N5 Grammar Reference

Marks the topic of the sentence - what you're talking about. The rest of the sentence is a comment about this topic.

Marks the grammatical subject, introduces new information, or answers "who/what" questions.

Marks the direct object of a transitive verb - the thing receiving the action.

Multi-purpose particle indicating location, time, direction, purpose, or indirect object.

Marks where an action takes place or the means/method by which something is done.

Indicates starting point in space/time or gives reasons.

Indicates ending point in space or time.

Connects nouns, indicates companionship, or marks quotations.

Lists examples without including everything - "things like X and Y."

Indicates "also," "too," or "even." Replaces は, が, or を.

Shows possession, describes relationships between nouns, or turns verbs/adjectives into noun phrases.

Indicates direction of movement, similar to "toward" in English.

Turns statements into questions. Also means "or" between nouns.

Seeks confirmation, agreement, or softens statements ("isn't it?" "right?").

Adds emphasis or indicates new information the listener should know.

Polite form for present habitual actions or future intentions.

Polite past tense form indicating completed actions.

Polite negative form for present/future.

Polite negative past tense.

Connective form used in many grammar patterns, requests, and continuous states.

Polite request form meaning "please do..."

Indicates ongoing action or resulting state.

Expresses desire to do something (first person or questions).

Suggests doing something together or offers help.

Polite invitation or suggestion.

Asks for or grants permission.

Prohibition - indicates something is not allowed.

Indicates past experience.

Ability or possibility to do something.

True adjectives that end in い and conjugate directly.

Adjectives that need な to modify nouns.

Transform adjectives into adverbs.

Indicates excess - "too much."

Links subject with predicate noun or な-adjective. "Is/am/are."

これ (kore) - this (near speaker); それ (sore) - that (near listener); あれ (are) - that over there (far from both); どれ (dore) - which one

Limitation marker meaning "only" or "just."

"B is more [adjective] than A."

Indicates the most/best/number one.

Essential question words: 何 (what), 誰 (who), どこ (where), いつ (when), どう (how), どうして/なぜ (why), いくら (how much), いくつ (how many/how old), どちら/どっち (which of two), どれ (which of many)

何 has different pronunciations and uses depending on context.

Common time words and their usage with or without に.

Words that express how often something happens.

Express existence or possession.

Words used to describe relative positions and locations.

Request for objects or actions.

More polite ways to make requests and suggestions.

Connects sentences sequentially.

Shows contrast between sentences.

Indicates reason or cause.

Multi-purpose polite expression.

Offering or giving permission.

Multi-purpose polite phrase for establishing good relations.

Expresses intention or plan.

Adds explanatory tone, seeking or giving explanations.

Indicates probability or seeks confirmation.