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Grammar

Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.

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Japanese particle cards arranged as signposts between parts of a sentence
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Grammar · Page 2

Japanese particle cards arranged as signposts between parts of a sentenceGrammar for speaking

Japanese Particles Explained: A Practical Beginner's Guide

Particles are the signposts of a Japanese sentence. Learn the core job of each one and you can build useful sentences without translating English prepositions word for word.

6 min readColour-coded Japanese sentence chunks flowing toward a final verbGrammar for speaking

Japanese Sentence Structure: Build Natural Sentences Step by Step

Japanese word order becomes much less mysterious when you treat a sentence as labelled chunks leading to a final predicate.

5 min readJapanese te-form verb endings connected like branches on a learning mapGrammar

Japanese Te-Form Explained: How to Make It and Use It Naturally

The te-form is Japanese grammar's connector: one conjugation unlocks requests, ongoing actions, permission, sequences, and much more.

5 min readIllustration showing the hiragana wa and ga as two contrasting signpostsGrammar for speaking

Wa vs Ga in Japanese: How to Choose the Right Particle When Speaking

Wa marks what the sentence is about. Ga marks what does the action or carries the new information. Everything else follows from that.

6 min readJapanese grammar notes with beginner particles and sentence patternsGrammar

JLPT N5 Grammar Guide: Particles, Basic Verbs, and First Sentences

N5 grammar is where Japanese starts to feel like a system: particles mark the roles, verbs carry the action, and short sentences become usable conversation.

6 min readJapanese grammar notebook showing connected N4 sentence patternsGrammar

JLPT N4 Grammar Guide: Te-Form, Plans, Reasons, and Polite Requests

N4 grammar turns beginner Japanese into connected speech: reasons, plans, comparisons, permissions, obligations, and more natural requests.

6 min readIntermediate Japanese grammar notes with N3 comparison arrowsGrammar

JLPT N3 Grammar Guide: Nuance, Viewpoint, and Natural Conversation

N3 is the bridge from textbook Japanese to natural Japanese, where grammar starts expressing viewpoint, cause, expectation, and speaker attitude.

7 min readAdvanced Japanese grammar study page with formal N2 patternsGrammar

JLPT N2 Grammar Guide: Formal Japanese, Written Nuance, and Advanced Links

N2 grammar is the language of news, essays, workplaces, and formal explanations. The patterns are compact, nuanced, and highly searchable.

7 min readAdvanced Japanese notes for JLPT N1 grammar nuanceGrammar

JLPT N1 Grammar Guide: Advanced Nuance, Formal Expressions, and Fine Differences

N1 grammar is not just harder Japanese. It is precise Japanese: formal, abstract, emphatic, and often built from meanings you already know.

9 min read
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