Grammar
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
Grammar · Page 20
Japanese Conditionals: Ba, Tara, Nara, and To
Japanese has four everyday words for if, and they are not interchangeable. Choose by the job the sentence is doing, then the forms take care of themselves.
12 min readThe Japanese Passive Form and How to Use It
The Japanese passive is easy to build and surprisingly easy to overuse. This guide shows when a Japanese speaker actually reaches for it, how to form it from any verb, and which everyday alternatives sound more natural in conversation.
16 min readJapanese Causative and Causative-Passive Explained
One Japanese ending covers both making someone act and letting them act. Learning to build it, and to hear which of the two a sentence carries, hands you polite permission requests and workplace humility in the same package.
14 min readGiving and Receiving Verbs in Japanese Explained
Japanese has three verbs where English has give and receive, and the choice depends on which way the thing moves and whose side you are on. Get the direction right and a whole layer of polite, natural speech opens up.
15 min readTransitive and Intransitive Verbs in Japanese
English opens a door and a door opens with the same verb. Japanese gives you two verbs, and choosing the right one decides whether you sound like you did something or like something simply happened.
14 min readThe Japanese Potential Form: Saying What You Can Do
Can you speak Japanese, can you come tomorrow, can you eat natto: the potential form answers all three, and it is also the form you need to describe your own progress honestly.
14 min readJapanese Volitional Form and Making Suggestions
The volitional is the form behind every let's, shall I, and I am thinking of doing in Japanese. Learn it once and you can propose, offer, and state your plans without sounding abrupt.
15 min readTurning Verbs into Nouns in Japanese: Koto and No
Every sentence that starts with speaking Japanese is or I like watching needs a verb turned into a noun. Koto and no are the two tools, and choosing between them is easier than most textbooks make it look.
16 min readJapanese Relative Clauses: Describing Nouns
Every long Japanese sentence you have struggled to follow is built from one move: a whole clause sits in front of a noun and describes it. Learn that move and the sentences unfold in order.
15 min readObligation and Permission in Japanese
Japanese has no single word for must. It says if you do not do it, that will not do, and then shortens the whole thing to two syllables in casual speech. This guide untangles the full forms, the contractions, and the permission questions that go with them.
15 min readJapanese Verb Conjugation: The Beginner-Friendly Complete Guide
Japanese verbs do not change for person or number. Once you identify three verb groups, a small set of endings generates the forms you need for most beginner conversations.
6 min readJapanese 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 readPractical guides
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