Japanese Particles for JLPT N5: は, が, を, に, で and the Rest, with the Pairs That Trip You Up

Particles are the small words that tell you what each part of a Japanese sentence is doing: who does it, to what, where, when and with whom. This guide covers every particle you need for the JLPT N5, with the uses that matter, simple examples, and clear answers to the questions every learner asks: は or が, に or で, に or へ.

• How particles work
• Quick reference: all N5 particles
• は: the topic
• が: the subject
• を: the object
• に: time, destination, existence, target
• へ: direction
• で: place of action, and means
• と, や, も, の, か
• から, まで, より, だけ, など
• ね and よ
• The pairs that trip you up
• Particles on the test
• Common mistakes

How particles work

A particle comes after the word it marks. English puts “to”, “at” and “with” before the noun; Japanese puts the particle after it:

駅でともだちと会います。(えきでともだちとあいます。Eki de tomodachi to aimasu. I’m meeting a friend at the station.)

駅で is “at the station”, ともだちと is “with a friend”. Because each part is labelled, the word order is flexible, but the verb always comes last.

Three particles are written with old spellings and read differently from their normal sound: は is read わ (wa), へ is read え (e), and を is read お (o). Everywhere else these kana keep their usual sounds.

Quick reference: all N5 particles

Particle	Main job	Example	Full page
は (wa)	Topic: “as for”	わたしは学生です。I’m a student.	は〜です
が (ga)	Subject (new information, focus)	ねこがいます。There’s a cat.	が
を (o)	Object of an action	パンを食べます。I eat bread.	を
に (ni)	Time, destination, where something is, who you give to	七時におきます。I get up at seven.	に
へ (e)	Direction	日本へ行きます。I’m going to Japan.	に行く
で (de)	Place of an action; means	駅で会います。電車で行きます。	で (place), で (means)
と (to)	And (a complete list); with	父と母; ともだちと行きます。	と
や (ya)	And (examples from a longer list)	パンやたまご	や〜など
も (mo)	Also, too; neither	わたしも行きます。I’m going too.	も
の (no)	Of, ‘s; links nouns	母の車 my mother’s car	の
か (ka)	Question; or	何ですか。What is it?	ですか, か〜か
から (kara)	From; because	九時から; 雨だから	から〜まで, から (reason)
まで (made)	Until, as far as	五時まで until five	から〜まで
より (yori)	Than	バスよりタクシーのほうが高いです。	より
だけ (dake)	Only, just	一つだけ just one	だけ
など (nado)	And so on (with や)	パンやたまごなど	や〜など
ね (ne)	Isn’t it? (asking for agreement)	いい天気ですね。	ね
よ (yo)	You know (telling something new)	おいしいですよ。	よ

は: the topic

は marks what the sentence is about. Think “as for X, …”. It is the particle in the first sentence everyone learns:

• わたしは学生です。(わたしはがくせいです。Watashi wa gakusei desu. I’m a student.)
• きょうは休みです。(きょうはやすみです。Kyou wa yasumi desu. Today is a day off.)

は also shows contrast: “this one, as opposed to others”.

• にくは食べますが、魚は食べません。(にくはたべますが、さかなはたべません。Niku wa tabemasu ga, sakana wa tabemasen. I eat meat, but I don’t eat fish.)

The basic です sentence is covered in depth in N5 noun sentences.

が: the subject

が marks the subject when it is new information or the point of the sentence. At N5 you need it in four places (が page):

1. With あります and います, for the thing that exists: つくえの上に本があります。(つくえのうえにほんがあります。Tsukue no ue ni hon ga arimasu. There’s a book on the desk.)
2. With a question word as the subject, and in the answer: だれが来ましたか。山下さんが来ました。(だれがきましたか。やましたさんがきました。Dare ga kimashita ka. Yamashita-san ga kimashita. Who came? Yamashita-san came.)
3. With 好き, きらい, 上手, 下手, わかる and ほしい, for the thing liked, understood or wanted: 日本語がわかります。(にほんごがわかります。Nihongo ga wakarimasu. I understand Japanese.)
4. In A は B が + adjective, to describe part of the topic: このへやはまどが大きいです。(このへやはまどがおおきいです。Kono heya wa mado ga ookii desu. This room has big windows.)

を: the object

を marks the thing an action is done to. If English has “eat X”, “buy X”, “read X”, Japanese has X を.

• 本を読みます。(ほんをよみます。Hon o yomimasu. I read a book.)
• テレビを見ました。(テレビをみました。Terebi o mimashita. I watched TV.)

を is also used for a place you move through or out of: こうえんを さんぽします (kouen o sanpo shimasu, I take a walk in the park), へやを出ます (へやをでます, heya o demasu, I leave the room).

に: time, destination, existence, target

に marks a point: a point in time, a place you go to, a place where something is, or a person who receives something (に page).

Use	Example
Clock times, days, dates	七時におきます。(しちじにおきます。Shichiji ni okimasu. I get up at seven.)
Destination	学校に行きます。(がっこうにいきます。Gakkou ni ikimasu. I go to school.)
Where something is	母はへやにいます。(はははへやにいます。Haha wa heya ni imasu. My mother is in her room.)
Person you give to, call, ask	ともだちにてがみを書きます。(ともだちにてがみをかきます。Tomodachi ni tegami o kakimasu. I write a letter to a friend.)
Purpose of going	本を買いに行きます。(ほんをかいにいきます。Hon o kai ni ikimasu. I’m going to buy a book.)

Relative time words do not take に: あした, きょう, 毎日, 来週 stand alone. あしたに行きます is wrong; あした行きます is right.

へ: direction

へ (read え) marks the direction of movement. With 行く, 来る and かえる it means the same as に:

• 来週、日本へ行きます。(らいしゅう、にほんへいきます。Raishuu, Nihon e ikimasu. I’m going to Japan next week.)

へ only works with movement. For where something is, or a time, use に.

で: place of action, and means

で has two main jobs at N5, and both are tested.

The place where an action happens (で for place):

• としょかんで本を読みます。(としょかんでほんをよみます。Toshokan de hon o yomimasu. I read books at the library.)
• 駅で会いましょう。(えきであいましょう。Eki de aimashou. Let’s meet at the station.)

The means: the vehicle, tool or language you use (で for means):

• 電車で行きます。(でんしゃでいきます。Densha de ikimasu. I go by train.)
• 日本語で話しましょう。(にほんごではなしましょう。Nihongo de hanashimashou. Let’s talk in Japanese.)

Walking is the exception: “on foot” is あるいて, not 足で.

と, や, も, の, か

と joins nouns into a complete list (“A and B, and that’s all”), and also means “with” a person: パンとたまごを買いました (pan to tamago o kaimashita, I bought bread and eggs); ともだちと行きます (tomodachi to ikimasu, I’m going with a friend). To stress “together”, add いっしょに.

や joins nouns as examples from a longer list, often with など at the end: パンやたまごなどを買いました (pan ya tamago nado o kaimashita, I bought bread, eggs and so on).

も means “too” or “also” and replaces は, が and を: わたしも学生です (わたしもがくせいです, watashi mo gakusei desu, I’m a student too). With a negative it means “not either”, and AもBも means “both A and B” (も〜も).

の links two nouns: the first describes the second. 母の車 (ははのくるま, haha no kuruma, my mother’s car), 日本語の本 (にほんごのほん, nihongo no hon, a Japanese book).

か at the end of a sentence makes a question: 何ですか (なんですか, nan desu ka, what is it?). Between two nouns it means “or”: コーヒーかおちゃ (koohii ka ocha, coffee or tea).

から, まで, より, だけ, など

• から, まで: from and until. 九時から五時まではたらきます (くじからごじまではたらきます, kuji kara goji made hatarakimasu, I work from nine to five). After a sentence, から means “because”: から (reason).
• より: than. バスよりタクシーのほうが高いです (バスよりタクシーのほうがたかいです, basu yori takushii no hou ga takai desu, a taxi is more expensive than the bus). See comparison.
• だけ: only. 一つだけください (ひとつだけください, hitotsu dake kudasai, just one, please).
• など: “and so on”, usually after a や list.

ね and よ

These go at the very end of a sentence and add the speaker’s attitude. They are everywhere in the listening section.

• ね asks for agreement or shares a feeling: いい天気ですね (いいてんきですね, ii tenki desu ne, nice weather, isn’t it?).
• よ tells the listener something they may not know: この店は安いですよ (このみせはやすいですよ, kono mise wa yasui desu yo, this shop is cheap, you know).

The pairs that trip you up

は or が?

A rule that covers most N5 sentences: は for the topic you are talking about, が when the subject is new or is the answer to “who” or “what”.

• わたしは山下です。(わたしはやましたです。Watashi wa Yamashita desu. I’m Yamashita.) The topic is me.
• だれが山下さんですか。わたしが山下です。(だれがやましたさんですか。わたしがやましたです。Dare ga Yamashita-san desu ka. Watashi ga Yamashita desu. Who is Yamashita? I’m Yamashita.) The answer to “who”.

A question word as the subject always takes が: だれは or 何は are wrong. And the grammar words above (あります, います, 好き, わかる, ほしい) take が.

に or で for a place?

The verb decides. Action verbs (食べる, 買う, べんきょうする, あそぶ) take で for the place. Existence (ある, いる, すむ) and movement to a place (行く, 来る, かえる) take に.

• こうえんで あそびます。(Kouen de asobimasu. I play in the park.) An action.
• こうえんに います。(Kouen ni imasu. I’m in the park.) Being there.
• こうえんに行きます。(こうえんにいきます。Kouen ni ikimasu. I’m going to the park.) Moving there.

One more: an event happens somewhere, so it takes で even with あります: 学校でテストがあります (がっこうでテストがあります, gakkou de tesuto ga arimasu, there is a test at school).

に or へ?

With 行く, 来る and かえる, both are correct and mean the same. へ only works with movement, so for times (七時に) and for where things are (へやに), it must be に.

を or が?

Action verbs take を for the object: 日本語をべんきょうします. The “state” words 好き, きらい, 上手, わかる and ほしい take が: 日本語がすきです, 日本語がわかります. This is one of the most tested particle points at N5.

と or や?

と is a complete list; や gives examples. Saying パンとたまごを買いました means you bought exactly those two things; パンやたまごを買いました means you bought those and other things.

Two kinds of で, two kinds of から

で after a place is “at”; で after a vehicle, tool or language is “by” or “in”. から after a noun is “from” (九時から); after a sentence it is “because” (雨だから). Note the だ: 雨から means “from the rain”.

Particles on the test

Particles are the single biggest topic in the grammar form questions, where you choose what fits a blank. They also decide the order in sentence assembly (★) questions, because each particle sticks to the word before it.

きのう、こうえん（　）ともだちと あそびました。(Kinou, kouen ( ) tomodachi to asobimashita. Yesterday I played with a friend ( ) the park.)

Options: に, で, を, へ. The verb あそびました is an action, so the place takes で.

The tip: look at the verb first. It usually tells you which particle the blank needs: an action verb wants で for its place and を for its object; あります and います want に for the place and が for the thing; 行く wants に or へ.

Practise particles in context in the lessons, where each one comes with example sentences and audio, then in 10-question grammar form sets. The study app tracks which practice types are weakest; sign in with Google to use it.

Common mistakes

Common mistakes: Using を with 好き, 上手 or わかる (日本語をすきです should be 日本語がすきです). Using に for the place of an action (こうえんにあそびます should be こうえんであそびます). Putting に after あした, きょう or 毎日. Using は after a question word as the subject (だれは should be だれが). Saying 足で for “on foot” instead of あるいて. Forgetting だ before から after a noun, so 雨から means “from the rain” instead of “because it’s raining”. Reading は as “ha” and を as “wo” when they are particles.

---

Particle uses follow Nihongomachi’s N5 grammar pages. Test details are from the official JLPT website (test sections).

Frequently asked questions

How many particles do I need for the JLPT N5?

About twenty: は, が, を, に, へ, で, と, も, の, や, か, から, まで, より, だけ, など, and the sentence endings ね and よ. The first eight do most of the work, and they are the ones grammar form questions test most.

What is the difference between は and が?

は marks the topic, what the sentence is about: わたしは学生です. が marks the subject when it is new information or the focus, and it is required with question words as the subject (だれが来ましたか), with あります and います, and with 好き, 上手 and わかる.

When do I use に and when do I use で for places?

Use で for the place where an action happens (としょかんでべんきょうします). Use に for where something or someone is (としょかんにいます) and for where you go (としょかんに行きます). The verb decides: action verbs take で, あります, います and movement verbs take に.

Why is は pronounced わ and を pronounced お?

They are old spellings kept for the particles. As particles, は is read わ (wa), へ is read え (e) and を is read お (o). In other words they keep their normal sounds: はな (hana), へや (heya).

Is に or へ correct with 行く?

Both. 学校に行きます and 学校へ行きます mean the same thing. へ points more to the direction and に to the destination, but at N5 you can use either with 行く, 来る and かえる.