N5 Particles List - Let’s Pass the JLPT!

WeXpats

2023/05/25

Learn Japanese

Particles are essential when constructing Japanese sentences. Called 助詞 (joshi) in Japanese, particles are necessary for reading, writing, or speaking in Japanese.

For example, “わたしは〇〇です。(watashi wa 〇〇 desu) - I am 〇〇”. In this sentence, “は (wa)” is the particle that indicates わたし as the subject.

This tie, we have put together a list of the most common and basic particles you need to know in the JLPT N5 level and 3 things to be aware of about N5 particles.

Table of Contents

Japanese Particles - 助詞
N5 Particles List
How to Learn N5 Particles Easily
Things to be Aware of about N5 Particles

Japanese Particles - 助詞

助詞 (Joshi) are Japanese particles that form connections between other words. It does things like make the meaning of nouns more apparent. Therefore, it is very important to master Japanese particles at the basic level. By knowing how to use Japanese particles properly, you will be able to speak and write correctly. The meaning of a sentence can be very different depending on what particle you use.

In this article, we will list the Japanese particles that you should know and master at the basic level.

Writer's Pick

N5 Particles List

This table summarises the Japanese particles found in N5. The same particle may have different uses, so we recommend memorising example sentences along with their usages. Some particle usages may seem very similar as well, so try to not confuse them.

Note that for the following 3, their reading changes when used as particle:

は (ha) → wa
を (wo) → o
へ (he) → e

Particle	How to Use	Example Sentence
は wa	is / am (subject)	わたしは日本人です。 (watashi wa nihonjin desu) - I am Japanese.
は wa	(comparison)	やさいは食べますが、にくは食べません。 (yasai wa tabemasuga, niku wa tabemasen) - I eat vegetables, but do not eat meat.
か ka	what (question)	名前は何ですか？ (namae wa nandesuka?) - What is your name?
も mo	also (emphasis)	わたしも友だちも学生です。 (watashi mo tomodachi mo gakusei desu) - I, and my friend also, are students.
を o	(object)	ごはんをたべます。 (gohan o tabemasu) - I eat rice.
を o	(starting point)	いえを出ます。 (ie o demasu) - I leave the house.
を o	(cross)	はしをわたります。 (hashi o watarimasu) - I cross the bridge.
へ e	to (direction / destination)	学校へ行きます。 (gakkou e ikimasu) - I go to school.
に ni	to (direction / destination)	学校に行きます。 (gakkou ni ikimasu) - I go to school.
に ni	(target)	先生に聞きます。 (sensei ni kikimasu) - Ask teacher.
に ni	at (time)	７時に起きます。 (shichi-ji ni okimasu) - Wake up at 7 o’clock.
に ni	to (purpose)	はなをかいに行きます (hana o kai ni ikimasu) - I am going to go buy flowers.
に ni	on / at (presence)	つくえの上に本があります。 (tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu) - There is a book on the desk.
で de	by / with (method)	電車で学校へ行きます。 (densha de gakkou e ikimasu) - I go to school by train.
で de	at / in (place)	しょくどうでひるごはんを食べます。 (shokudou de hirugohan o tabemasu) - I eat lunch at the cafeteria.
と to	and (object)	つくえの上に本とえんぴつがあります。 (tsukue no ue ni hon to enpitsu ga arimasu) - There is a book and pencil on the desk.
と to	and / with (companion)	友だちとえいがを見に行きます。 (tomodachi to eiga o mi ni ikimasu) - I am going to go watch a movie with a friend.
や ya	〇〇, 〇〇, and (object)	つくえの上に本やえんぴつなどがあります。 (tsukue no ue ni hon ya enpitsu nado ga arimasu) - There is a book, pen, and etc. on the desk.
の no	of (affiliation)	わたしはWeXpatsのしゃいんです。 (watashi wa WeXpats no shain desu) - I am an employee of WeXpats.
の no	(possession)	これはわたしの本です。 (kore wa watashi no hon desu) - This is my book.
の no	(origin)	これはアメリカの車です。 (kore wa amerika no kuruma desu) - This is an American car.
が ga	(subject)	だれがきましたか? (dare ga kimashitaka) - Who has come?
が ga	but, however (contradictory conjunction)	日本語はむずかしいですが、おもしろいです。 (nihongo wa muzukashii desuga, omoshiroi desu) - Japanese is hard but interesting.
から kara	so, because (reason)	今日は友だちのたんじょうびですから、早くかえります。 (kyou wa tomodachi no tanjoubi desukara, hayaku kaerimasu) - Today is my friend’s birthday, so I am going back early.
から～まで kara~made	from ~ to (start point ~ end point)	７時から８時までべんきょうします。 (shichi-ji kara hachi-ji made benkyoushimasu) - I study from 7 o’clock to 8 o’clock.
より yori	than (comparison)	とうきょうはおおさかより大きいです。 (toukyou wa oosaka yori ookii desu) - Tokyo is bigger than Osaka.
だけ dake	only	一時間だけべんきょうしました。 (ichi jikan dake benkyoushimashita) - I studied for only one hour.
よ yo	(sharing info)	このレストランはおいしいですよ。 (kono resutoran wa oishii desuyo) - The (food at this) restaurant is really good.
ね ne	isn't it (agreement)	このレストランはおいしいですね。 (kono resutoran wa oishii desune) - The (food at this) restaurant is delicious isn't it.
ね ne	isn’t it / I believe (confirmation)	これは山田さんのかばんですね。 (kore wa yamada-san no kaban desune) - This is Yamada-san’s bag right?

How to Learn N5 Particles Easily

Make Sure You Know How to Use Each Particle Correctly

As you can see in the N5 Particles List above, there are many different ways to use particles. Therefore, it is more effective to remember how to use each one than to translate and memorise the particles’ meanings.

For example, with the particle の (no), it is more important to learn how to use it.

の - possessive

これはわたしのカバンです。
(kore wa watashi no kaban desu)
- This is my bag.

の - indicating part of an organisation

わたしは〇〇大学の学生です。
(watashi wa 〇〇 daigaku no gakusei desu)
- I am a student of 〇〇 University.

の - place of origin

これは日本のくるまです。
(kore wa nihon no kuruma desu)
- This is a Japanese car.

これはアメリカのけいたいです。
(kore wa amerika no keitai desu)
- This is an American cell phone.

As you can see, though all 3 are の particles, they are not all used to show possession. The most effective way is to learn how to use each particle rather than what they mean.

Take of Note of Particles that are Used with Verbs

When studying some particles, it is easier to remember them with other similar particles. For example, let’s look at で (de) and に (ni), the particles that show location. If you remember both で and に simply as particles for places, and use them indiscriminately for any situation involving places than you will confuse the two.

So how do you differentiate で and に ? The best way is to remember example sentences for each to grasp the pattern. At the N5 level, the number of verbs to learn is still little, so this is a convenient point to memorise.

For example, let’s look at how to use で and に.

しょくどうでご飯を食べます。
(shokudou de gohan wo tabemasu)
- I eat at the cafeteria.
しょくどうに先生がいます。
(shokudou ni sensei ga imasu)
- Teacher is at the cafeteria.

In front of で or に are place nouns - place noun + で / に. However, what comes after is where で and に differ. After に is a verb that shows presence - いる (iru), while で is followed by an action verb - 食べる (taberu).

To make it simple to understand:

place noun + で + action verb : to show performance of an action at a place
place / target noun + に + verbs that show presence, target, purpose, direction, destination

Verbs Commonly Used with に

Below are verbs commonly used with に. Rather than a place noun, it is a target noun that is in front of に.

頼む / たのむ / tanomu : to request
教える / おしえる / oshieru : to teach; to tell
話す / はなす / hanasu : to talk
貸す / かす / kasu : to lend
返す / かえす / kaesu : to return; to give back
渡す / わたす / watasu : to pass
見せる / みせる / miseru : to show; to let see
電話をかける / でんわをかける / denwa wo kakeru : to make a call
会う / あう / au : to meet
聞く / きく / kiku : to ask

For example, “先生に聞きます。 (sensei ni kikimasu) - Ask teacher”. Teacher (noun) is the “target” to be asked (verb) as indicated with に.

As for destination or place nouns, に can show purpose.

行く / いく/ iku : to go
来る / くる / kuru : to come
帰る / かえる / kaeru : to go back

For example, “ごはんを食べに行きます。(gohan o tabe ni ikimasu) - I am going to go eat”. Going "to do something" is frequently used with に.

As you can see from these examples, learning how to use rather than what the particles mean is a more effective learning method.

Things to be Aware of about N5 Particles

Here are some things to keep in mind about N5 particles, particularly に.

Time Expressions + に

Another common usage of に is preceding with time expressions. However, this does not mean that all time expressions can be used. Specific time expressions can be used with に, but non-specific ones cannot.

For example, the following are specific time expressions that can precede に.

8時に起きます。
(hachi-ji ni okimasu)
- Wake up at 8 o’clock.
月曜日に学校へ行きます。
(getsuyoubi ni gakkou e ikimasu)
- Go to school on Monday.

Compare them to the following where に does not come after a non-specific time expression.

来週旅行に行きます。
(raishuu ryokou ni ikimasu)
- I am going on a trip next week.
毎日勉強します。
(mainichi benkyoushimasu)
- I study everyday.
一時間勉強します。
(ichi jikan benkyou shimasu)
- I study for an hour.

来週、先週、来月、先月、今日、昨日、明日、おととい、毎日、毎週、毎月 are non-specific time expressions. 〇〇時間、〇〇日、〇〇週、〇〇月 are terms that refer to a period of time and therefore cannot be used with に.

にあう or とあう

“に会う (にあう / ni au) or と会う (とあう / to au), which is correct?” is a common question asked by Japanese learners.

The answer is both are correct but they mean different things.

にあう means that one side is going to meet the other; とあう means both sides are heading to meet each other.

わたしは友だちとあいます。
(watashi wa tomodachi to aimasu)
- I am going to meet up with a friend. [both are heading somewhere to meet up]
わたしは友だちにあいます。
(watashi wa tomodachi ni aimasu)
- I am going to meet a friend. [I alone am going]