Japanese word

助詞

Pronunciation

Romajijoshi

Meaning

  • nounparticle

Example

この助詞は主題を表します。ko no jo shi wa shu dai o arawa shi ma su

This particle marks the topic.

Illustration for 助詞 (particle)

More examples

同じ動詞でも助詞によって意味が変わります。ona ji dō shi de mo jo shi ni yo tte i mi ga ka wa ri ma su

The meaning can change depending on the particle, even with the same verb.

Core concept

A particle attaches to another word to show its grammatical role or relationship in a sentence.

Common phrases

  • 助詞を付けるjo shi o tsu ke ru

    add a particle

  • 助詞を使うjo shi o tsuka u

    use a particle

  • 助詞を選ぶjo shi o era bu

    choose a particle

  • 助詞を省略するjo shi o shō ryaku su ru

    omit a particle

  • 助詞に注意するjo shi ni chū i su ru

    pay attention to particles

Definition in Japanese

文中で他の語に付いて、語と語の関係や文中での役割を示す語。bun chū de hoka no go ni tsu i te go to go no kan kei ya bun chū de no yaku wari o shime su go

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 助詞 (joshi) combines 助 (jo, "help") and 詞 (shi, "word"), meaning an auxiliary word.

Usage tips

  • The particle は (wa) is written with は but pronounced wa when it marks the topic, making it a useful example of Japanese grammar.

Other meanings

  • postpositionnoun

Word lists with this word