Topic Lesson: Six core particles

BEGINNER
In this lesson we will introduce the basic function of particles in Japanese and then six of the most important particles. Then we'll play some games to solidify and test your knowledge!
To complete this lesson, work through the activities below. Estimated time: 24 minutes
Particles are a central feature of the Japanese language. Once you start to master their function, and to learn the core particles, they can act as 'signposts' to help you decipher new sentences you encounter.
Particles are short (typically single kana) words which follow other words and phrases, and which determine the role of those words and phrases. Each particle has a specific meaning (or sometimes several meanings).
In this lesson we will cover the most important six particles. You will encounter one or more of these particles in almost every Japanese sentence, and usually more than one. The particles we will cover here are:
はtopic markercomes after the topic of a sentence
がsubject markercomes after the subject of a sentence
かquestion markercomes at the end of a sentence and turns it into a question
をdirect object markercomes after the object of a sentence
にvarious usesa versatile particle used to indicate times, dates, frequency, locations and more
でvarious usesanother versatile particle used to indicate where or how actions take place
Below we will introduce each of these particles. Then we will cover some common challenges, such as the difference between は and が, when to use に vs で etc.
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