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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させてください (Sasete Kudasai): The Polite Way to Ask “Please Let Me…”
You're in a job interview in Japan. The interviewer finishes speaking, and you want to ask a question. You know that blurting out 質問（しつもん）します！ feels a little blunt. What do you say instead? Or imagine you're at a Japa... -
〜ことができる vs 〜ことがある: Ability vs Experience in Japanese
You’ve been studying Japanese for a while now, and you feel confident with こと. Then you see two sentences side by side: 📌 日本語を話すことができる。 — I can speak Japanese.📌 日本に行ったことがある。 — ... -
〜とき vs 〜前に vs 〜後で: How to Express When Things Happen in Japanese
You're telling your friend about your daily routine in Japanese. You know you want to say "before I eat breakfast" and "when I get home" — but which grammar pattern do you reach for? Japanese has three essential time expressions that Eng... -
まで vs までに: The Difference Between Until and By in Japanese
If you have ever told your teacher "I will study until 9 o'clock" when you meant "I will finish my homework by 9 o'clock," you have already experienced the まで vs までに trap. These two expressions look almost identical, but they carry ... -
〜ていく vs 〜てくる: Direction in Time and Space
You already know how to build the て-form. But once you attach いく or くる to it, something interesting happens — the verb gains a sense of direction. Not just physical direction (walking toward or away), but also direction in time: whe... -
だけ vs しか vs ばかり: What’s the Difference in Japanese?
Japanese has three common ways to express limitation or "only" — だけ (dake), しか (shika), and ばかり (bakari) — but they are not interchangeable. Each one carries a different nuance, and mixing them up is one of the most common grammar... -
Common は vs が Mistakes English Speakers Make (And How to Fix Them)
At a GlanceWhat is は (wa)?The topic marker — tells the reader what the sentence is about. Often refers to something already known.What is が (ga)?The subject marker — identifies who does something, or answers "who/which?" Introduces new... -
ます Form vs Dictionary Form: Japanese Verb Basics Explained
You open your textbook and see 食べます (tabemasu) — then your dictionary shows 食べる (taberu). Same verb, completely different ending. Which one do you actually use when you speak? This is one of the first real confusions for Japanese ... -
を, に, で: How to Use Japan’s Three Most Confusing Particles
If you've ever stared at a Japanese sentence and wondered, "Wait — is that に or で?" you're not alone. を, に, and で are three of the most common particles in Japanese, and they're also among the trickiest for English speakers. English... -
Expressing Regret in Japanese: ばよかった, なければよかった, and 残念だ
PatternFormMeaningばよかったverb ば-form + よかった“I should have done X” / “If only I had done X”なければよかっ...
