Japanese grammar · Beginner (A1)
The particles と, も, の, や, から and まで
Joining nouns with と and や, “also” with も, linking nouns with の, and “from” and “until” with から and まで.
と and や: “and” between nouns
(to) joins nouns into a complete list: (kōhī to kēki, coffee and cake) means exactly those two things. (ya) gives examples from a longer list, “… and … among other things”, and is often rounded off with (nado, and so on).
Both only join nouns. To join verbs, adjectives or whole sentences, Japanese uses other forms, such as the te-form (A2).
also means “with” a person: (tomodachi to eiga o mimasu, I watch a film with a friend). (issho ni, together) is often added: (tomodachi to issho ni).
- コーヒーとケーキをお願いします。Kōhī to kēki o onegai shimasu.Coffee and cake, please.
- 机の上に本やペンがあります。Tsukue no ue ni hon ya pen ga arimasu.There are books, pens and so on on the desk.
- 週末は友達と映画を見ます。Shūmatsu wa tomodachi to eiga o mimasu.At weekends I watch films with friends.
も: also, too
(mo) means “also” or “too”. It replaces , and : (watashi mo gakusei desu, I'm a student too), never はも. Other particles stay, and goes after them: (Kyōto ni mo ikimashita, I went to Kyoto too).
Two mean “both … and …”, or “neither … nor …” with a negative verb. After a question word with a negative verb, means “no …”: (nani mo, nothing), (dare mo, nobody).
- 私も会社員です。Watashi mo kaishain desu.I'm an office worker too.
- 京都にも行きました。Kyōto ni mo ikimashita.I went to Kyoto too.
- 肉も魚も好きです。Niku mo sakana mo suki desu.I like both meat and fish.
- 今朝は何も食べませんでした。Kesa wa nani mo tabemasen deshita.I didn't eat anything this morning.
の: linking two nouns
(no) joins two nouns, and the second one is the main word: AのB is “the B of A” or “A's B”. So (watashi no hon) is “my book”, and (Nihongo no sensei) is “a Japanese teacher”.
can also stand for a noun that is clear from context: (kore wa watashi no desu, this is mine). In phone numbers, the dash is read (no).
| Use | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| who it belongs to | (watashi no kasa) | my umbrella |
| what kind | (Nihongo no hon) | a Japanese book, a book about Japanese |
| where | (Kyōto no daigaku) | a university in Kyoto |
| position | (eki no mae) | in front of the station |
| who someone is | (tomodachi no Yamada-san) | my friend Yamada |
| standing for a noun | (watashi no desu) | it's mine |
- これは鈴木さんの車です。Kore wa Suzuki-san no kuruma desu.This is Mr Suzuki's car.
- 母の誕生日は五月です。Haha no tanjōbi wa gogatsu desu.My mother's birthday is in May.
から and まで: from and until
(kara) means “from”, and (made) means “until” or “as far as”. They work for time and for places: (kuji kara goji made, from nine to five), (Tōkyō kara Ōsaka made, from Tokyo to Osaka). Each can be used without the other.
also marks the person something comes from: (tomodachi kara no mēru, an email from a friend). You'll use it when you say where you come from: (Igirisu kara kimashita, I'm from the UK).
After a whole sentence, means “because” (A2). (made ni) means “by” a deadline (A2): (goji made ni, by five o'clock).
- 九時から五時まで働きます。Kuji kara goji made hatarakimasu.I work from nine to five.
- イギリスから来ました。Igirisu kara kimashita.I'm from the UK.
- 駅まで歩きます。Eki made arukimasu.I'll walk to the station.
- 東京から京都まで新幹線で二時間ぐらいです。Tōkyō kara Kyōto made shinkansen de nijikan gurai desu.It's about two hours from Tokyo to Kyoto by shinkansen.