An XML Japanese mostly-suffix dictionary Composed and written by Michiel Kamermans (c) 2003-2007 Nihongoresources http://www.nihongoresources.com THIS FILE IS AT PRESENT STILL UNDER DEVELOPMENT AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

This document is not released under the creative commons or GPL license, but under the following license: - You are not allowed to modify this document. - Consequently, you are only allowed to redistribute this document in unmodified form. - You may convert the data in this document to a different data format for either private or public polling. - You may, however, not redistribute the data as converted format. - When making parts of this data publically available, you will include this license text in some directly visible way (such as linking to a page with this license text, or verbatim copying it. Hiding it in html sourcecode or something that is not directly obvious does not fall under "directly visible"). In this license, redistribution is not the same as letting people view excerps such as when the data is used for instance on a searchable website You can always contact if you feel you need to break these agreements, so we can talk over the particulars. 始はじめに Whenever you see "noun phrase" or "verb phrase", these are used as grammatical terms, meaning they entail single nouns and single verbs. I tried to separate use (ie: how is the prefix/suffix/contraction used in a sentece) from description (ie: what does it actually do). Should you notice an unnecessary overlap in an entry, please contact me so that this document can be updated. Also, I use the term 已然形いぜんけい rather than 仮定形かていけい, mostly because the first is the grammatical name, and the second the colloquial name for this　base. Since this dictionary concerns grammar, it would be odd to use 仮定形 instead. You will see a lot of words in brackets in the example phrases. I used this styling to indicate contextually implied words that are not to be found in the Japanese sentence, but are required for a natural English translation. As always, personal pronouns are particularly fun: it doesn't matter which is used. Wherever you see one used, you can replace it with any other personal pronoun that fits the used case. There will be entries which concern classical helper verbs. In these cases you will see a list of bases, such as for た: [たろ・×・た・た・たら・×]. This list is organised in the same way as any other Japanese dictionary organises them: [未然形・連用形・終止形・連体形・已然形・命令形]. An × indicates there is no such form. You will need a browser that properly supports CSS2 (firefox, opera, netscape, safari) in order to "enjoy" the raw XML file; IE7 still does not support the rather important :before and :after pseudo-classes that this document uses for its field labels. If you are using IE for this document, please stop and either install the css2 fixes plugin for it (I have only been told this exists, you'll have to find it yourself), or install another browser alongside IE and be that bit more standards-adhering. い sentence ending Used in highly assertive speech, often following sentence ending だ (plain copula), か (questioning) or わ (emphatic). Possibly regional. だ+いか+いわ+いお御 noun prefix Honorifix prefix. Used (predominantly) for native Japanese words or words that use Japanse readings for their kanji. ごみお
天気てんきがいいですね。 The weather is quite nice, isn't it? The word "weather", 天気, has been made honorific, making the sentence as a whole softer. か連体形 suffix This particle marks a statement as being a questioning statement. Note this leads to more roles than just acting as question mark at the end of sentences. question mark logical "or" dubitative コンビニに行いった
か
。 Did you go to the convenience store? Without か, this phrase means "[I] went to the convenience store". The addition of か marks this as being in question instead. しよう
か
と思おもった I thought [about] whether I should do it. Here the subphrase しよう is made a questioning statement, making the thought "shall [I] do?" rather than "[I] shall do". Like in the previous example, the subphrase しよう is in question, which is then stated as someone's thought. コーヒーにします
か
、お茶ちゃにします
か
。 Will you have coffee, or tea? This is the "natural" interpretation of the choice operator "or", where two (or more) options are given, and only one of these may be chosen. Note that while in English this is one sentence, in Japanese this is necessarily two sentences in succession. Decomposed this sentence reads "will you have [coffee] or [tea]", with the parts in brackets being individual choices. コーヒー
か
お茶ちゃにします

か

。 Will you have [some] coffee or tea? We see two "roles" of か here: the first is the "logical" interpration of "or", the second is what we would use a question mark for in English. Unlike the previous example the first か sets up a truth conditional, which is true if either coffee or tea or even both will be chosen. Unlike the previous example, which asks about which choice someone will go for, this question asks for a yes/no question. If answered yes, the speaker knows the listener will have any or all choices listed, and if no the speaker knows that none of the choices work. Decomposed this sentence reads "will you have [coffee or tea]" with the part in brackets being one thing, not distinct choices as such. いつ
か
出でます。 [It] will come out eventually. Normally いつ is a Japanese interrogative meaning "when". When affixed with か, all Japanese interrogatives turn into generic answers to these interrogatives: "when" becomes "some [unspecified] time", "where" becomes "some [unspecified] place", "what" becomes "some [unspecified] thing" and so forth. が noun/verb phrase suffix Marks the subject of a verbal clause. In some cases this may lead to が also leading to a perceived contrast in a sentence. にを母かあさん
が
呼よんでたよ。 Mother called you. In this sentence "mother" is the subject of the verb "call". Given the verb's meaning, this implies she's the one doing the calling, as what or who is called would be marked as direct object, which uses を in Japanese instead. それ
が
好すきです。 I like that. Since verbal adjectives do not have direct objects (adjectives only describe aspects of something, they do not act upon somethings) the thing they apply to is marked a subject to it. In this case the Japanese adjective 好き attributes the property of being-liked to the subject それ, "that". Note that "I" is completely implied and could just as well be any other personal pronoun. そう言いった
が
、間違まちがってた。 I said that (lit: thusly), but I was wrong. Here there is a weak contrast between the two statements. The second part is only a contrast to what the first part implies, rather than being a direct contrast. Essentially what we see here is that the entire phrase そう言った is the subject to the verb "being wrong". 済すみません
が
、通とおしてもらえませんか。 Excuse me, could [I have] you let me through? For this example to make sense, it is required to know that すみません is not just an expression, but actually means something. Used in situations where a debt-relation is created (no matter how minor), this expression notes that after the situation has been resolved there will be a debt relation that prevails, rather than ending there and then (this debt by action has been at the basis of social interaction in Japanese culture throughout its history). Knowing this, the が in this example marks the expression as a "soft" subject; the "letting of someone through" is in this case fascilitated (though obviously not strictly speaking performed) by the expression. Usually example phrases of the kind "すみませんが、... " are explained as having が act as something different from the subject marker, but this is not quite true, it is merely a more subtle interpretation, made harder by the lack of such subtleties in English, which does not have explicit grammar markers but has to divide up the grammar in terms of roles. This example then not only explains the use of が in it, but also highlights the problem in explaining intrinsic differences between role-based and marker-based grammar explanation. かいか+い sentence ending A compound of か and い. かい行いくの
かい
。 So: are you going? The addition of い to the questioning particle か greatly emphasises the whole phrase. Without it, the Japanese would be better translated as merely reading "are you going?". かなか+な sentence ending A compound of か and な. dubitative これ、出来できる
かな
。 I wonder if we can do this. Note that "do" here refers only to the physical act of doing, not to the expression "... can do ..." that in English implies questioning whether social responsibility should be taken. The role of かな as dubitative comes from the combination of a questioning statement paired with な, which marks a statement as being almost rhetoric in seeking agreement. The addition of な leads to the statement 出来るか, "can [we] do?" being posed as an agreement seeking question "do you think we can do" without the explicit "do you" part. In English we write that as a self-posing question "I wonder whether ...", but this is strictly speaking not what happens in Japanese. The Japanese question remains one that is asked in a half-expecting-agreement fashion when there are listeners present (In the case that there is no one else present, this is a normal example of someone talking to themselves). がなが+な sentence ending A compound of が and な, expresses a hopefulness. 前回ぜんかい来こなくて、今回こんかいはみんなが来きたらいい
がな
。 Given the last time, it would be great if everyone showed up this time... From the sentence it should be obvious that it is highly unlikely that the event "everyone will come" will indeed transpire. As such, the addition of がな makes this more a hope than anything. かなあか+なあ sentence ending A compound of か and なあ. strong rhetorical statement かながなあが+なあ sentence ending A compound of が and なあ, expresses strong hopefulness がながてら noun/verb 連用形 suffix Marks a "base" event during which a shorter event takes place. while during ながら散歩さんぽ
がてら
買かい物ものしました。 I did some shopping while taking a walk In this example the act of doing shopping is (far) shorter than the act of talking a walk. When using がてら the act to which it is affixed is always the longer "base" event. Usually you will hear the explanation that the shorter, more specific event follows the longer base event, but of course - as always in Japanese - what the speaker considers the most important comes last, so it is entirely possible to reverse the order provided we keep がてら affixed to the right thing: 買い物しました。散歩しがてら。 would be perfectly valid (if somewhat colloquial) Japanese. から noun/verb phrase suffix Denotes point of origin ("start") in terms of time, space, or reasoning. from (time, space) as of (time) after doing (て form) because (reasoning) 奈良なら
から
来きました。 We came from Nara. Here the starting point is the city of 奈良 (located in the 近畿きんき prefecture). 十時じゅうじ
から
暇ひまですよ。 I'll be free as of 10 o' clock. Here the point in time "10 o' clock" is given as the starting point as of when "being available" applies. 掃除そうじをして
から
ご飯はんを作つくります。 I will made dinner after [I am done with] cleaning. Here the starting point for "making dinner" is set to the undefined moment when the act of "cleaning" is done. This uses the verb continuative て form rather than the past tense, as this indicates that the this act has not already been performed. If we use the past tense instead, then because the act has already been performed then this cannot act as a future moment in time, and will instead be interpreted as a reason, as in the following example. もう食たべた
から
別べつにお腹なかは空すいてません。 I already ate, so I'm not particularly hungry. Here the statement "I already ate" is used as argument to back up "I am not particularly hungry". からしてから+して noun phrase suffix A compound of から and して (て form of する). Marks a basis for (a series of) comment(s). starting with 服ふく
からして
、彼かれは派手はでな男おとこですね。 [If we] start with his clothes, [it's clear] he's a pretty flashy guy. かしら sentence ending Effeminate particle, equivalent to かな. dubitative 安やすくて買かおう
かしら
。 It's [quite] expensive, I wonder if I should buy it. This is the only truly effeminate particle in Japanese, used exclusively by women, transvestites, and particularly feminine gay men. かよか+よ sentence ending A compound of か and よ. strong question mark 何なんで連絡れんらくしなかった
かよ
。 Why [the hell] didn't you contact me? The combination of か and よ is an extreme case of stressing, which is reflected in the translation by the English expletive "why the hell". きり切り限り noun/verb phrase/case particle Restricts a situation to only one case. only merely だけぎり一人ひとり
きり
でその仕事しごとをしました。 I did that job on my own. In this use きり is interchangable with だけ, with a nuance difference. The use of きり focusses on the fact that only one person did the job (implying there was no one else around to do it), while using でけ focusses on the fact that of a group of people only one person did the job. いすが少すくなくて、立たった
きり
授業じゅぎょうを受うけた。 There were few chairs, so I [sat] through [the entire] class standing. Here the act of "sitting through class" (an unfortunate English expression, which is only marginally related to actual sitting) is restricted to the a case of only being able to do this standing. ドイツへ行いった
きり
帰かえって来こない。 After going to Germany he hasn't come back home. Here the action statement "he hasn't come home" has been restricted to applying only to the case of "having gone to Germany". This pattern of きり plus a negative verb form is typically translatable as "after ... , ... ". ぎり切り noun/verb phrase/case particle Voiced version of きり, used mostly in reprimands. きりくせに癖にくせ+に noun+の/verb phrase suffix A combination of "habit" and the affixing particle に. Used to indicate there is a norm from which is being deviated (negative connotation). even though despite ただのガキの
くせに
偉えらい事ことも言いえるんですね。 You're just a kid, but you can say some profound things [sometimes] don't you? Normally, kids are not really expected to say profound, so this would definitely be a deviation from the norm. いつも叱しかられる
くせに
何なんで褒ほめてるんですか。 I'm always being scolded by you, why are you praising me [all of a sudden]? If the norm has been established as "being scolded all the time", then being praised is a clear deviation from this norm. くらい位 extent suffix Marks rough extent in duration or action. ごろぐらい一日いちにちに４時間よじかん
くらい
勉強べんきょうします。 I study roughly four hours a day. In this sentence the exact time statement ４時間, "four hours" is marked as rough estimate instead. Do not confuse with with the suffix ごろ, which does almost the same for exact moments in time (clock time), rather than duration. それ
くらい
分わかっていますけど。 Well, that much I do understand... In this example the word それ, contextually translatable as "that which was just said", is marked as the extend of the speaker's understood matter. ぐらい位 durational time suffix Voiced version of くらい. くらいけどけ+ど verb phrase suffix Equivalent to けども, using the concessive particle ど instead of ども. けどもけれどもけどもけ+ども verb phrase suffix Equivalent to けれども, formed out of the 已然形 of the classical verb き (which looks at the past) and classical concessive particle ども. けれどもけれどけれ+ど verb phrase suffix Equivalent to けれども, using the concessive particle ど instead of ども. けれどもけれどもけれ+ども verb phrase suffix Contrastive conjunctive. Can be used in the forms けれども, けども, けれも and けど (following the old adage "the longer, the more formal"). This compound comes from the classical verb けり (which takes the present and looks back at it as past) in 已然形 suffixed with the classical compound particle ども (a concessive conjunction). From this combination the meaning of けれども is fairly immediate. This particle can be used either as conjunctive or interjection. however ジャズもいいと思おもう
けど
。 I think jazz [music] is good too, though. This is an example of the interjection use, where it serves as a comment following up something said earlier, such as "I really love rock music". 頑固がんこなやつだ
けれど
、弟おとうとですからかわいくて当然とうぜんでしょう。 He's a stubborn guy, but he's [also] my brother, so obviously I love him. In this example we see a normal contrast similar to the English "even though" or "despite". ご御 noun prefix Honorifix prefix. Used (predominantly) for words that have been derived from Chinese or use Chinese readings for their kanji. おみご
立派りっぱな女になられました。 [She] has become a fine woman. The noun adjective 立派 is read using the chinese readings of its kanji, and gets ご rather than お as reading for the honorific prefix. (The なられる in this sentence is the honorific form of なる) こそ noun suffix Places emphasis on, or moves emphasis from something to, the preceding clause. A:　あっ、すみません。 Oh dear, excuse me. B:　いいえいいえ、こちら
こそ
どうもすみません。 No, no, excuse *me*. This is an two phrase conversation in which こそ shifts emphasis away from speak A being to blame for whatever he or she is apologising for, to speaker B instead. You might hear this short "conversation" after two people bump into each other on the street when both weren't really looking where they were going. 今度こんど
こそ
勝かつわ。 *This* time we're going to win. In this example こそ places emphatic stress of a level that is similar to adding explicit the contrast "unlike the previous times, this time we're going to win". だから
こそ
しなければならない。 [But] *that* is exactly why we should do it. In this sentence こそ places emphatic stress on the preceding reason(s), referred to by だから. こと事 noun+の/verb phrase suffix One of the two main divisions in Japanese, こと represents the "abstract" things as opposed to the "real" things (=もの). Follows verbal 連体形 or genitively linked to nouns, turning them into abstract concepts rather than the mundane thing they directly reference otherwise. もの彼かれの
事
が嫌きらいだよ。 I [really] don't like him. While translating the same as 彼が嫌いだ, the use of こと carries the consequences to an abstract level. Rather than disliking someone directly, in this example the speaker dislikes the person as he/she sees him. This is an important difference, as the way someone is seen need not reflect them in any significant way - something which goes for everything in life; the way you think about things need not reflect the way things truly are, and as such when forming opinions and the like, it sometimes helps to explicitly say you're talking about what you think, rather than assuming what you think is the way things really are. お箸はしを使つかう
こと
は欧米人おうべいじんなどに変へんに見みえる。 Westerners [tend to] find the notion of using chopsticks [for eating] [quite] strange. In this example こと turns the physical act of "using chopsticks" into an abstract notion, This notion is then said to be what Westerners find odd, rather than finding the act of someone using chopsticks when they come with a meal odd. 日本にほんにしか行いった
事こと
がありません。 I've never been to anywhere but Japan. This example shows the use of こと in combination with a verb past tense, to turn 行った, "having gone to", into a noun construction 行ったこと meaning "the having gone to [somewhere by someone]". In effect, it has turned the physical event of having gone someone where to the abstract idea of going somewhere. This abstract idea is then commented on using ある, which says whether or not this notion applies to the speaker. In this case it does not: the going of some place other than Japan does not apply to this speaker. This interplay of verb past tense with こと and ある is used when describing whether or not someone has had experience with something. ごろ頃 time/verb連用形 suffix Marks rough moment in time. Do not confuse with くらい/ぐらい. around くらいぐらい三時さんじ
ごろ
会あおうか。 Shall we meet up around 3? In this example ごろ turns the exact clock time 3 o' clock into a rough clock time instead. さ mid-sentence/sentence ending emphatic This particle is used to mphasise bits of information as well as rhetorically confirm that a listener is still following the speaker. ですねねなそれで
さ
、妹いもうとはな、俺おれの分ぶんまで食くってしまったよ。 So then, my sister [you know, who I was talking about,] even ate my portion as well. In this sentence, there are actually three emphatic markers: さ, な and よ, of which the first two fulfil a similar role of grabbing the attention of the listener and making sure they're still following the conversation. This is similar to how ですね can be used as well. それなら、ある
さ
。 Oh, well, that we have. As a sentence ender, さ acts almost as a condescending marker, in this case by implying that someone's assumption about a certain product not being available is simply wrong. Without the さ, this phrase would just be translated as "We have that", but the さ at the end makes this phrase much more of a correction than just a remark. さえ noun phrase suffix Used to mark a noun phrase as an extreme or severe case. even only でさえすらだに金かね
さえ
あれば問題もんだいない。 As long as we've got money, there won't be any [real] problems. In this example さえ marks money as being the only requirement to fulfill the situation "問題ない". In this use さえ can often be translated as "as long as", "if only ...". し verb phrase suffix Used with 連体形 statements as a conjunctive either leading up to or explaining some conclusion or assumption and also plus 結局けっきょく必要ひつようもなくて買かわなかった。高たかかった
し
。 In the end I didn't really need it, so didn't buy it. [Plus,] it was expensive anyway. The second bit is used as additional argument to explain the act of not buying a particular item. しか然 noun/verb phrase suffix Used in the pattern [X]しか[Y] with Y being a negative verb, this particle marks the extent of the act Y as X. save except for 青空あおぞら
しか
見みえない。 I see nothing but blue skies This is a fairly self-evident example, where しか quite literally maps to "nothing but". しかし然ししか+し sentence starting interjection A compound of しか and the 連用形 of する. Works as contrasting interjection. however やっと準備じゅんびはできた。

しかし

、~~君きみも来くるなんて思おもわなかったな~~。 [Well,] we're finally ready. Still, I didn't hadn't expected you to [want to] come along too. In this example the contrast is not so much between the content of the two phrases, but between the situation and an expectancy. Typically when you are contrasting the literal information in two sentences using が or け(れ)ど(も) will be more "natural", as there is no need to use two separate sentences to contrast literal information. However, in this case there is a clear need to start a second sentence as the information in it is not directly related to the first sentence at all. じゃで+は Contraction Compound contraction of で and は. では先生

じゃ

ありません。 [I] am not a teacher. In this example ではありません has been contracted to form じゃありません instead. Because of the ます form for ある this is still considered polite speech. それ

じゃ

、またね。 Well then, see you later. A somewhat expressive example, here the formal それでは has been replaced with the far less form それじゃ. じゃないで+は+ない noun phrase suffix The plain negative copula, not to be confused with the rhetorically questioning じゃない. じゃないこの本ほんは辞典じてん
じゃない
よ。 This book is not a dictionary [in case you thought it was]. This example is fairly self-evident. じゃないで+は+ない noun/verb phrase suffix Hopeful rhetorical, used to verify that something is the case by asking whether the negative is the case. In this use it acts as a particle rather than verbal conjugation, and as such can follow verbal adjectives in 連体形. Do not confuse this use for improper negative inflection of verbals adjectives. じゃないその本ほんは辞典じてん
じゃない
？ [Say,] isn't that book a dictionary? The questioning tone makes all the difference here, without it this phrase would say "that book is not a dictionary", using the normal interpretation of じゃない. 高たかいん
じゃない
、五万円ごまんえん何て…… Isn't it a bit steep, at 50,000 yen...? While normally verbal adjectives cannot possible inflect like nouns, relying on the copula, in this use we're not actually dealing with an inflection but with a "particle"; the speaker is somewhat hopeful rhetorically asking whether or not something isn't too expensive. ずつ counting suffix Marks things over which an equal distribution of (countable) items is applied. per 少すこし
ずつ
進すすんでいます。 I'm progressing [at something] bit by bit. Here the equal distribution is of the action 進む per "bit". すら noun phrase suffix Used to mark a noun phrase as an extreme or severe case. (not) even さえでさえ友達ともだちに
すら
話はなしていないことです。 It was something he had not even talked to his friends about. The phrase 友達に話していないことです would mean "it was something he had not talked to his friends about", but the addition of すら (after に, preserving the chunk "to friends") marks the "to friends" bit as an extreme case for this particular type of action, leading to the translation given. ぜ sentence ending Used in informal assertive language as emphatic marker, used when talking to equals or people of lower social status. ぞよつまらない趣味しゅみだ
ぜ
。 Well, that's a boring hobby. The "well" effectively comes from ぜ, which stresses the phrase つまらない趣味だ as subjectively informing someone. ぞ sentence ending Used in informal assertive language as emphatic marker, used when talking to equals or people of lower social status ぜよつまらない趣味しゅみだ
ぞ
。 [In case you didn't know,] it's [just] a boring hobby. In this sentence ぞ stresses that something is mostly objective information. Contrast this to ぜ, which "feels" much more like subjective information. た Follows verb 連用形 Classical helper verb for plain past tense [たろ・×・た・た・たら・×]. Contracts with 五段 verb 連用形: ～き+た → ～いた, ～ぎ+た → ～いだ, ～し+た → ～した, ～に+た → ～んだ, ～び+た → ～んだ, ～み+た → ～んだ, ～い+た → ～った, ～ち+た → ～った, ～り+た → ～った. The plain past tense is created in the same way for all verbs, following the 連用形 and in the case of 五段 verbs contracting in the abovementioned way. There are no exceptions to this rule, as even the two "irregular" verbs are regular in this respect, due to their irregularity being mostly in their bases (する → した, 来る → きた). だ noun phrase suffix Plain copula, derived from にてあり, through である, where であ has become だ. This verb has some very curious bases: [だろ・だつ(で)・だ・(な)・なら・×]. As is evident from the bases, だ may change to な, but may also be replaced by の in some instances, or may even be omitted entirely in certain patterns. is ですなのたい Follows verb 連用形 First person desirative adjective (I want...), does not contract with 五段 verb 連用形. たがるその新あたらしいゲームをやってみ
たい
。 I want to try that new game. This use of たい is considered about as subtle as a child saying "I want it, I want it, I want it" - it's egocentrical, to the point, and generally everything you shouldn't be when in unknown company. 遊園地ゆうえんちに行いき
たい
ですけど…… As たい is an adjective, it can be made polite by adding the polite copula です (in some inflection). The けど acts as softening the expression further by hinting that the speaker would follow up with a statement that connotes "but only if this does not inconvenience anyone". 休やすみはカナダに行いき
たい
と思おもいます。 I think I'd like to go to Canada for my vacation. To addition of と思う changes the meaning from "I want" to "I think I'd like", smoothing out the directness and making the expression quite suitable for general use. だいだ+い sentence ending A compound of だ and い. だいで、何なん
だい
？ So, what do you want? As い is an interrogative, this entire phrase is essentially a question with the explicit addition of か to mark it as such. たがるた+がる Follows verb 連用形 A compound of た (from たい) and the verb がる, meaning "seem to". Second/third person desirative adjective (I want...), does not contract with 五段 verb 連用形. たいその新あたらしいゲームをやり
たがる
んです。 It seems like he wants try that new game. This form only works as second or third person desirative, and so cannot mean "I want to try that new game". だけ noun/verb phrase suffix Represents a limit of action or quantity. Not as strict as きり. only just きり一人ひとり
だけ
でしました。 I did [it] on my own. Because だけ rather than きり is used, we can assume that there were more people available to do this particular task, but that rather than doing it with several people, only one person ("me") performed it. 出来できる
だけ
早はやく来きて下ください。 Please come as quick as you can. In this example the limit of "coming" is set to be whatever this person can muster. As an aside, this particular combination of 出来る and だけ can be confused with なるべく, which differs in meaning because of the words it's composed of. 出来る paired with だけ means "to the extent that you can", while なる paired with べく means "at your earliest convenience" ("the moment that it becomes a possibility"). たって Alternative form Emphatic alternative to verb ても form. Note that for 五段 verbs the same contraction rules apply as for the normal て form. だって Alternative form Emphatic alternative to でも (て form of です + も), as well as for the verb て form of -ぐ五段 verbs. だに outdated Similar to そえ and すら. さえすらだのだ+の noun phrase listing Used for successive listing. things like: とかなど犬いぬ
だの
猫ねこ
だの
、いろんなものを飼かっている Dogs, cats, we have all sorts of pets. Unlike とか and など, だの is a precise lister, and does not imply anything more than is listed. たら Follows verb 連用形已然形 of the past tense helper verb た. Past hypothetical verb form, used to talk about potential future action as if they already happened. Often used as conditional. Contracts with 五段 verbs in the same way as past tense た. should in case た先生せんせいに聞い
たら
どうですか。 What if you asked the teacher? While translated as a normal conditional, what actually happens is that the situation 先生に聞いた is sketches as already having happened. In effect this form presents a hypothetical past about which comments can be made. たり Follows verb 連用形 Derived from て+あり [たら・たり・たり・たる・たれ・たれ]. Used in combination with the verb する to representationally lists verb actions in the pattern [X]たり([Y]たり[Z]たり...)する. Unlike the verb て form, but like a regular 連用形, there is no sequence implied by this suffix. Contracts with 五段 verbs in the same way as past tense た or continuative て form. do such things as てた週末しゅうまつは読書どくしょし
たり
しました。 I spent the weekend doing stuff like reading. Regardless of whether it's used once or as a lister, ～たり has to be followd by an inflection of する for it to make sense. 子猫達こねこたちが寝ね
たり
遊あそん
だり
して可愛かわいいですね。 Don't you think kittens are cute, how they sleep and play? Here multiple たり clauses are used to create a list of actions that are performed by the kittens, though not necessarily in the order listed, and not necessarily at the moment that this phrase is used. ちゃて+は Contraction Compound contraction of て and は. ては仕事しごとに行いかなく

ちゃ

。 I [really] have to head for work. The contraction here also serves as cut-off point for a trailing sentence, the full sentence would be 仕事に行かなくてはいけません (or variation on the double negative pattern for mandatory action). っ phrase suffix Glottal stop, added to words to signify the speaker is either cut off, or somehow feels it necessary to add the sense that the word is cut off. っきり noun/verb phrase/case particle Emphatic form of きり. きりっけ sentence ending This particle is used as question recollective. as I recall [what] is ... again 電話番号でんわばんごうは何だ
っけ
。 Now what was that phone number again... This phrase should be interpreted as a recollective question, typically self-posed, but can also be asked as a "group" question, looking quizzically at someone who should be expected to know this too. ったって連体形 suffix Indicates a hypothetical action. ったら phrase suffix Emphasises an entire sentence I said: ねえ。ね
ったら
。 Hey... *HEY* This example requires some explanation: the use of ったら only makes sense when trying to pull someone back into a conversation, and is typically added to statements intended for this purpose. The one given here is simply a speaker trying to get someone's attention by using the "empty" word ねえ, similar in role to the English "hey". The addition of ったら does roughly the same as repeating the word in English does, with added stress. づつ outdated Discouraged written form of ずつ in modern Japanese. ずつって phrase suffix Quoting particle, contracted form of と言って. Sometimes used as a colloquial replacement for と in its quoting/stating role. て Follows verbal 連用形 Verb conjunctive for listing verb actions with explicit sequence. 連用形 of the classical helper verb つ [て・て・つ・つ/る・つれ・てよ]. Contracts with 五段 verbs in the same way as past tense た. , and たりた朝あさごはんを食たべ
て
学校がっこうに行いきます。 I will eat breakfast and go to school [in that order]. the て form does not carry any intrinsic mood or tense, and so the last verb in a series of て statements indicates which inflection should be thought of. This may lead to confusion when て forms are used in a trailing sentence, where the actual operative verb is simply left off. 赤あかく
て
小ちいさなカバンを買かいました。 I bought a red, small bag. While sequence does not matter for adjectival properties, it does matter in delivery; the later in the series, the more impotant the speaker is likely to consider the property. Note that here is an exception to the て form for verbal adjectives, being ない. This adjective can either inflect regularly as なくて, or almost noun-adjectivally in the form ないで. The latter is colloquially used, the former is more literary style. It should also be noted that the て form can be ignored in colloquial speech, where listing properties can simply be done with the verbal adjective in 連体形 - noun adjectives still require the て form of です (で) for chaining. 疲つかれ
て
、そろそろ寝ねます。 I'm tired, so I'll be going to sleep soon. This is basically the same as sequence listing, but because of the meaning of the words used it can be translated as giving a reason for something. The japanese literally just reads "I am tired, I will go to bed soon". The "so" given in the English translation is merely there to turn the English slightly more natural sounding, but it is this tendency that has earned て a repuation of somehow also being able to state reason; technically it doesn't do this at all. で noun phrase suffix Marks a noun as instrument of an action. by with ででこれを筆ふで
で
書かきました。 I wrote this with a brush. In this phrase the brush is the instrument for writing, and as such as is marked with で. タクシー
で
空港くうこうに行いきました。 We went to the airport by taxi. In this phrase the taxi is the "instrument" by which 'going to the airport' is performed, and as such is marked with で. で location suffix Used with location nouns or noun phrases to emphasise location of an event or action, rather than the action or event itself. at in by でで池いけにあるホテル
で
泊とまった。 We stayed the night at a hotel by the lake. This phrase should be interpreted as answering the question "Where did you stay the night". This phrase focusses explicitly on the "where" of matters, not on the "what-is-done" of matters. It is possible to get confused by looking at the English translation only, as one might think this could also be an answer to the question "what did you do [during your trip]", but in Japanese there is no such mistake possible; で explicitly marks "where", while に explicitly marks "what", so it is impossible to get confused about the interpretation of a sentence as long as we are looking at a Japanese phrase. If instead a translation from English is required, then the choice becomes somewhat arbitrary, as a translation cannot be given without first deciding which aspect should be focussed on. で noun phrase suffix て form of the polite copula です. is [X], and でで父ちちは54歳さい
で
、母ははは52歳さいです。 My father is 54, my mother 52. This is the simplest use of です in て form, where the two separate factoids 父が54歳です and 母が52歳です are joined into a single sentence, with the subject markers replaced by context markers instead as we now have two subphrases that can be placed in each other's context. (see the entry on は for a more detailed explanation of this use). 彼女かのじょが静とずか
で
小ちいさくて目めに付つかない人ひとです。 She's quiet, small, not someone you'd notice. This is essentially no different from the previous example where で is used as a continuative, except that there is a sense of "chaining" of attributes going on. でさえで+さえ noun phrase suffix A compound of the て form of です and さえ. さえです noun phrase suffix Polite copula. is だこれは鉛筆えんぴつ
です
。 This is a pencil. です defines one item as something else, however due to context sensitivity in Japanese, the actual item itself may be omitted. There are several copula constructions of which です is the most neural polite. Alternatives are だ, である, だござる and でいらっしゃる. ですねです+ね mid-sentence emphatic Used midsentence, this construction can be used to emphasise bits of information as well as rhetorically confirm that a listener is still following the speaker. is ねそれは

ですね

、考かんがえてたんだけど、やっぱり駄目だめだと思おもいますよ。 About that; I gave the matter some thought, but I think it won't do any good. As regular sentence それはです would make no grammatical sense at all, but as an attention grabbing interjection ですね does nothing more than to add in a little unexpected word to get a listenere to take note (possibly "again", to keep them engaged in the conversation). てはて+はて form Combination of verb て form and は, used for remarking on the quality of a verb action, usually in a negative sense. Colloquially contracted to ちゃ. ちゃ今日きょうこなく
ては
絶対ぜったい駄目だめです。 You *have* to come today. A more literal translation, in part illustrating how the natural translation came to be, would be "Not coming today really won't do". The continuative act "not coming today" gives rise to the comment that this will not do. ではで+は A combination of で and は. Colloquially contracted to じゃ. じゃそう
では
ないか。 It that so? An interrogative question, using the more formal counterpart to じゃない.

では

、お休やすみなさい。 Well then, good night. This use of では is also colloquially performed by じゃ. ってば phrase suffix Colloquial contracted form of と言えば, used to emphatically introduce a topic. てもて+もて form A compound of the verb conjunctive て and contrasting も. even if even by regardless of 電話でんわをかけ
ても
日曜日にちようびで誰だれも来こないわ。 Even if you call them, it being a sunday no one will come by. The act of calling is sketched as futile by ても, further elaborated on by the rest of the sentence. でもで+も noun phrase suffix, sentence starter A compound of the て form of です and contrasting も. even as even so but while 先生せんせい
でも
分わからないものがあるんでしょう。 [But isn't it the case that] even as a teacher there things you don't understand. In this example phrase the case of being a teacher is sketched as not being excempt from certain conditions.

でも

、とうやって説明せつめいしていいですか。 But, how should I go about explaining this? When used at the start of a sentence, でも acts as contrasting interjection, similar in meaning to the English "even so". と noun/verb phrase suffix Accompaniment particle. This particle translates as several different things in english, all following from the concept of accompaniment: noun listing, personal or conceptual accompaniment, simultaneous conditional, onomatopoeic/mimetic illustration, and quoting/stating. These translations apply to combinations of と with plain nouns, people, verb phrases, onomatopoeia/mimesis, and full phrases respectively. and with when [x], [y] as well going: thus: 飲のみ物ものは牛乳ぎゅうにゅう
と
ジュースを買ってきた。 For drinks I bought milk and juice. Here the list "milk and juice" represents an inclusive list. In this use と is not required for the last item in the list. その映画えいがを友達ともだち
と
見みに行いった。 I went to go see that film with a friend. In this use と彼かれが首くびになる
と
俺おれも退社たいしゃする。 If he gets fired, I resign too. The concept of と as accompaniment is very important here: this is not the traditional if/then relation that will be familiar in English, but two actions accompanying each other: they are linked. Within the context that exists, either both happen, or both don't happen. 雨あめがザー
と
降ふってきた。 The rain came pouring down. You will not find onomatopoeia back in a Japanese translation, as they fulfill meaningful roles in Japanese, unlike in English where they are considered sound effects. In Japanese onomatopoeia are used to clarify certain aspects of certain events, and are used in animate spech. In this particular example, the onomatopoeia ザー represents the sound of pouring rain, leading to an English translation using the word "pouring". This qualification of events using onomatopoeia comes from と making the onomatopoeia an accompaniment to some event. 月光げっこうで海うみがきらきら
と
光ひかった。 The moonlight made the sea light up sparkling. In this translation "sparkling" does not come from a verb, but from the adverbial construction きらきらと, which adds the aspect of きらきら, a mimesis representing sparkling, to the event of lighting up, 光る. 部屋へやを片付かたづけて
と
お母かあさんが言いいました。 "Clean up your room," said mother. Because of what と means, there is no direct need for quotes in the original Japanese in order for it to be understood that a quote is being delivered. With quote symbols, the phrase would look like 「部屋を片付けて」とお母さんが言いました. それ程ほどよくない
と
思うけど…… I don't think it's that good... This sentence states the phrase それ程よくない as a thought, though the verb 思う can be replaced with any other verb that can be used to state something (say, think, think about, know, inform, etc.). とかと+か noun phrase listing A compound of と and か. Marks nouns or noun phrases as loosely representational items. Can be used on its own or in listing fashion. something such as など A: 食たべ物ものの中なかに何なにが好すきですか。 What kind of foods do you like? B: 甘あまいものが好すきです。アイス
とか
、お菓子かし
とか
ね。 I like sweet things. Things like ice cream and confectionary [you know?]. Rather than give an exact, single answer, person B choses to list several items that meet his/her criteria instead. とのと+の noun suffix A compound of と (typically in the personal accompaniment interpretation) and の. ともと+も noun/連体形 suffix A compound of と and も, can act in both interpretations of も no matter regardless of whether いつか君きみ
とも
別わかれるんだ。 One day we'll say our goodbyes too. The correct interpretation of this sentence is that 君 is marked as an extreme in a way, similar to what ても does for verbs. 何なにをしよう
とも
、無意味むいみだ。 No matter what you do [now], it will be meaningless. This is essentially the same as the first example, but then for verbs instead of nouns. See ても. A: 帰かえってもいいですか。 Is it okay if I go home? B: ええ、いい
とも
。 Certainly. Literally B says "yes, this is okay", but emphatically marks the statement as unquestionable. ところ所処 Follows 連体形 Aside from the literal "place", Indicates a conceptual "point". 叱しかる
ところ
まで行いく To go so far as to scold [someone]. In this phrase ところ indicates the extent of something by marking the point up to which certain behaviour will go. あの人ひとは全まったくいい
ところ
がない。 That person really has no good points [to them]. In this phrase ところ marks attribute "points". 危あぶない
ところ
へ来きてしまった。 They [unfortunately] arrived at a dangerous point in time. In this phrase ところ simply marks a point in time which happens to be (in this case) dangerous. ちょうど手紙てがみを書かいた
ところ
彼女かのじょが電話でんわした。 Just as I wrote her letter, she called. Here ところ marks a point in time as indicated by a certain event. どころ Follows a 連体形 Voiced version of ところ, used for な Follows a 連体形 Marks prohibitive command. don't ... な sentence ending "Strong" version of ね. ねな noun phrase suffix Sound changed version of the plain copula だ, if followed by の. だなあ sentence ending "Strong" version of ねえ. ねえながら乍 Follows verb 連用形 Marks the subordinate action in a situation where two actions are performed simultaneously. while during ながらも乍もながら+も Follows verb 連用形 A compound of ながら and contrasting も. even while など等抔なに+と noun phrase listing Marks nouns or noun phrases as loosely (categorially) representational. Can be used on its own or in listing fashion. Having come from なに+と through なんと, can colloquially be used as なんか. things such as とかなり Follows 連体形 Marks the situation as an event happens. the moment ... , ... なら noun phrase suffix The 已然形 of the plain copula だ, used as shorthand form for the plain noun hypothetical conditional ならば. should it be ... then ... ならばならばなら+ば noun phrase suffix Compound of なら and ば. Acts as hypothetical conditional form for nouns. should it be ... then ... ならなんか noun phrase listing Colloquial form of など. などなんて noun/verb phrase suffix Belittles or downplays something. Colloquial particle. something like or something something as (belittlement) as ね sentence ending Rhetorical sentence ending particle, assumes agreement. ねえ sentence ending More emphatic version of ねねに noun phrase suffix Affixing particle. This particle translates as several different things in english, all following from the concept of affixing: specifying time (point or interval), specifying location (specific or loose), specifying reasoning (specific or loose), specifying relational objects or actors to verb actions. In all these roles the particle に merely affixes an additional specific element to base information. Do not confuse the role of に affixing location, or "destination", with the role that へ plays in marking direction rather than destination. any affixing prepositional statement (in, at, to, by, for, from, with) へにてに+て noun phrase suffix A compound of に and て, formal version of instrumental で. でにはに+は noun phrase suffix A compound of に and は. Creates a contrast in addition to affixing (further) specification. にもに+も noun phrase suffix A compound of に and も. even (preposition implied by に) の noun phrase suffix Genetive particle, denotes a conceptual "following from" relation between the suffixed noun or nounphrase as origin. This relation translates as several different things in english, all following from this concept: posession, direct relation, and taxonomical specification X's Y The Y of X Y X の verb phrase suffix Follows 連体形. Nominalises a verb phrase. の sentence ending This is a soft emphatic, used in reserved speech. よの noun phrase suffix Genetive particle used as replacement for the plain copula だ in certain phrase patterns using subphrase. だのだの+だ noun phrase suffix Informal version of のです. のですのでの+で noun phrase suffix Verb continuitive て form of のです, indicates an objective causative. As it stresses objective information, it cannot be used to specify requests, opinions, commands, invitations, suggestions or volitional actions. Is used as formal counterpart to から, if used to specify objective cause. due to からのですの+です noun phrase suffix Compound of nominalising の and polite copula です. Marks a phrase as explanation or justification of a particular assumption by someone or situation someone is in. When used in a question (followed by か), this construction asks for such an explanation or justification (while a copula question, this pattern forces the answer to be in a のです better too, rather than a yes/no form). it is that ... のだんだんですのにの+に verb phrase suffix A compound of the nominalising の + reasoning affixing に. Sets up a contrast between what follows, and what would be expected given what precedes it. Not to be confused with genetive の + relational object に, which is not special in any way. even though のみ noun/verb phrase suffix Formal counterpart to だけ and ばかり. just only merely だけばかりは noun phrase suffix Topic or contextual information marker. Pronounced わ. Using は for information that does not seem contextual "forces" a listener or reader to find a context in which this information would make sense as contextual information, typically leading to the statement being interpreted as contrasting in some way. ば Follows 已然形 Marks an hypothetical conditional (in contrast to the simultaneous conditional と, or hypothetical past future たら). should ... , ... とたらばかし noun/verb phrase suffix Colloquial version of ばかり. ばかりばかり許り noun/verb phrase suffix Marks something as being so dominant it represses all other things. Also used in the more emphatic versions ばかし, ばっかし, ばっかり or ばっか. only purely ばかしばっかばっかしばっかりはず筈 Follows 連体形 Marks something as being an expectation. べき Because it is commonly translated with "should", this particle may be confused with べき (べし), as the word "should" in English can signify either an expectation or a (social) obligation. The first interpretation is reserved for はず, the second for べき (べし) ばっか noun/verb phrase suffix Colloquial emphatic version of ばかり. ばかりばっかし noun/verb phrase suffix Colloquial version of ばかり. ばかりばっかり noun/verb phrase suffix Colloquial emphatic version of ばかり. ばかりへ location suffix Marks a direction of travel or motion. Pronounced え. Do not confuse へ with に as affixing particle for location, interpreted as "destination". In a line of travel, へ marks only the line without regard for the end points, に marks only the end point. にべき可き verb phrase suffix Follows 連体形. Marks something as being a (social) obligation. This is the 連体形 of the classical adjective べし. べし Special case: すべき rather than するべきべし可し verb phrase suffix Classical adjective, follows 連体形. Marks something as being a (social) obligation. While technically an abolished 終止形 form, this word is still in use in modern Japanese, and can be used interchangably with the more "modern" 連体形 form べき. べきへのへ+の location suffix A compound of へ and の. ほど程 quantity/verbal phrase suffix Marks the degree of something, which is interpreted as extent for actions, or approximate amount for quantities. In this second role it is comparable to くらい/ぐらいくらいぐらいほか他 phrase suffix Changes the meaning of a preceding phrase to "other than ...", and is followed by a negative verb to indicate that excluding the mentioned phrase, nothing else applies. まで noun/verb phrase suffix Indicates the extent of something for which から can act as origin. This means not just time or space, but also reasoning or arguments (i.e: carrying an argument too far). まで represents exclusive extent, meaning "up to" but not "up to and including" (see までに). up to up till からまでにまでに noun/verb phrase suffix まで+に A compound of まで and affixing に. Means "up to and including", as opposed to まで meaning merely "up to". までまでのまで+の noun/verb phrase suffix A compound of まで and the genitive の. までもまで+も noun/verb phrase suffix A compound of まで and も. Indicates the non-existent of an extent (that might otherwise be assumed). み御 noun prefix Honorifix prefix. Used (predominantly) for words relating to the emperor or emperial matters. おごも noun phrase suffix Equality marker. This particle can be used in two ways that are considered distinct in English, but follow from the concept of equality: similarity (two objects being equal in some respect) and uniformness (a certain concept can be said to consist of any number of parts, each of which is equal to any other in some [same] respect). also too even as well もの物 noun/verb phrase suffix One of the two main divisions in Japanese, もの represents the "real" things as opposed to the "abstract" things (=こと). Used as particle it marks the preceding phrase as a "real" (either observed or socially implied) reason or motivation for certain behaviour. Note that this behaviour does not need to be explicit and can be implied by what someone says instead. Colloquially shortened to もん. because ことものかもの+か noun/verb phrase suffix A compound of もの and か. Used as sentence ending to phrases in negative form to emphasise this negative. Formally used as ものですか (colloquially もんですか) or colloquially as もんか. exclaiming question strong rhetoric ものでもの+で noun/verb phrase suffix A compound of もの and the verb conjunctive て form of です. Colloquially used as もんで. ものなら noun/verb phrase suffix A compound of もの and なら. Colloquially used as もんなら. ものをもの+を noun/verb phrase suffix A compound of もの and を. Expresses a dissatisfaction over an issue. although if only もん noun/verb phrase suffix Colloquial form of もの. ものもんかもん+か noun/verb phrase suffix Colloquial form of ものか. ものかもんでもん+で noun/verb phrase suffix Colloquial form of もので. ものでもんならもん+なら noun/verb phrase suffix Colloquial form of ものなら. ものならや noun listing Open noun listing particle. Implies more items than are listed. amongst other things ... とや sentence ending string hopeful rhetoric, similar to じゃない. じゃないよ sentence ending Emphatic particle, added to phrases or even subphrases to underline some part of dialog. より noun phrase suffix Subordinance marker. Used in formal writing as replacement for から. rather than からわ sentence ending In "standard" Japanese an effeminate (in most other regional dialects of Japanese a neutral gender) emphatic, softer than よよわ noun listing Colloquial open noun listing particle わいわ+い sentence ending A compound of わ and い. を noun phrase suffix Direct object marker. Pronounced お. をばを+ば outdated A compound of を and は, which is sound changed in this comination. Used mainly in classical style Japanese to raise a matter of concern using を and then discuss it as contextual information using は. as far as ... is concerned んだん+だ noun phrase suffix Contracted form of のだ. のだのですんですん+です noun phrase suffix Contracted form of のです. のです