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Short, no-fluff articles to make progress on real Japanese: syllabaries, stroke order, kanji, immersion methods.
と (to): "and", "with" and quotation
How と links nouns into a complete list, marks who you do an action with, and introduces what someone says or thinks. Plus how it differs from や.
Read the article →Wa vs ga: the difference, finally clear
は (wa) frames what's already known, が (ga) points at new information. The core rule, the cases where が is mandatory, and a quick test to always pick right.
Read the article →の (no): possession, linking nouns and nominalization
The most frequent particle in written Japanese, in 4 uses: possession, one noun describing another, turning a verb into a noun, and sentence-final の in speech.
Read the article →The 5 essential Japanese particles: wa, ga, wo, ni, de
Overview of the five base Japanese particles, with a dedicated article for each. The starting point for beginner grammar.
Read the article →は (wa): the topic particle, explained
How the particle は (wa) works, why it's pronounced "wa" and not "ha", and how to use it in a real Japanese sentence.
Read the article →が (ga): subject marker and the wa vs ga trap
How が marks the grammatical subject, why it's mandatory with certain verbs (好き, ある, 分かる), and how to choose between は and が.
Read the article →を (wo): the direct object particle
How を marks the object of a transitive verb, why it's written を but pronounced "o", and its lesser-known use with motion verbs.
Read the article →に (ni): destination, time, recipient and existence
The most versatile Japanese particle, in 4 uses: destination of motion, point in time, recipient of an action, location of existence with ある/いる.
Read the article →で (de): place of action, means and material
How で marks the context of an active action, the means used, or the material of an object, and how to choose between で and に in lookalike cases.
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