Download Grammar Tips - Nihongo Ganbaru

FJ101
Grammar Tips
Word Order
In English, the typical word order is:
Subject Verb Object
I eat breakfast.
In Japanese, the word order is a little more flexible,
but it tends to be:
Subject Object Verb
わたしが あさごはんを
たべます。
I
breakfast
eat.
I が breakfast をたべます。
The Japanese Writing System
Japanese has three writing systems and each is used for
different reasons.
あ め り か
Katakana- for foreign words like アメリカ
Hiragana- for particles（は、が、を）,
い
verb endings 行きます and other words that
are not written in kanji or katakana
Kanji- originally from the Chinese characters,
and can be found as the first character in
だいがく
き
verbs like 来ます, or nouns like 大 学 , or
おお
adjectives like 大 きい.
Particles
What are they you might ask? For non-native speakers
they are one of the obstacles for us to overcome. However,
it is not impossible. The main trick to learning them is to
understand their main function. So, my definition of
particles is a little chunk that helps the listener, reader,
or speaker see the relationship between the word it marks
and the other words in the sentence. When you approach a
sentence, think about the relationship between the words.
It is also important to understand the function of the
particles. In some cases, you do not need to explicitly
state the particle. This may sound really confusing right
now, but don’t worry about it yet. Actually, this in
someway, makes Japanese easy. However, for now, please try
to keep using particles in the sentences you are creating
for us. This will help to show that you understand them.
Here are some of the particles we will learn this semester.
Particle
は
Example sentences
Topic marker
え
り
か
が
わたしはエリカです｡
(I am Erica)
Subject marker
に
エリカが行きます｡
(Erica goes.)
Marks place or goal
え
り
か
い
ぎんこう
へ
銀行に行きます｡
(I) go to the bank
Marks place or goal
で
図書館へいきます。
(I/he/she) go to the library.
1. Location of action
としょかん
としょかん
を
図書館で 勉 強 します。
(I) study at the library.
2. By means or method
こうくうびんでおねがいします。
By airmail please.
Object marker
あ
も
の
い
か
から、まで
す
く
り
ー
む
アイスクリームをたべます。
(I) eat ice cream.
Means too, or also
わたしも.
Me too.
[noun] の[noun]
え
と
べんきょう
り
か
(エリカのせんもん)
(Erica’s major)
1. noun と noun (noun and noun)
すずきさんとたなかさん
2. with or together
(エリカといっしょに)
(together with Erica)
At end of the sentences, indicates a question
「dog」ってなんですか。
Marks from （から）and to （まで）
アメリカからきました。(I) am from America.
にほん
おく
日本まで手紙を送りました。(I) sent a letter to Japan.