How many particles do I need for N5?

About a dozen: は, が, を, に, で, へ, と, も, の, から, まで, や, plus the sentence-final か and ね.

Do particles have English equivalents?

Sometimes (と ≈ “and / with”, から ≈ “from”), but most mark a role that English shows with word order or a preposition.

Japanese particles: は, が, を, に, で and more, explained simply

In Japanese, each word's role in the sentence is marked by a small particle right after it: subject, object, place, time… Once you understand the ten basic particles, N5 sentences become readable.

Updated 5 October 2026

The basic particles

Particle	Role	Example
は (wa)	The topic: what you're talking about	わたしは学生です。 As for me, I'm a student.
が (ga)	The subject, often new information	雨が降っています。 It's raining (rain is falling).
を (o)	The direct object	水を飲みます。 I drink water.
に (ni)	A point in time, a destination, where something is	七時に起きます。 I get up at 7.
で (de)	Where an action happens, the means	図書館で勉強します。 I study at the library.
へ (e)	Direction	学校へ行きます。 I go to school.
と (to)	“and” between nouns, “with”	友だちと行きます。 I'm going with a friend.
も (mo)	“also”, replaces は / が / を	わたしも学生です。 I'm a student too.
の (no)	Links two nouns (“'s”, “of”)	わたしの本です。 It's my book.
から / まで	“from” / “until”	九時から五時まで働きます。 I work from 9 to 5.

は or が?

Every beginner asks. Short version: は presents the topic (what you're talking about, often already known), が marks the subject when the information is new or emphasised.

“だれが来ましたか。 Who came?” → “田中さんが来ました。 It was Mr Tanaka who came.” The answer stresses who: が. But “田中さんは学生です” talks about Mr Tanaka, already known: は.

が is also used with some verbs and adjectives: 好きです (to like), わかります (to understand), あります / います (there is): 日本語がわかります (I understand Japanese).

に or で for a place?

に: where something is or where you go (existence, destination): 東京にいます (I'm in Tokyo).
で: where an action takes place: 東京で働きます (I work in Tokyo).

Common mistakes

Dropping を before the verb: it's 本を読みます, not 本読みます (except in casual speech).
Saying は as “ha” and へ as “he” when they're particles: they read “wa” and “e”.
Putting に after relative time words: 今日, 明日, 毎日 are used without に.

Practise

FAQ

How many particles do I need for N5?: About a dozen: は, が, を, に, で, へ, と, も, の, から, まで, や, plus the sentence-final か and ね.
Do particles have English equivalents?: Sometimes (と ≈ “and / with”, から ≈ “from”), but most mark a role that English shows with word order or a preposition.

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