The Japanese Particle “と” (TO)

The Japanese Particle “と” (TO) : The word “and” is kind of hard to figure out in Japanese. A lot of times, Japanese students will think the particle と (to) works the same way as the English word “and,” but it doesn’t quite work like that.

It is such a useful piece of grammar and we are certain that by the end of the lesson you will be thinking, “How did I Japanese without it”.

We are going to be looking at the meaning in more detail first, followed by some example sentences and then finally, a few techniques on how you can start to practice with is straightaway. Okay everyone, let’s dive into the first segment.

The Japanese Particle “と” (TO)

と(to) can work the same as “and,” but only in very specific situations. It also has a few other uses as a particle, and can even be combined with other words and phrases to make other grammar structures.

In this article, we will only look at the uses of と(to) as a single particle, just to keep things easy. This would be a very long article if we actually dove into every single use of this one.

Mastering the conditional とsome example sentences.

Lets take a look at example sentence using “To”

雨が降ふると涼しくなる

Ame ga furu to suzushikunaru

When it rains it gets cool

See how this is a natural consequence of the rain? Mostly, when it rains it will get cooler. Obviously there may be some exceptions in other parts of the world but generally this is the natural result for the most part.

新幹線に乗ると富士山が見みえた

Shinkansen ni noru to I could see mount Fuji.

When I took the bullet train I could see mount Fuji.

On this specific bullet train it is possible / natural for the human eye to be able to see mount fuji, therefore と can be implemented in the sentence as it’s a natural consequence. Let’s take a look at another example.

春になると、桜が咲きます。

Haru ni naru to sakura ga sakimasu

When it’s spring, the Sakura come into bloom.

You couldn’t get more natural than this. When spring time arrives, it’s only natural that the sakura come into bloom. This is a perfect way to use “to”.

Lastly, let’s look at one we mentioned earlier.

ボタンを押すと画面がつく
 Botan wo osu to gamen ga tsuku
 If you press the button, the screen will turn on.

This has been programmed to perform a specific action so therefore it becomes a natural process.

と is such a useful particle to remember and implement, you should also try to create some of your own sentences and make sure you get them checked by friends, teachers or mentors.Now we are going to look at some learning methods that you can put into place to help remember the use of と. These learning methods are the most important part of the lesson. If you don’t pay attention to them and put them into practice, you will find yourself forgetting the と structure.

Let’s learn about と (to) – What does it do exactly?

Some of you may have seen と before in Japanese when creating lists of nouns.

Much like:

私はパンとチョコレートとチーズが好きです
 I like bread and chocolate and cheese.

This is most likely the first use of と you will have come across. The と that we will be learning today is much different. The と that we are going to learn expresses a natural consequence from taking an action.

You could look at this like:

When you do X, Y always happens.

Here are some scenarios in English where the conditional と would be used.

“When you press this button, the screen turns off”

You see the screen turning off is a natural consequence of pressing the button, it has been programmed that way so it is a natural occurrence.

“When you cut your skin, blood will come out”

Unless you are made of rock, this is a very natural occurrence so と would be used perfectly in that context.

Lastly let’s look at natural occurrences with emotion. You could use と when you say:

“When I see puppies, I get so happy.”

This is a natural occurrence in the body that happens automatically when you see something that brings happiness, in turn, you feel happiness.

Okay so now that you understand the context of how to use と we are now going to look at some example sentences to help further your understanding in a practical situation.

The Japanese Particle “と” (TO) :Exhaustive Listing

Let’s start with how to use と(to) as the English word “and.” I said it had to be a specific situation, and that situation is when you are making an exhaustive list. An exhaustive list is one that ends. You list everything on the list, and divide the words with と.

For example, if you are listing fruits you bought, you could say,

“Ringo to nashi to momo wo katta” 
(りんごと梨と桃を買った) or “I bought apples, pears, and peaches.” 

This list is complete. When you use と(to) it is saying there is nothing else that can be added to the list.

In order to make a list that isn’t exhaustive, you need to use a different particle, like “ya” (や). If you want to say what fruit the store sold (but not listing all of them), you could say,

“Ringo ya nashi ya momo wo uru”
 (りんごや梨や桃を売る) or “They sell things like apples, pears, and peaches.” 

“Ya” is not an exhaustive list, and implies there are more things that could be added to the list.

The Japanese Particle “と” (TO) :Accompaniment or Reciprocal Relationship

と(to) can also be used a lot like the English word “with.” It can be used to say things like

“Watashi wa kanojo to ikimashita” 
(私は彼女と行きました) or “I went with her.” 

The と(to) in this shows that we did the verb together.

The particle と(to) can also show a reciprocal relationship between two things. This works only with specific verbs and adjectives that show a connection between two things. These are words like “kekkonsuru” (結婚する: to marry), “niru” (似る: to resemble), and “chigau” (違う: differ). These words have to have two things connected to work.

We can use one of these in an example sentence. You could say

“Kanojo wa Mariko-san to niteru”
 (彼女はまりこさんと似てる), or “She looks like Mariko-san.”

The Japanese Particle “と” (TO) :Quotations

One of the most useful ways you can use と(to) is to mark quotations.

You can mark a direct quotation (with quotes and everything) with と(to). This actually happens a lot in writing, but people will use it in spoken Japanese often as well. If we wanted to quote someone, we could say,

“Kare wa ‘Kono ie de sunderu’ to itta” 
(彼は「この家で住んでる」と言った). 

This means “He said ‘I live in this house.’” It’s also good to note how different Japanese quotation marks look.

This can also work for indirect quotes when you are choosing to paraphrase. You could say

“Paati ni iku to itta” 
(パーティーに行くと言った) or “They said they would go to the party.” 

Notice how this example doesn’t have a direct quote, but the “to itta” still indicates it is something someone else said.

With this use, you can also show sound or a way in which something is done. You can say

“Perapera to hanashita”
 (ペラペラと話した) or “They spoke fluently.” 

You can say

“Yukkuri to aruite kudasai”
 (ゆっくりと歩いてください) or “Please walk slowly.”

The Japanese Particle “と” (TO) :If/Then Statements

と(to) is a particle that can be used to say “if” in Japanese. There isn’t just one particle for this (there’s like four), and each one is used in a very specific context.

と(to) works best for “if/then” sentences. In fact, I like to think of it as translating just to “when” because it refers to something that is uncontrollable. The “if” is conditional, and the “then” is an unavoidable consequence.

For example, let’s look at the sentence,

“Shikkari benkyou shinai to nihongo wo manabanai”
 (しっかり勉強しないと日本語を学ばない). 

The phrase before the と(to) is conditional. We could translate it to “If you don’t study hard.” The subject is you, and you have control over how hard you study. What comes after と(to) is an uncontrollable consequence, “You won’t learn Japanese.” You have no control of the second phrase, and that is all shown by the use of と(to).

Because of how と(to) is used in this structure, the phrase that comes after と(to) can’t be active, like a request. It has to be a passive effect.

These are just a few uses of the particle と(to). This is another one you’ll hear all the time, so make sure you listen for it while you practice listening, and try working it into your speaking in a way you might not have used before. 

Some great learning methods to practice

To help you learn と effectively, you should take the sentences that have just been written and repeat them out　loud 6 times a day for the next 3 days. Once you are confident, look at the English only and try to translate them back to Japanese. This will create a link in your brain to allow you to use とquickly and effectively over time.

Thank you so much everyone for checking out today’s online Japanese lesson from BondLingo, if you have any other questions or ideas for content that you would like us to create. Please get in touch and let us know. Have a great day everyone and see you again next time.　またね。

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