Noun Particle - Japanese Particles

Japanese Particles

Just as in Korean, noun particles follow the noun being marked, and can serve any of several functions in a given sentence.

• Example #1: 昨日スーパーへ行きました。? (Yesterday, I went to the supermarket.)
  • Kinoo suupaa e ikimashita.

In this example, "e" is the noun particle for "suupaa" ("supermarket"). This particular noun particle denotes direction towards a place, being "supermarket."

• Example #2: 昼ごはんは私がピザを食べた。(I ate pizza for lunch. lit. As for lunch, I ate pizza.)
  • Hirugohan wa watashi ga piza o tabeta.

The three noun particles ("wa," "ga," and "o") all serve different functions:

• "wa" - topic marker ("hirugohan" - lunch)
• "ga" - subject marker ("watashi" - I)
• "o" - object marker ("piza" - pizza)