... -
Japanese Te Iru Uses
You learned that ている means "is doing." Then a native speaker said 結婚（けっこん）している and your brain froze — because 結婚する means "to get married," not "to be married." What is going on? Here is the truth: ている is one of the ... -
Japanese Particles Complete Guide
You are reading a Japanese sentence and everything makes sense — until you hit a tiny, one- or two-character word that seems to have no direct English equivalent. That little word is a particle (助詞・じょし), and it is one of the most i... -
Japanese Comparisons
You're standing at a ramen counter with a friend. Two bowls are on the menu — spicy miso and rich tonkotsu. Your friend asks: "Which one is better?" In English, that's easy. But how do you say it in Japanese? And more importantly, how do... -
Japanese Imperative Form: Commands, Requests, and How to Sound Natural
Imagine you're watching your favourite anime. A coach shouts at his team: 行け！ ("Go!"). A villain sneers: 黙れ！ ("Shut up!"). A friend texts you: 早く来てください ("Please come quickly"). All three sentences are commands — but they fe... -
Japanese Question Words
You have learned how to say "I eat sushi" or "She goes to Tokyo." But what happens the moment you want to ask a question? Questions are where real conversation starts — and if you cannot form them naturally, every interaction hits a... -
Japanese Adjective Conjugation: The Complete Guide
You've learned that 大きい (おおきい) means "big" and きれい means "pretty." You can drop them into simple sentences. But then someone asks you how to say "it wasn't pretty" or "it became cold" — and suddenly your brain goes blank. ... -
Japanese Passive Form: The Complete Guide for English Speakers
You've survived hiragana, katakana, and basic verb conjugation. Then your Japanese textbook drops this sentence on you: 財布（さいふ）を盗（ぬす）まれた. "My wallet was stolen" — except in Japanese, the literal structure is closer to... -
Japanese Honorific Prefixes お (O) and ご (Go): The Complete Guide
You walk into a Japanese convenience store and the staff greet you with おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu). You check your bank balance and think about お金 (okane, money). Your colleague emails you with ご連絡ありがとうございます (go... -
〜ということ (to iu koto): The One Expression That Unlocks Natural Japanese
You are watching a Japanese drama. A character turns to another and says: つまり、もう来ないということ？ You catch every word individually — tsumari (in other words), mou (anymore), konai (won't come) — but that word in the middle, とい...
