A Japanese Guide to Japanese Grammar

Tae Kimhttp://www.guidetojapanese.org/1

 

Summary

This document explains Japanese grammar in a systematic step-by-step process and is released underthe Creative Commons License. It was created as a resource for those who want to learn Japanesegrammar in a rational, intuitive way that makes sense in Japanese. The explanations are focused onhow to make sense of the grammar not from English but from a Japanese point of view. To learn moreabout this guide, go to the introduction page and start learning this intriguing and unique language!

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Errors

This document was not translated from the HTML by the author, Tae Kim, but by a volunteerbeginning Japanese language student. The furigana is especially at risk for introduced errors.

Pleasereport any problems found in the text so that future students may benefit 

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Trivia

This document uses the beautiful and readable

Gentium

font

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for the body of English text and

HiraginoMincho Pro W3

font for the Japanese text. Produced using NeoOffice 2.0 Aqua Beta 3, a port of OpenOffice to OS X.

Adapted from the official

Guide

as of 

２００６年１２月０７日

.PDF Edition, Revision 0.0.24 by James Knowles on 2007

年

1

月

30

日

.

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Table of Contents

Part 1: Introduction...............................................................................................................................................5Part 2: The Writing System...................................................................................................................................8Hiragana...........................................................................................................................................................10Katakana...........................................................................................................................................................14Kanji..................................................................................................................................................................18Part 3: Basic Grammar.........................................................................................................................................21Expressing State of Being..............................................................................................................................22Introduction to Particles................................................................................................................................25Adjectives.........................................................................................................................................................29Verb Basics.......................................................................................................................................................34Negative Verbs.................................................................................................................................................37Past Tense.........................................................................................................................................................41Particles Used with Verbs..............................................................................................................................44Transitive and Intransitive Verbs.................................................................................................................50Descriptive Subordinate Clauses and Sentence Order..............................................................................52Noun-Related Particles

（と、や、とか、の）

......................................................................................55Using Adverbs and Gobi.................................................................................................................................62Part 4: Essential Grammar..................................................................................................................................65Polite Form and Verb Stems

（∼です、∼ます）

...............................................................................67Addressing People...........................................................................................................................................73The Question Marker

（か）

....................................................................................................................77Compound Sentences

（て

-form

、から、ので、のに、が、けど、し、∼たりする）

..........82Other Uses of the te-Form

（∼ている、∼てある、∼ておく、∼ていく、∼てくる）

........89Potential Form.................................................................................................................................................95Using

する

and

なる

with the

に

Particle

（∼

[

よう

]

になる／する）

..........................................99Conditionals

（と、なら、ば、たら）

...............................................................................................102Expressing “Must” or “Have to”

（∼だめ、∼いけない、∼ならない、∼ても）

.................107Desire and Suggestions

（たい、欲しい、

Volitional

、∼たらどう）

.........................................112Performing an Action on a Subordinate Clause

（と、って）

............................................................118Defining and Describing

（という）

........................................................................................................122Trying Something Out or Attempting to Do Something

（∼てみる、

Volitional+

とする）

.....127Giving and Receiving

（あげる、やる、くれる、もらう）

..........................................................129Making Requests

（∼ください、∼ちょうだい、∼なさい、

Command Form

）

...................134Numbers and Counting................................................................................................................................139Wrapping Up Section 4 and More Gobi.....................................................................................................148Part 5: Special Expressions...............................................................................................................................153Causative and Passive Verbs........................................................................................................................154Honorific and Humble Forms......................................................................................................................162Things That Happen Unintentionally

（∼てしまう、∼ちゃう／∼じゃう）

.........................169Special Expressions with Generic Nouns

（こと、ところ、もの）

.................................................171Expressing Various Levels of Certainty

（かもしれない、でしょう、だろう）

.......................173Expressing Amounts

（だけ、のみ、しか、ばかり、すぎる、

Amount+

も、ほど、さ）

....176Various Ways to Express Similarity and Hearsay

（よう、∼みたい、∼そう、∼そうだ、∼

3