Japanese Grammar Guide

て-Form (Te-Form)

Connect verbs, make requests, express ongoing actions. The most versatile verb form in Japanese.

Conditionals: たら vs ば vs と vs なら

Four conditional forms, each with distinct nuances. A key JLPT N4/N3 test topic.

Passive Voice (受身形)

Direct passive and indirect (suffering) passive. Japanese passive expresses more than English passive.

Potential Form: Can / Be Able To

How to say "can" in Japanese. Conjugation for all verb groups and the が vs を question.

Causative Form: Make / Let (させる)

Make or let someone do something. Includes causative-passive (させられる) for being made to act.

Giving & Receiving: あげる vs もらう vs くれる

Three verbs encoding the direction of exchange relative to the speaker. Mastering these unlocks natural Japanese.

Adjectives: い vs な Conjugation

Two adjective types, different conjugation rules. Includes irregular いい and common な-adjective traps.

Verb Conjugation: All Groups & Forms

The three verb groups and all major forms: polite, past, negative, te-form, potential, passive, causative.

Sentence Structure: SOV Word Order

SOV vs English SVO, the verb-final rule, particles as role markers, and building complex sentences.

Negation: ない, ません, じゃない

Negating verbs, adjectives, and nouns. The crucial ないで vs なくて distinction explained.

Counter Words (助数詞)

Japanese counter words for objects, animals, people, and more. Sound changes, the 12 essential counters, and common mistakes.

Relative Clauses

Japanese relative clauses precede the noun they modify. Plain form before nouns, の nominalisation, and subject marking inside clauses.

Nominalization: こと vs の

Turn verb phrases into nouns with こと or の. When each is required, set expressions, and how を聞いた changes meaning.

Keigo: Honorific Language Reference

Complete keigo reference: 尊敬語, 謙譲語, 丁寧語. All irregular verb pairs for business and formal Japanese.

て-Form Combinations: ている, ておく, てしまう

The most essential te-form compound expressions with full nuance: ている, ておく, てしまう, てくる, ていく, and てある.

Volitional Form: Let's / I will (〜よう / 〜ましょう)

The volitional expresses "let's do X" or "I intend to do X". Master 〜よう, 〜ましょう, and 〜ようとする (attempt) across all verb groups.

Comparisons: より, の方が, ほど, くらい

How to compare in Japanese: AよりBの方が (B is more than A), 〜ほど〜ない (not as much as), 〜と同じくらい (about the same as).

Expressing Desire: 〜たい, 欲しい, 〜てほしい

Want to do something (〜たい), want a thing (欲しい), want someone else to do something (〜てほしい). Includes third-person desire with 〜たがる.

Permission & Prohibition: 〜てもいい, 〜てはいけない

Ask and grant permission (〜てもいい), express prohibition (〜てはいけない), obligation (〜なければならない), and "no need to" (〜なくてもいい).

Particles Complete Guide: は, が, を, に, で, へ, も, と

Japanese particles explained clearly: は vs が, に vs で for location, を for objects, も for "also", and the は vs が distinction that trips up every learner.

Cause & Reason: から vs ので vs のに vs て

Four ways to express because/so/despite in Japanese. から (casual reason), ので (polite/objective), のに (despite — frustration), て (causal sequence).

Must & Should: なければならない, べき, ほうがいい

Express obligation and advice: なければならない (must), べき (ought to/moral duty), ほうがいい (you'd better). With casual contractions and nuance differences.

Opinion & Inference: と思う, らしい, そうだ, ようだ

Say what you think and infer what seems true: と思う (I think), らしい (apparently), appearance そうだ (looks like), ようだ/みたいだ (it seems from evidence).

Time & Sequence: ながら, てから, まで, あとで, まえに

Express simultaneous (ながら), sequential (てから), duration (まで), and "before/after" (まえに/あとで) actions. Includes the critical まで vs までに distinction.

Conjunctions: でも, しかし, そして, ところが, だから

Connect Japanese sentences with logical flow: でも/しかし (but/however), そして/それから (and then), ところが (unexpected however), だから/それで (therefore/so).

て-いる: Progressive, State & Habit

One form, three meanings. て-いる covers ongoing actions, resultant states, and habitual facts. Master the distinctions that trip up every learner.

Reported Speech: と言う, と思う, そうだ

Quote and report what people say, think, and hear. The particle と as a quotation marker, and how そうだ signals hearsay vs appearance.

Experience: 〜たことがある / ない

Say "have you ever…?" in Japanese. たことがある for past experience, たことがない for never, and ことがある for occasional occurrence.

Change & Becoming: になる, くなる, てくる

Express change with になる (nouns/な-adj), くなる (い-adj), てくる (gradual change arriving now), and ていく (change going forward).

Approximation: ごろ vs ぐらい vs ほど

Three words for "about/around/approximately" — each used differently. ごろ for time points, ぐらい for quantities, ほど for degrees.