Grammar reference
Japanese grammar reference by JLPT level
Browse 862 individual explanations and 50 guides that compare related forms in context.
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は・
Choosing the topic or subject markerChoose by the job you want the marked phrase to do. は sets the frame—what you are talking about—or contrasts one choice with another. が points out who or what acts, exists, or has the quality being described. It also marks the target in certain learned expressions of preference, skill, and understanding. Because these jobs are different, both particles can appear naturally in one sentence.4 points · N5これ・
Choosing Japanese reference wordsMake two choices. First choose the relationship: こ for the speaker’s side, そ for the listener’s side or something just mentioned, あ for something distant or shared in memory, and ど when asking. Then choose what you need to refer to: a thing, a noun, a place, a direction, a manner, or a kind.7 points · N5–N4に・
Choosing a particle for movementPicture the movement and ask what role the place plays. Use に for the endpoint reached, へ for the direction headed toward, and を for the route traveled through. The English words “to,” “through,” and “along” can help, but the Japanese choice ultimately depends on the scene and the verb.3 points · N5–N4書かれる・
Passive, causative, and causative-passive viewpointsTrack two things: who actually performs the action, and which person the sentence puts at the center. The passive centers someone or something receiving or being affected by an action. The causative centers the person who makes or allows someone else to act. The causative-passive centers the person who performs an action because someone else made them do it.3 points · N4ている・
One form for actions, states, and habitsている presents a situation as holding over a span of time. With an activity, that may be an action in progress; with a change, it may be the state left afterward; with repeated events, it may be an established habit. The verb and the surrounding time context—not the form alone—choose the reading.3 points · N5と・
Choosing a Japanese conditionalDo not begin by translating English “if.” First ask how you want to present the relationship: と for a regular consequence, たら for a particular possible situation or a completed first event, ば for the condition that enables a result, and なら for a premise you are taking up and responding to. These meanings overlap, but those four defaults make most choices much easier.5 points · N4から・
Choosing an everyday reason expressionChoose by asking what kind of cause you are presenting and what follows it. Use から or ので for a full reason that explains a conclusion or response. Use noun plus で for a compact factual cause, て or なくて for a cause tightly tied to an uncontrolled result, and ため or ために for a careful, report-like explanation.5 points · N5–N4に・
Choosing the right purpose expressionThese forms are not interchangeable translations of “in order to.” Choose by asking what comes after the goal: a trip to perform an activity, an intentional action, a step toward a desired result, an evaluation of usefulness, or a requirement for success.5 points · N5–N4–N3Direct lookup
Grammar points
862 grammar points
JLPT N5
122 available- だ・
ですAffirmative noun endings - ではない・
じゃないNonpast negative for nouns - だった・
でしたWas; were - ではなかった・
じゃなかったWas not; were not - ます・
ません・ ました・ ませんでしたPolite verb forms - 行く・
行かない・ 行った・ 行かなかったBasic plain verb forms
JLPT N4
146 available- 書ける・
食べられる・ できる・ 来られるPotential form - 見える・
聞こえるBe visible; be audible - こんな・
そんな・ あんな・ どんなThis, that, or what kind of - こういう・
そういう・ ああいう・ どういうThis, that, or what kind of - らPlural or associated group suffix
- 書かれる・
食べられる・ される・ 来られるPassive form
JLPT N3
181 available- うちに・
ないうちにWhile; before a temporary condition changes - 最中だ・
最中にRight in the middle of - ところに・
ところへ・ ところをAt or into a particular scene or moment - ところだったWas about to; almost
- たとたん（に）The instant that
- と～た・
たら～たUnexpected discovery after an action
JLPT N2
209 available- 際（に）When; on the occasion of
- に際してOn the occasion of
- にあたって・
にあたりOn undertaking; at the outset of - かと思うと・
かと思ったらJust when it seemed that - 矢先に・
矢先のAt the critical moment; just as or just after - か～ないかのうちにAlmost before; no sooner than
JLPT N1
204 available- が早いかNo sooner had ... than ...
- や・
や否やThe moment; no sooner than - なりImmediately upon doing
- そばからNo sooner than; as soon as, repeatedly
- た拍子に・
た弾みにWhen an incidental moment or momentum triggers something - てからというもの（は）Ever since a significant event