Japanese grammar

Every grammar guide of Lingora’s Japanese A1 course, with examples you can listen to.

01Verbs: Informal Speech LevelInformal speech, also known as the "plain form" or "dictionary form," is the style used in casual situations with people you know well, such as friends,…
02Verbs: Polite Speech LevelPolite speech, known as 丁寧語 (teineigo), is the standard form for communication in most public and professional situations. It is characterized by the use…
03Adjectives: Informal Speech LevelIn informal speech, adjectives can end a sentence without です (desu). Adjectives are divided into two main categories, い (i)-adjectives and な…
04Adjectives: Polite Speech LevelIn polite speech, adjectives that end a sentence (acting as a predicate, like in "The book is interesting") must be conjugated. The form of the adjective…
05The Many Meanings of のThe particle の (no) is one of the most versatile particles, primarily used to connect nouns. Its core function is to show a relationship between the…
06Conjugating だ and ですThe words だ (da) and です (desu) are the Japanese copula, which is the equivalent of the verb "to be" (is, am, are, was, were). They are used to state that…
07Nominalizer の & んThe particle の (no) has two primary functions: it can turn a phrase into a noun (a process called nominalization), and it can be used to provide or ask…
08Emphasis Particle よThe sentence-final particle よ (yo) is used when the speaker is providing information that they believe the listener does not know. It functions as a…
09Topic Particle はThe hiragana character は (ha) is normally pronounced "ha". However, when it functions as the topic particle in a sentence, it is always pronounced "wa".…
10い-Adjectivesい (i)-adjectives are a class of adjectives that end with the hiragana character い (i) in their dictionary form. They are used to describe the state or…
11な-Adjectivesな (na)-adjectives, also known as adjectival nouns, are one of two main types of adjectives. They are used to describe nouns, but unlike い (i)-adjectives,…
12Questions with のIn informal speech, the particle の (no) can be placed at the end of a sentence with a rising intonation to form a question. This type of question is very…
13Accusative Marker をThe particle を (o) primarily marks the direct object of a verb. A direct object is the noun that directly receives the action of the verb. For example,…
14Present Progressive with いるThe present progressive is formed by changing a verb to its te-form and adding いる (iru). This versatile structure is used to express ongoing actions,…
15Imperative て-FormThe て (te)-form of a verb is a key component for making commands and requests. The level of politeness is determined by what follows the て (te)-form,…
16Conjunctive て-FormThe て (te)-form is a versatile verb conjugation used to link clauses within a sentence. It functions like "and" but can also express sequence, cause,…
17Emphasis Particle ねThe sentence-final particle ね (ne) is used to create a sense of shared experience, opinion, or information between the speaker and the listener. It turns…
18Expressing 'must' with -なきゃThe phrase なきゃ (nakya) is a very common casual contraction used to express obligation, equivalent to "must" or "have to" in English. It is a shortened…
19Expressing 'must' with -なければThe structure ～なければ (nakereba) is a fundamental way to express obligation, necessity, or duty, equivalent to "must" or "have to" in English. It is formed…
20Informal Invitations with -うThe volitional form of a verb is used to make an informal suggestion or invitation, similar to "Let's..." in English. It can also be used to express…
21Polite Invitations with -ましょうThe volitional form ましょう (mashō) is attached to the stem of a verb to make a polite suggestion to do something together. It is the polite equivalent of…
22Subject Particle がThe particle が (ga) identifies the grammatical subject of a sentence. The subject is the person or thing that performs an action or is in a certain…
23Personal PronounsIn contrast to English, personal pronouns are used much less frequently in everyday conversation. The subject of a sentence is typically omitted when it…
24Connecting Clauses with しThe particle し (shi) is used to connect clauses. It functions like "and" or "and what's more," but specifically for listing multiple reasons, qualities,…
25Locative Particle にThe particle に (ni) is a fundamental particle that primarily indicates a specific point of location, time, or direction. Its core function is to…
26Adverbial Particle にThe particle に (ni) is an adverbial particle, meaning it helps describe how, when, why, or with what result an action is performed. It attaches to nouns,…
27Japanese DemonstrativesJapanese demonstratives are built on a consistent system based on the speaker's and listener's relative positions. This system is often called the こそあど…
28Question Particle かThe particle か (ka) is primarily used to form questions. It is placed at the end of a sentence and can create several different types of questions…
29Expressing 'And' with とThe particle と (to) is a versatile particle primarily used to connect nouns, but it also has important functions in quoting speech and forming…
30Existence with いる vs. あるThe verbs いる (iru) and ある (aru) both express existence, corresponding to "to be" or "there is/are" in English. The choice between them depends entirely…
31ClassifiersWhen counting things, a classifier (also called a counter) must be attached to the number. This is a suffix that categorizes the noun being counted.…
32Requests with くださいThe word ください (kudasai) is a polite way to make a request, similar to adding "please" in English. It can be attached to a verb to ask someone to perform…
33Honorific Verbal Nouns with お-The prefix お- (o-) is attached to the stem of a verb to create a verbal noun that shows respect for the person performing the action. This is a…
34Stems + にThe particle に (ni) can be attached to the stem of a verb to express the purpose of an action. This construction is most frequently paired with a verb of…
35Directed Actions with いく and くるThe verbs いく (iku) and くる (kuru) can be attached to the て-form of another verb. This combination adds a sense of direction, either in physical space or…
36Expressing 'about to' with とするThe structure Verb (Volitional Form) + とする (to suru) is used to describe an attempt to do something or the moment just before an action takes place. The…
37Concrete Things with ものThe noun もの (mono) is a general term for a tangible, physical thing or object. It is used when the specific name of an object is unknown, not important,…
38Abstract Things with ことThe noun こと (koto) refers to an intangible 'thing', such as an action, event, fact, or experience. Its primary grammatical role is to take a verb or an…
39Expressing Wishes with -たいTo express a desire to perform an action, such as "I want to eat" or "I want to go," you attach the suffix たい (tai) to a verb. This transforms the verb…
40Doing Sth. in Advance with おくThe auxiliary verb おく (oku) attaches to the て-form of another verb to express that an action is performed in advance for a specific future purpose or…
41Humble Forms of VerbsHumble language, or 謙譲語 (kenjōgo), is a form of polite speech used to show respect to others. It works by "lowering" or humbling the speaker or members…
42Honorific Particle ごThe prefix ご (go-) is attached to certain words to add a layer of politeness or respect. It is one of two common honorific prefixes, the other being お…
43Expressing 'our' with うちThe word うち (uchi) literally means "inside" or "home." This concept of "inside" extends metaphorically to refer to one's own group, creating a…
44Plural with -たちThe suffix たち (tachi) is one of the most common ways to indicate the plural form of a noun. It is primarily used for people and, to a lesser extent,…
45Expressing 'also' with もThe particle も (mo) is an inclusive particle, most commonly translated as "also" or "too". It is used to indicate that something or someone shares a…
46Adverbial Form of Adjectives with -くTo change an い (i)-adjective into an adverb, you modify its ending. This allows the word to describe how an action is done, much like adding "-ly" to an…
47Expressing 'seems like' with -そうThe suffix そう (sō) is attached to adjectives and verbs to express an impression or a guess based on what one can see. It conveys that something "seems,"…
48Expressing Detail, Content or Manner with とThe particle と (to) is used to mark the content of speech or thoughts, describe the manner of an action, or indicate a natural or inevitable result. It…
49Doing Something for Me with くれるThe verb construction ～てくれる (ーte kureru) is used when someone performs an action for the benefit of the speaker or for someone in the speaker's…
50Doing Something For Someone with あげるThe auxiliary verb あげる (ageru) attaches to the て (te)-form of another verb to express that someone performs an action for the benefit of someone else. It…
51Receiving Something with もらうThe verb もらう (morau) means "to receive." It is used from the perspective of the person who receives an item or a favor. In a sentence using もらう (morau),…
52Passive VoiceThe passive voice is used to describe an action from the perspective of the person or thing that receives it. The focus shifts from the doer of the…
53NegationTo make a statement negative, the ending of a verb, adjective, or noun is changed. The specific ending used depends on the word type and the level of…
54Expressing Ability with できるThe verb できる (dekiru) is a versatile word used to express ability, possibility, and completion. It can be used with both nouns and verbs to describe what…
55Expressing Preferences with 方がいいThe phrase 方がいい (hō ga ii) is used to give advice, make a recommendation, or state a preference. It translates to "it's better to..." or "you should...".…
56Expressing 'too much' with すぎるThe auxiliary verb すぎる (sugiru) is attached to the end of other verbs and adjectives to express that an action or state is excessive. It carries the…
57Expressing 'however' with がThe particle が (ga) is a versatile conjunction used to connect two clauses in a sentence. While its most common function is to express contrast, similar…
58Softening a Statement with みるThe auxiliary verb みる (miru) attaches to the て (te)-form of another verb to express the idea of "trying something" or "doing something to see what…
59Formality with であるThe phrase である (de aru) is the formal and literary form of the copula, which is the word for "to be" (is, am, are). It is the equivalent of the plain…
60The Directional Particle へThe particle へ (e) marks the direction of an action. When used as a particle, the hiragana character へ (e) is always pronounced as e. Its primary…
61Expressing 'although' with -ながらThe suffix ながら (nagara) is used to connect two clauses, expressing a sense of contrast or unexpectedness, similar to "although," "despite," or "but" in…
62Quotation Particle ってThe particle って (tte) is a versatile and common feature of informal, spoken Japanese. It primarily functions as a casual quotation marker, but also…
63Quotation Particle とThe particle と (to) is used to mark a quotation. It indicates that the preceding word, phrase, or clause is what someone said, thought, felt, or decided.…
64Causative with -せるThe causative form is used to express that someone makes or lets another person (or thing) do an action. It corresponds to English phrases like "to make…
65Expressing Ability with -えるThe potential form of a verb expresses that someone has the ability to do something, or that something is possible. It is the equivalent of "can" or "be…
66Expressing 'must not' with -ちゃThe forms 〜ちゃ (cha) and 〜じゃ (ja) are casual, spoken contractions used to express prohibition, meaning "must not" or "should not." They are derived from…
67Polite Ending ですです (desu) is the polite copula, a word that functions like the English verbs "is," "am," and "are." It is used at the end of a sentence to state that…