Beginning Japanese
After learning all the Kana (Hiragana + Katakana), next comes actually using said characters.
To gain mastery of a language, you have to have proficiency in its grammar one way or another.
In Japanese, there are a handful of grammatical markers that, when understood, make it easy to discern what someone is saying. These markers are called “particles.” Particles themselves don’t have any meaning; instead, they mark the word that precedes them. I will refer to particles as markers from time to time.
The first particle that’s used in pretty much every structured sentence is the が particle. The reason why I say this is that even in short, condensed phrases, the が (subject) can be inferred. This is very common in Japanese for particles to be dropped since the context was previously given.
が - Subject Marker
What is a subject?
It’s a person or thing that is doing something. As simple as that.
- You eat a sammy. - You are the subject
- Mickey ran away. - Mickey is the subject
- A balloon flew into the sun. - The balloon is the subject
As you can see, the word before the particle denotes what it is referring to. ゆうこ is the subject of the sentence. BAM!
It is important to note that が is usually used when the subject is first introduced in conversation. After that, が is replaced with the topic particle, は 「Pronounced as わ」. Don’t worry about that just yet.
Note that the が marker can be used when a question word (だれ, なに, どこ) is the subject. 「Question words can never be a topic」
Introduction to Verbs
Verbs, the second most important grammatical element in Japanese next to adjectives, are the only conjugatable part of any sentence, no matter how complex.
The main forms of conjugation include Plain (Informal/Casual), Polite (Masu), and Te form, with many derivatives like Conditional, Presumptive, Volitional, Potential, Passive, Causative/Causative Passive, and Imperative/Prohibitive forms.
Verb Groups
Historically, there were four types of verbs, but over time, they've been categorized into three groups:
- 五段/ごだん/う verbs (Group I)
- 一段/いちだん/る verbs (Group II)
- Irregular verbs (Group III)
Understanding these verb groups is crucial for mastering Japanese.
Group III - Irregular Verbs
This group is the simplest, containing only two verbs: する and くる.
Group II - る Verbs (一段 Verbs)
These verbs maintain their stem (the part before る) during conjugation. For example, in たべる, the stem is たべ, and it remains unchanged across different forms.
Verb Forms for たべる:
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| て Form | たべて | たべなくて |
| ます Form (Present) | たべます | たべません |
A verb ending in る is a る Verb if the vowel before る is not あ, う, or お. If it is, the verb is likely a う Verb (Group I).
Group I - う Verbs (五段 Verbs)
Group I verbs, also known as 五段 verbs, change their stem/root when conjugated, following the あ, い, う, え, お vowel pattern. For instance, the verb かく changes its stem from 'kak' to conjugate.
Verb Forms for かく
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Plain Form | かく | かかない |
| ます Form (Present) | かきます | かきません |
A verb not ending in いる/える is likely a う Verb from Group I.
Plain Form
The plain form, or dictionary form, of verbs is foundational in Japanese. It can express the present or future in the affirmative, and also has negative and past tense forms. Starting with the plain form provides a solid base for learning more complex conjugations.
は - Topic Marker
The particle は, pronounced as 'wa' in this context, serves as a topic marker in Japanese sentences. It's often a point of confusion due to its interchangeability with the subject marker が in certain cases. Understanding the distinction between the two is crucial for mastering Japanese sentence structure.
The pronunciation of は as 'wa' is a result of historical evolution in the Japanese language, influenced by Chinese. Over time, the character for 'ha' came to be pronounced as 'wa' when used as a particle.