Japanese particles for Russian speakers

The idea

Japanese particles follow nouns: を marks a direct object, に a destination or the location of existence, and で the place of an action or a means. は sets a topic; が marks a subject, often introducing it. と can mark a companion. Russian case endings and prepositions offer useful comparisons, but there is no one-to-one mapping.

Examples

• 私わたしは本ほんを読よみます。I read a book.
• 猫ねこが庭にわにいます。There is a cat in the garden.
• 庭にわで猫ねこを見みます。I see a cat in the garden.
• 学校がっこうに行いきます。I go to school.
• 友達ともだちと日本語にほんごで話はなします。I speak Japanese with a friend.
• 先生せんせいに手紙てがみを書かきます。I write a letter to the teacher.

Watch out

Russian в can appear with both movement and location; Japanese distinguishes に for existence from で for an action. は and が also depend on the message, not simply on Russian nominative case.

Try it yourself

1. 本ほん＿読よみます。

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   を

   を marks 本 as the object of reading.

2. 学校がっこう＿行いきます。

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   に

   に marks 学校 as the destination of going.

3. 庭にわ＿遊あそびます。

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   で

   で marks 庭 as the place where playing happens.

4. 庭にわ＿猫ねこがいます。

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   に

   に marks 庭 as the location where the cat exists.

Use it today

Compare the two garden sentences, then fill each blank with the particle that fits the verb.