Learning Japanese grammar is about more than conjugation and punctuation. It includes learning guidelines to break down the language into more understandable pieces. By putting these building blocks together, you’ll be able to construct Japanese sentences with ease!
Go beyond the basic grammar rules we’ve outlined here, and learn Japanese with Rosetta Stone. Our bite-sized lessons seamlessly introduce new vocabulary and grammar, putting new concepts into context from the beginning.
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How are Japanese grammar rules different from English?
Japanese is a language isolate, meaning it does not have a proven genetic link to other languages. Comparatively, English is a part of the same language family as German with strong ties to Romance languages. This means that any similarities between Japanese and English grammar rules are not attributed to being related on the language family tree.
That being said, common elements do exist! When researching how hard it is to learn Japanese, these similarities offer some peace of mind:
- Japanese uses a wide range of foreign loanwords, so words such as kamera (カメラ, camera) and piza (ピザ, pizza) will already be familiar.
- While not always in the same order as English, Japanese parts of speech (such as adjectives and verbs) are easily recognizable by function.
- The Japanese language did not include punctuation prior to the nineteenth century but has now adopted Western punctuation marks.
There are too many differences between English and Japanese to list, but there are a few major points to consider:
- Japanese combines three writing systems: the two Japanese alphabets hiragana (平仮名) and katakana (片仮名) as well as the kanji (漢字) writing system using Chinese characters.
- Even with three writing systems, Japanese pronunciation is consistent.
- Word order is more fluid in Japanese than in English.
- Verb conjugations are not dependent on the subject of the sentence in Japanese.
- Japanese verb conjugation changes based on how formal the conversation is.
Japanese uses several parts of speech
With the notable exception of particles, Japanese includes many of the same parts of speech as English. Even if there are differences in how they’re implemented between languages, a verb is still an action word, and an adverb still describes how that action is done.
| English | Japanese | Use |
| noun | 名詞 meishi | a person, place, or thing |
| verb | 動詞 dōshi | action of a sentence |
| adjective | 形容詞・形容動詞 keiyōshi / keiyōdōshi | describes a noun |
| adverb | 副詞 fukushi | describes a verb |
| particle | 助詞 joshi | short word that identifies parts of speech |
| conjunction | 接続詞 setsuzokushi | connects clauses or ideas |
| interjection | 感動詞 kandōshi | expresses emotion |
Japanese word order is flexible
The order of Japanese parts of speech is less strict than English, and certain elements can even be omitted if they are mutually understood. A complete sentence can just be a conjugated verb!
Generally speaking, the Japanese grammar format follows this order: subject, object, verb.
- The subject of the sentence (what the sentence is about) can be omitted, but it goes at the beginning of the sentence whether it’s implied or specified.
- The object and the verb are usually paired together with the object (what the verb is acting on) preceding the verb.
- The easiest rule to remember is that the verb goes at the end of the sentence.
Everything else from location to time can be inserted in multiple places depending on what the speaker wants to emphasize.
Japanese punctuation is flexible
Because the Japanese did not use punctuation before the Meiji Period (1868-1912), its implementation of borrowed Western punctuation isn’t rigid at all. Some of the most common Japanese punctuation marks have the same function as the original Western variants.
- Comma (、): It’s optional between clauses if the speaker or writer wants to emphasize a pause, but it’s not required.
- Period (。): This functions the same way in English and is the only punctuation mark found in nearly every sentence.
- Question mark (？): Thanks to a Japanese grammar component that indicates a sentence is a question without punctuation, this mark is entirely optional.
- Quotation marks (「 」): Because Japanese uses diacritical marks that look like quotation marks (〃), it uses a unique style of quotation marks.
- Interpunct (・): This punctuation mark separates two words in the same way a forward slash (/) does in English.
Japanese verbs have consistent conjugation
There are three types of verbs in Japanese: godan verbs, ichidan verbs, and irregular verbs. The majority of Japanese verbs belong to the first two groups and are categorized based on the last Japanese character of the word. Godan verbs always end in –ru (る), while ichidan verbs can end in any character that ends in “u.”
There are a few things that make Japanese verb conjugation different:
- No matter the subject of the sentence, the conjugation is the same. For example, while the English “to be” can become “am,” “is,” or “are” depending on the subject, the Japanese word is simply desu (です) for all.
- The present and future tenses are identical. Context and words indicating time give the necessary clues about what point in time the sentence is talking about.
- There are two main types of conjugation for any given verb based on formality: polite form (also known as masu-form) and plain form (also known as short or casual).
There are 2 types of Japanese adjectives
Japanese conjugation isn’t restricted to verbs: Japanese adjectives get conjugated, too! There are two types of adjectives in Japanese: i-adjectives and na-adjectives. The majority of adjectives that end in the Japanese character i (い) are i-adjectives and are also called keiyōshi. Meanwhile, na-adjectives are actually “adjectival nouns” or “keiyōdōshi,” meaning they are functionally nouns that act like adjectives.
| Japanese | Adjective type | English |
| 速い hayai | i-adjective | quick |
| 美味しい oishii | i-adjective | delicious |
| 親切 shinsetsu | na-adjective | kind |
| 静か shizuka | na-adjective | quiet |
Both types act the same in a sentence, and the main difference between the two lies in how they are conjugated. Word order for adjectives is the same as in English. They can either go directly before the noun they’re describing or before the verb to say “[noun] is [adjective].”
Japanese adjectives can be converted into adverbs
Japanese adverbs also resemble their English counterparts. Some of the most common ones revolve around time, frequency, and quantity. This includes words such as “usually,” “a little,” and “sometimes.”
Japanese adjectives can also be converted easily into adverbs. This is done by changing the final i of an i-adjective to a ku (く) or adding a ni (に) to the end of a na-adjective.
| Japanese Adjective | Japanese Adverb | English |
| 速い hayai | 速く hayaku | quickly; fast |
| 静か shizuka | 静かに shizuka ni | quietly |
- Kare wa hayaku hashirimasu. （彼は速く走ります。）= He runs fast.
- Onna no ko wa shizuka ni yonde imasu.（女の子は静かに読んでいます。）= The girl is reading quietly.
Japanese particles are unique
While English has articles like “an” and “the,” Japanese has a much broader category of short words separating parts of a sentence called “particles.” Although the words usually consist of one or two Japanese characters, they are among the most important Japanese grammar rules and are a critical part of Japanese sentence structure.
There are dozens of Japanese particles, each with its own specific uses. They effectively act as guides, explaining the function of each word in a sentence based on which particles come before or after it.
The more common particles include:
- Wa (は): follows the topic of a sentence
- No (の): assigns ownership of the noun that follows it to the noun that goes before it
- Ka (か): goes at the end of a sentence to identify it as a question
Japanese particle example
While English does not have an equivalent to particles, the use of particles in Japanese sentences can be a boon to learners. Understanding the function of each particle helps you build sentences while identifying the role every word plays.
Look at the breakdown of this example sentence to see how particles are used in Japanese:
- Enpitsu wa tsukue no ue ni arimasu. (鉛筆は机の上にあります。）= The pencil is on the desk.
| 鉛筆 | は | 机 | の | 上 | に | あります |
| enpitsu | wa | tsukue | no | ue | ni | arimasu |
| pencil | (topic) | desk | (possessive) | top | (location) | exists |
There are 3 types of speech: formal, honorific, and humble Japanese
In addition to everyday Japanese, there are separate types of conjugations and terminology dedicated to more formal situations. Knowing when to use formal versus informal speech in Japanese is important for navigating Japanese society. T
here are three main types to keep in mind:
- teineigo（丁寧語）= formal language
- sonkeigo（尊敬語）= honorific language
- kenjōgo（謙譲語）= humble language
Teineigo
Teineigo (丁寧語), or “formal language,” is the general term for polite Japanese. This includes the masu-form verb conjugation as well as some more formal terms for certain nouns. These nouns receive the honorific prefix 御, which is usually pronounced—and written in hiragana—as “o” or “go.” Other teineigo terms have different pronunciations altogether.
| English | Standard Japanese | Polite Japanese |
| family | 家族 kazoku | ご家族 gokazoku |
| water | 水 mizu | お水 omizu |
| older brother | 兄 ani | お兄さん oniisan |
Sonkeigo and kenjōgo
Sonkeigo (honorific) and kenjōgo (humble) are more complicated. Both have their own conjugation rules for verbs, and the verbs themselves may be completely different from standard Japanese. Many Japanese greetings are also based on honorific language. The humble itadaku below becomes the expression itadakimasu (いただきます) to thank someone for a meal.
| English | Standard Japanese | Honorific Japanese | Humble Japanese |
| to come | 来る kuru | いらっしゃるirassharu | 参るmairu |
| to eat | 食べる taberu | 召し上がるmeshiagaru | いただくitadaku |
| to do | する suru | なさるnasaru | いたすitasu |
Perhaps more important is how they are used. Sonkeigo is specifically used to describe what someone else is doing. The person in question is someone you are honoring or to whom you are being extra deferential. This is usually someone who is a superior such as your boss at work.
- Sensei wa nani wo meshiagarimasu ka.（先生は何を召し上がりますか。）= What are you eating, Professor?
Conversely, kenjōgo is for describing yourself or someone in the group you are a part of in that context (such as family or your peers at work). The objective is to speak humbly to be particularly polite to someone you are honoring with sonkeigo. This is often used by employees at a store to guests.
- Otearai wa nikai de gozaimasu.（お手洗いは二階でございます。）= The bathroom is on the second floor.
The most important distinction is to use the appropriate style of polite Japanese correctly for each person in the conversation. Accidentally using the humble variant of speech to describe your boss’s actions while using honorific speech to describe your own actions can be quite the faux pas!
You need Japanese counters to count items
When counting anything in Japanese beyond the numbers themselves, a qualifying suffix is required. English has a few counters that we use frequently: “sheets” of paper, “glasses” of water, “cups” of flour, etc. Japanese counters, on the other hand, total in the hundreds. Thankfully, the five counters below will cover the most basic needs.
| Use | Japanese suffix | Romanization |
| general items | ～つ | ~tsu |
| small, round items (and general items) | ～個 | ~ko |
| people | ～人 | ~nin |
| flat objects | ～枚 | ~mai |
| long, cylindrical objects | ～本 | ~hon |
These can be especially useful at restaurants. If you need to order food in Japanese, knowing how to say “two pieces” of sushi will help ensure you get the quantity you want.
Dates and time also use counters in Japanese
Just like items, dates and time have their own dedicated counters. They work the same way: Attach the counter as a suffix to the necessary number to indicate how many of that counter category there are.
| Use | Japanese suffix | Romanization |
| minutes | ～分 | ~fun |
| hour of the day | ～時 | ~ji |
| hours | ～時間 | ~jikan |
| day of the month and number of days | ～日 | ~nichi |
| month of the year | ～月 | ~gatsu |
| number of months | ～か月 | ~kagetsu |
The difference between ~ji and ~jikan is the time on a clock versus the amount of time.
- jūji（十時）= 10:00
- jūjikan（十時間）= 10 hours
The same is true for ~gatsu and ~kagetsu being the named month versus the number of months.
- Tanjōbi wa nigatsu desu.（誕生日は二月です。）= My birthday is in February. (Literally: My birthday is in the second month.)
- Nikagetsu mae ni daigaku o sotsugyō shimashita.（二か月前に大学を卒業しました。）= I graduated from college two months ago.
Master Japanese grammar with Rosetta Stone
What is the best way to approach such a wide variety of Japanese grammar rules? Using Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method to soak in Japanese naturally is a great start! Listening to and reading verb conjugations and particles used in context makes the details of the grammar more accessible, and you can reinforce your understanding with stories and instant pronunciation feedback.
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