Particles in Depth

Japanese Grammar 4

Course 4 · Chapter 6 · Particles in Depth

🔧 Particles in Depth — じょし

You have known は, が, を, に, で since the first course. At this level the question is no longer "which particle is the textbook one?" but "which particle says what I mean?" A particle is a small choice that changes the message: who is the topic, what is new, how much, how surprising. This chapter sorts the difficult pairs and adds the particles that carry emphasis and limits.

The rule in one box は marks what the sentence is about (known, contrasted). が marks the new or focused subject (the answer to "who?"). に is a point (where something is, a goal, a time, a giver); で is a place or means for an action. だけ, しか, ばかり, さえ, まで, も add limits and emphasis and often replace が and を.

1. は against が

Situation	Particle	Example
Topic already known or in the situation	は	このほんはおもしろい。 As for this book, it is interesting.
New information, first mention	が	むかし、おじいさんがいました。 Long ago there was an old man.
Answer to a question word	が	だれがきましたか。→ たなかさんがきました。
Contrast (A, but not B)	は	さかなはたべますが、にくはたべません。
Description of a scene you see	が	あ、ゆきがふっている。
Subject inside a small clause	が	わたしがかったほんはこれです。

Watch out: question words never take は The question word is the thing you want to know, so it takes が: だれが? なにが? (not だれは). The answer repeats the が. After that the person becomes the known topic, and the next sentence switches to は.

2. に against で

Meaning	に	で
Place	where something exists: ほんがつくえのうえにある。	where an action happens: としょかんでべんきょうする。
Direction	destination: がっこうにいく。	—
Time	a point: 7じにおきる。	—
Means	—	tool or vehicle: はしでたべる。バスでいく。
Reason	—	cause: かぜでやすんだ。
Person	receiver or source: ともだちにあげる。	group or limit: 3にんでいく。

Events such as parties, meetings and concerts take で even though they "exist": かいぎは 3かいであります。 The meeting is held on the third floor (an action place). Things that simply sit in a place take に: 3かいにかいぎしつがあります。

3. を against が

Some predicates take が for the thing that is liked, wanted, understood or possible, where English would put an object.

Pattern	Example
〜がすき / きらい / じょうず / へた	うたがすきです。
〜がわかる	にほんごがわかります。
〜がほしい	あたらしいくるまがほしい。
〜が / を〜たい (both are used)	みずが / みずをのみたい。
Potential: 〜が / を〜れる	にほんごが / をはなせる。

Watch out: が or を with the potential With 〜たい and the potential, が is the neat, standard choice and を is common in speech. Use が in formal writing. But in a long sentence, an object and a potential verb may be far apart; を then reads more smoothly. A verb of motion keeps を: みちをあるける.

4. Particles of limit and emphasis

Particle	Meaning	Example
も	also / even (with a number: as many as)	わたしもいきます。
だけ	only, just	みずだけのんだ。
しか	nothing but, only (always with a negative)	みずしかのまなかった。
ばかり	nothing but, all the time; just (done)	あそんでばかりいる。
さえ	even (an extreme example)	ひらがなさえよめない。
まで	until; even; as far as	ともだちまでうそをついた。

だけ against しか. They say nearly the same thing, but しか carries a feeling of "too little": 1000えんだけあります (I have 1,000 yen; neutral) against 1000えんしかありません (I have only 1,000 yen, and that is not enough).

ばかり has two main uses: after a noun or te-form for "nothing but" (にくばかりたべる, he eats nothing but meat), and after a past form for "just": たべたばかりです (I have just eaten).

Watch out: particle stacking しか, だけ, さえ, まで, も replace が and を but sit next to に, で, と, から: ともだちにしか, ここでだけ, あなたとも. The order is the case particle first, the focus particle after.

5. Particles with the potential, passive and causative

Form	Particle behaviour	Example
Potential	object takes が (or を)	ほんがよめる。
Passive (direct)	agent takes に	せんせいにほめられた。
Passive (adversity)	に for the cause	あめにふられた。 (I got rained on.)
Causative (intransitive)	the person caused takes を or に	こどもを / こどもにいかせる。
Causative (transitive)	the person caused takes に; the thing keeps を	こどもにやさいをたべさせる。

🗣️ In Use — つかいかた

Where one small particle changes the sentence.

① Question and answer

A: だれがこのケーキをつくったんですか。 Who made this cake?

B: いもうとがつくりました。いもうとはりょうりがじょうずなんです。 My younger sister did. She is good at cooking.

② Only, just and even

A: あさごはんはたべましたか。 Did you have breakfast?

B: いいえ、コーヒーしかのんでいません。いそがしくて、みずさえのむじかんがなかったんです。 No, I had only coffee. I was so busy I did not even have time to drink water.

③ Passive and causative

A: きのう、ははにへやをそうじさせられました。 Yesterday my mother made me clean my room.

B: たいへんでしたね。でも、きれいになっていますよ。 That was hard. But it looks clean now.

📋 Quick Reference

Choice	Rule of thumb
は / が	known topic / new or answer
に / で	existence, goal, time / action place, means
を / が	ordinary object / liked, wanted, understood, possible
だけ / しか	only (neutral) / only (too little, with negative)
ばかり	nothing but; just done
さえ / まで	even (extreme) / even, until
Passive agent	に
Causative	に (transitive) or を / に (intransitive)

✍️ Practice — れんしゅう

Try each one, then click to check.

1. Fill in は or が: 「だれ（　）きましたか。」「たなかさん（　）きました。」

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が, が. A question word and its answer take が.

2. Fill in に or で: こうえん（　）さんぽする。

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で. An action happens there.

3. Fill in に or で: つくえのうえ（　）ほんがある。

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に. Something exists there.

4. Fill in を or が: にほんご（　）わかります。

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が. わかる takes が.

5. Say "I have only 500 yen" with a feeling of "not enough".

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500えんしかありません。

6. Correct the error: コーヒーしかのみました。

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コーヒーしかのみませんでした。 (or コーヒーだけのみました). しか needs a negative.

7. Say "he plays all the time" with ばかり.

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かれはあそんでばかりいる。

8. Say "I have just eaten" with ばかり.

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たべたばかりです。

9. Say "even a child can read this".

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こどもさえこれがよめる。 (also こどもでも)

10. Which particle marks the agent in せんせいにほめられた?

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に: the passive agent (the teacher) takes に.

Coming up in Chapter 7: Adverbs and Sentence-Final Particles. Adverb types and positions, degree and frequency words, and ね, よ, よね, な, さ, ぞ, わ with a first look at gendered speech.