Important Components of Japanese Phrase Order & Sentence Construction

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Vocabulary, conjugation, and punctuation are all important when studying a brand new language, however they’re finally elements of the entire. When you’ve realized the fundamentals of Japanese grammar, you’ll have the instruments to construct an entire sentence. Some meeting is required: This information on Japanese phrase order provides you the blueprint to rearrange your ideas into sentences confidently.

Whether or not you’re deciding the place to put an adjective or find out how to insert the right adverb, we’ve put collectively instance sentences and breakdowns to information you. Phrase order and sentence construction come naturally over time with adequate follow. It might assist to immerse your self in native Japanese content material, the place you’ll discover full sentences in every single place you look.

What’s the right phrase order in Japanese?

At its core, phrase order in Japanese may be damaged down as beginning with the topic, adopted by the item, after which the verb on the finish of the sentence. In linguistic phrases, this is named SOV, or subject-object-verb phrase order. 

Outdoors of these three elements of a sentence, the phrase order Japanese makes use of is versatile in comparison with different languages. So long as info straight associated to one another (akin to an adjective and the noun it’s describing) are shut collectively, the precise location of every part in a sentence is considerably versatile.

Finally, crucial rule to recollect about Japanese sentence construction is that the verb goes on the finish of an entire sentence within the majority of instances. Some sentences include a verb and nothing else! Even with out a topic or object, Japanese verb conjugations provide a big quantity of context to fill in lacking info. 

Particles assist make Japanese phrase order versatile

The flexibleness of a sentence in Japanese depends on the contents of that sentence, together with which Japanese elements of speech are concerned. However another excuse Japanese phrase order is so versatile is due to particles. Even when the items of a sentence are in an uncommon order, Japanese particles determine every phrase’s position, leaving no query as to the place important parts like the topic and object are. 

This chart reveals a number of the commonest particles, together with these used on this information’s instance sentences:

Japanese phrase order: time and site

When crucial info in a sentence shouldn’t be tied to the time or place, its placement in a sentence is pretty free. For instance, within the sentence under, the essential level is that lunch is being made, not when or the place it’s being made. 

• Watashi wa jūichi ji ni hirugohan o tsukurimasu.（私は十一時に昼ごはんを作ります。）= I’ll make lunch at 11:00.

This similar sentence may very well be written with the time earlier than the topic.

• Jūichi ji ni watashi wa hirugohan o tsukurimasu.（十一時に私は昼ごはんを作ります。）= I’ll make lunch at 11:00.

The particles ni (に) and de (で) usually go hand-in-hand with time and site. You may additionally discover that, if the topic “I” (watashi wa) is omitted as a result of it being apparent, the sentence is precisely the identical.

Nevertheless, if the time or location is especially related for your entire context of the sentence, it must be launched early. Likewise, if the verb is straight tied to the placement or time, that info ought to go collectively.

• Kodomo no toki ni, watashi wa kazoku to kanada ni hikkoshimashita.（子供の時に、私は家族とカナダに引っ越しました。）= Once I was a baby, I moved with my household to Canada.

Japanese phrase order: adjectives and possession

Phrase order when describing issues in Japanese is much like English. Should you assign an adjective like “tall” to a noun, it both goes earlier than the noun, as in “tall constructing,” or it accompanies the “to be” verb, as in “constructing is tall.” The identical is true in Japanese.

• Aoi bōshi o kaimashita.（青い帽子を買いました。）= I purchased a blue hat.

• Kono bōshi wa aoi desu.（彼女の帽子は青いです。）= This hat is blue.

This phrase order additionally applies when speaking about possession. To say the hat belongs to somebody, the identify goes earlier than “hat” together with the possessive particle no (の), leading to “[person]’s hat.” Equally, if you wish to hold describing the hat as blue, then “blue” would nonetheless be straight earlier than “hat” however after “[person]’s,” similar to in English.

• Mariko chan no aoi bōshi wa kirei desu ne.（真理子ちゃんの青い帽子はきれいですね。）= Mariko’s blue hat is fairly, isn’t it?

Did you discover the Japanese honorific -chan following Mariko’s identify? Honorifics at all times instantly observe the identify they’re hooked up to in the identical method that “Mr.” goes instantly earlier than “Rogers” in “Mr. Rogers.”

Japanese phrase order: counters

When utilizing Japanese counters, there are two major methods to suit them right into a sentence. The primary is to insert the amount straight earlier than the verb and after the particle following the merchandise being counted.

• Neko ga ippiki imasu.（猫が一匹います。）= I’ve one cat. 

• Tomodachi ga gonin kimasu.（友だちが五人来ます。）= 5 of my mates are coming. 

Alternatively, the quantity and counter can go earlier than what’s being counted, adopted by particle no.

• Ippiki no neko ga imasu.（一匹の猫がいます。）= I’ve one cat.

• Gonin no tomodachi ga kimasu.（五人の友だちが来ます。）= 5 of my mates are coming. 

Japanese phrase order: adverbs

Guidelines relating to the position of Japanese adverbs are maybe essentially the most lax as a result of their comparatively wide range. Adverbs expressing amount slot in the identical locations as counters, whereas these related to time go the place time phrases like days of the week would in any other case be. 

So long as an adverb is near and earlier than the phrase it’s describing, the that means shall be clear.

• Mamonaku densha ga mairimasu.（間もなく電車が参ります。）= The practice shall be arriving shortly.
• Onaka ga pekopeko dakara piza o takusan tabeta.（腹がぺこぺこだからピザをたくさん食べた。）= I ate so much of pizza as a result of I used to be ravenous.

Japanese phrase order: sentence-ending particles

As their identify implies, sentence-ending particles go on the very finish of the sentence after the verb. This is without doubt one of the solely eventualities the place the verb shouldn’t be the final a part of a sentence. 

There are solely a handful of particles that match this description. In these examples, particle ka (か) labels the sentence as a query, whereas particle yo (よ) provides emotional emphasis.

• Toire wa doko desu ka.（トイレはどこですか。) = The place is the restroom?

• Kyō wa sugoku samui desu yo.（今日はすごく寒いですよ。）= It’s so chilly at the moment, man.

Phrase order in Japanese with a number of clauses

When creating longer, extra complicated sentences, it’s essential to maintain associated info collectively. If two sentences are mixed into one—creating a brand new sentence with two clauses— every clause ought to retain its authentic content material and that means the place attainable.

• Kesa ie de pan o tabemashita. Konban resutoran de sushi o tabemasu.（今朝家でパンを食べました。今晩レストランで寿司を食べます。）= I ate bread at residence this morning. I’ll have sushi at a restaurant tonight.
• Kesa ie de pan o tabete, konban resutoran de sushi o tabemasu.（今朝家でパンを食べて、今晩レストランで寿司を食べます。）= I ate bread at residence this morning, and I’ll have sushi at a restaurant tonight.

It’s attainable to maneuver info between clauses if that info pertains to each. Within the first instance sentence under, “tomorrow” is included within the first clause. Within the second instance sentence, it’s been moved to the second clause. Relying on the place “tomorrow” is situated, its significance to the remainder of the sentence modifications barely. The truth that it will likely be “raining tomorrow” is the emphasis within the first sentence, whereas the truth that the speaker gained’t be going “to the park tomorrow” is the priority.

• Ashita wa ame ga futteiru kara, kōen ni ikimasen.（明日は雨が降っているから、公園に行きません。）= I gained’t go to the park as a result of it’ll be raining tomorrow. (Actually: As a result of it will likely be raining tomorrow, I gained’t go to the park.)
• Ame ga futteiru kara, ashita kōen ni ikimasen.（雨が降っているから、明日公園に行きません。）= I gained’t go to the park tomorrow as a result of it’ll be raining. (Actually: As a result of it will likely be raining, I gained’t go to the park tomorrow.)

Often requested questions on Japanese phrase order

With phrase order being completely different from English, it’s pure that anybody would have questions when studying Japanese. Listed below are a number of solutions to a number of the most ceaselessly requested questions on Japanese phrase order. 

Is Japanese an SVO language?

Japanese shouldn’t be an SVO (subject-verb-object) language: It’s an SOV (subject-object-verb) language. English is SVO, whereas Japanese shares its SOV sentence construction with languages akin to Korean, Urdu, and classical Greek.

What’s the primary Japanese sentence sample?

The Japanese sentence sample basically begins with the topic and is then adopted by the item and its related verb. Different info is often tied to the part it’s most associated to (akin to adjectives describing the topic or object), however crucial factor to recollect is that the verb goes on the finish of the sentence within the majority of instances.

Is Japanese sentence construction like Yoda’s talking sample?

Whereas the Jedi grasp Yoda from Star Wars does have a reversed sample of speech, it isn’t the identical as Japanese sentence construction. The examples of his dialogue that deviate from English phrase order are inclined to observe the significantly rarer object-subject-verb (OSV) sample (“Persistence it’s essential to have.”).

Is Japanese phrase order versatile?

Sure, Japanese phrase order is versatile to some extent. Usually, solely the verb is important info. If it’s obvious with out saying so explicitly, phrase order in Japanese permits the topic and object to be omitted. Additional info, akin to adverbs, time, and site, can generally be flexibly positioned within the sentence with out altering the that means.