Japanese has a lot of particles. As you’ve been learning, you may have realized that remembering all of them and all their uses can be a bit daunting.
But don’t worry!
Everyone who has learned Japanese has been through this. I’ve been through this.
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5 Tips for Remembering Japanese Particles
So today, I’ve made a list of tips to help you remember your particles. Obviously, I can’t remember all of them for you. You’ll need to put in the time to study and figure out what works best for you. But these are things that have helped me remember all of the particles.
5. Lists!
We’re starting off the list with a list. This one is number 5 on my list because this method wasn’t really the best one for me, but it may work for you.
Make a list of the particles. Include the different uses of them. With some particles, like に, you can even connect similar uses. Add examples for each one. Then study your lists often. For some people, just writing things down and looking over them can help them organize things in their head.
If you are a list person, make the particles a list. Use the way your mind works to your advantage, and you’ll get particles down in no time!
I’ve even had friends make their lists of particles into songs. Be creative so your study time is less of a chore, and something you look forward to instead.
4. Use your sources!
There are a lot of sources for learning Japanese. BondLingo has a specific article for almost every particle you can think of. It’s a great resource for going in depth with each particle. It’s a good idea to use resources like this to get easy-to-understand explanations of particle usage, as well as several examples to illustrate how to use them.
You can find all sorts of other online or printed resources. Do some digging around and find something that suits your needs. You can check out our articles of recommended resources if you’re having trouble finding something you like.
3. Listening!
In every article about particles I’ve written, I have always stressed the importance of listening. Learning Japanese on your own can get you far, but actually listening to how people speak the language will make all the difference in your language ability.
When I was first learning Japanese, I would write down things people said that I didn’t know and look them up when I was studying. This could be words, but it also included a lot of phrases. Most of these phrases included particles. So I was able to learn how native Japanese speakers used particles.
Even if you don’t know any native speakers, or don’t get the chance to hear anyone speak Japanese, you can still do this with movies, shows, or even music.
2. Make Example Sentences!
One of the best ways I found to remember particles was to make example sentences. In my experience, the sillier the better. I learned the difference between は and を thanks to a very funny example my teacher used.
She asked us to figure out the difference between “Gojira wa Tanaka-san wo tabemashita” (ゴジラは田中さんを食べました) and “Gojira wo Tanaka-san wa tabemashita” (ゴジラを田中さんは食べました). The difference is that in the first sentence, Godzilla eats Tanaka-san, and in the second, Tanaka-san eats Godzilla. It’s been eight years, and I still remember that.
Write out lots of examples like this. Try to see if you can say exactly what you want to using the right particles. Sometimes we tend to talk around what we really want to say because we don’t know how to use the particles to suit our needs.
1. USE THEM.
Of course, the best way to remember how to use particles is to actually use them. The Japanese you learn will only really stick in your head if you’re using it on a regular basis.
If you have friends to speak with, insist on speaking with them regularly. Try to find people who will actually correct you when you accidentally use the wrong particle.
If you can’t find someone to speak with, trying speaking out loud to practice, and at least do writing practice. Even writing in romaji can help you practice particle usage.
Everyone learns differently. Some of these ideas may be perfect for you, while others aren’t so great. An important part of learning is figuring out how you learn best. These are just some ideas to help in case you are struggling with keeping your particles straight.
However, I do still think that actual practice will help anyone learn Japanese. There’s just no real replacement for regular conversations with native speakers of the language you are studying.
My last piece of advice is to not stress too much about it. Much like the name suggests, particles are just small parts of a bigger whole. As you learn more phrases that include them, you’ll get their usage down.