Grammar Info

N5 Lesson 2: 6/12

を

Object marking particle

Structure

Object + を

Details

  • Part of Speech

    Particle

  • Word Type

    Case Marking Particle

  • Register

    Standard

  • 品詞

    助詞

  • 単語の種類

    格助詞

  • 使用域

    一般

About を

In Japanese, を is a particle that marks the object of an action. This means that the subject (the person or thing performing an action) is performing that action with the object being the goal/target of the action. In most cases, whatever を is attached to will not actually be 'doing' anything, but will instead have something being done to it.
  • ラーメンを食(た)べる。
    To eat ramen.
  • 歌(うた)を歌(うた)います。
    To sing a song.
In these sentences, を is marking the thing that is having an action performed 'on' it. This is how the Japanese language views the 'object'. However, unlike English, an object can also be a place in which an action is performed 'through', if the goal of that action is based in that location itself.
  • 公園(こうえん)を歩(ある)く。
    To walk through a park. (The park is the object that 'walking' is being performed through)
  • 建物(たてもの)の中(なか)を走(はし)る。
    To run through a building. (The inside of the building is the object that 'running' is being performed through)
In these sentences, を is marking the place 'through' which the action is taking place. This use of を highlights that the place itself is what is being interacted with (running/walking requires interaction with the ground, so the ground/place is the object).

Examples

  • 漢字(かんじ)を覚(おぼ)える。

    To memorize kanji.

  • 何(なに)を食(た)べますか。

    What will you have to eat?

  • バターを食(た)べる。

    To eat butter.

  • スポーツを見(み)る。

    To watch sports.

  • 時計(とけい)を見(み)る。

    To look at the clock.

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を – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (13 in total)

  • gyroninja

    gyroninja

    While it might not be providing a direct object, the usage of を is viewed as being the same thing to at least some native speakers. A native speaker I asked said that what the verb was didn’t matter and that を did the same thing, marking the target of a verb. I have also seen someone else document this in an answer on the Japanese Language StackExchange. Someone did comment on that answer that a native t...

  • Superpnut

    Superpnut

    Okay thank you I think I get it now, well maybe
    And you don’t need to think I am missing fundamentals because I definitely am
    I am missing them so much that I don’t even know what is a fundamental in this language or not but that’s okay just keep swimming.
    Thanks for spelling it out that one is for verbs and one isn’t. I can now continue to struggle through!

  • machinaeZER0

    machinaeZER0

    In the example sentence above, the lady in the audio recording pronounced を as ‘wo’, but in my studies so far I learned it’s pronounced ‘o’ most of the time. Is there a specific reason that the ‘wo’ pronunciation was used here? Mostly just curious Thanks!

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