Particles

Hiragana 3

Chapter 9 ยท Particles

๐ŸŒธ The Particles ใฏ ใธ ใ‚’ โ€” Reading Real Sentences

Three characters you already know do a second job in sentences: ใฏ is read wa, ใธ is read e and ใ‚’ is read o. This is the last rule you need to read ordinary Japanese in hiragana. Romaji is shown for everything.

๐Ÿ”— Three Characters, Two Jobs

You already know every character on the page, and now one more rule: three of them have a second pronunciation when they are particles, the small words that glue a sentence together. Written the same, but read differently.

CharacterNormal soundAs a particleJobExample
hawamarks the topic: "as forโ€ฆ"
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
heedirection: "to, towards"
Tลkyล e ikimasu.
(only a particle)omarks the object of a verb
Hon o yomimasu.
The Rule: Only When It Is a Particle ใฏ is read wa only when it marks the topic. In every other word it's still ha: ใฏใช (flower) is hana, not wana. ใธ is read e only as the direction particle, and ใ‚’ is only used as a particle: the sound is o, the same as ใŠ. You met this idea in Chapter 7 of Hiragana 2, where ใ“ใ‚“ใซใกใฏ and ใ“ใ‚“ใฐใ‚“ใฏ end in a ใฏ read wa.

๐Ÿ“– Read It โ€” Your First Sentences

Every character in these sentences is one you have learned. Read the Japanese first, remembering the three particles, then check the romaji.

#SentenceRomajiEnglishParticle
1Watashi wa gakusei desu.I am a student.ใฏ = wa: topic
2Kyล wa ii tenki desu.It's nice weather today.ใฏ = wa: topic
3Tลkyล e ikimasu.I'm going to Tokyo.ใธ = e: direction
4Kaisha e ikimasu.I'm going to the office.ใธ = e: direction
5Hon o yomimasu.I read a book.ใ‚’ = o: object
6Mizu o nomimasu.I drink water.ใ‚’ = o: object
7Gohan o tabemasu.I eat a meal.ใ‚’ = o: object
8Shashin o torimasu.I take a photo.ใ‚’ = o: object
9ลŒsaka e ikimasu.I'm going to Osaka.ใธ = e: direction
10Watashi mo gakusei desu.I'm a student too.ใ‚‚ = mo: "also"
The Other Particles You Already Know ใฎ (no, "of; 's"), ใ‚‚ (mo, "also"), ใซ (ni), ใง (de) and ใŒ (ga) are particles too, but they are read exactly as written. ใ‚ใŸใ—ใฎ ใจใ‚‚ใ ใก is "my friend" (watashi no tomodachi). Only ใฏ, ใธ and ใ‚’ change their sound, and you now know all three.

๐Ÿ”ค One More Thing: ใ‚“

The character ใ‚“ (n) quietly changes its sound depending on what follows it. You do not need to practise this: your mouth does it automatically. But you will see it in romaji.

WordSay itEnglishWhat happens to ใ‚“
honbookat the end: a soft nasal n
sampoa walkbefore p: sounds like m
shimbunnewspaperbefore b: sounds like m
empitsupencilbefore p: sounds like m
kankokuKoreabefore k: sounds like ng
ginkลbankbefore k: sounds like ng
Romaji Varies for ใ‚“ Some romaji systems write the m-sound as m (shimbun, sampo), and others always write n (shinbun, sanpo). In this course you'll usually see n. Both are the same Japanese word, and the character is always ใ‚“.
Review: Words from the Last Chapter (Tokyo) ยท (Osaka) ยท (Kyoto) ยท (Sapporo) ยท (travel) ยท (cooking).

โœ๏ธ Try It Yourself โ€” ใ‚Œใ‚“ใ—ใ‚…ใ†

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. Which three characters change their sound when used as particles, and what do they sound like?

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ใฏ (wa), ใธ (e) and ใ‚’ (o).

2. Read aloud and translate:

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Watashi wa gakusei desu: I am a student.

3. Read aloud and translate:

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Tลkyล e ikimasu: I'm going to Tokyo.

4. Read aloud and translate:

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Mizu o nomimasu: I drink water.

5. Is the ใฏ in (flower) read wa?

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No: it is read ha (hana). ใฏ is wa only as the topic particle.

6. Write in hiragana: Hon o yomimasu. ยท Kaisha e ikimasu. (with the right particles)

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ยท

Coming Up in Chapter 10 The last chapter: reading practice with signs, a menu and a short text, using everything from all three Hiragana courses, then a Course Complete recap and the combined course PDF.