Grammar Reference

The hiragana syllabary — 46 basic characters plus voiced, semi-voiced, and combination marks

Can read and write all 46 basic hiragana characters and their modifications

The katakana syllabary — used for loanwords, foreign names, onomatopoeia, and emphasis

Can read and write katakana for loanwords, foreign names, and onomatopoeia

Approximately 80 basic kanji for JLPT N5 — numbers, days, common nouns and verbs

Can read and write approximately 80 basic kanji

Japanese pronunciation — mora timing, pitch accent basics, long vowels, and double consonants

Can pronounce Japanese words with correct mora timing

The copula です/だ for stating identity and description

Can identify and describe things using the copula

Negative copula じゃありません / じゃない for negation

Can negate statements using じゃありません and じゃない

Past copula でした/だった and past negative じゃありませんでした/じゃなかった

Can describe past states using でした

Basic Japanese word order — Subject-Object-Verb structure

Can construct basic SOV sentences

Noun sentences — A は B です pattern

Can make noun predicate sentences

Question formation with か and question words

Can form yes/no and WH-questions

Topic marker は — marks what the sentence is about

Can use は to mark the topic

Subject marker が — marks the subject, new information, and grammatical focus

Can use が for subject marking

Object marker を — marks the direct object of a verb

Can use を to mark direct objects

Particle に — location of existence, destination, specific time points

Can use に for location, destination, and time

Particle で — location of action and means/instrument

Can use で for location of action and means

Direction particle へ — indicates the direction of movement

Can use へ for direction

Particle と — listing items (and) and indicating accompaniment (with)

Can use と for listing and accompaniment

Particle も — means 'also/too', replaces は, が, or を

Can use も to express 'also/too'

Possessive の — shows possession, affiliation, and noun modification

Can use の for possession and noun modification

から (from) and まで (until/to) for time and place ranges

Can use から and まで for ranges

Three verb groups — Group 1 (五段 godan), Group 2 (一段 ichidan), Group 3 (irregular する/来る)

Can identify verb groups

Polite verb form ます — present/past, affirmative/negative conjugation

Can conjugate verbs in ます form

Te-form て形 — connecting verbs, making requests, and building grammar patterns

Can form and use the て form

ている — ongoing actions (progressive) and resulting states

Can express ongoing actions and states

～たい — expressing desire to do something

Can express wanting to do something

～ないでください — please don't do something

Can make negative requests (please don't)

てもいい (may/is OK to) and てはいけない (must not)

Can ask for and give permission, and express prohibition

ことができる — expressing ability ('can do')

Can express ability using ことができる

つもり — expressing intention ('plan to / intend to')

Can express intentions using つもり

～ましょう — suggesting, inviting, offering ('let's / shall we')

Can make suggestions using ましょう (let's / shall we)

い-adjectives — conjugation for present/past, affirmative/negative

Can conjugate い-adjectives

な-adjectives — conjugation using copula forms

Can conjugate な-adjectives

Turning adjectives into adverbs — い→く and な→に

Can use adverbial forms of adjectives

Comparisons — より (than), のほうが (more), 一番 (most)

Can compare things

すぎる — expressing excess ('too much')

Can express excess with すぎる

Demonstrative pronouns — これ (this), それ (that), あれ (that over there)

Can use demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative modifiers — この (this), その (that), あの (that over there) + noun

Can use demonstrative modifiers before nouns

Place demonstratives — ここ (here), そこ (there), あそこ (over there)

Can use place demonstratives

Numbers and counters — つ, 人, 枚, 本, 台, 匹 and more

Can count objects with counters

Time expressions — hours, minutes, days of the week, months

Can tell time and use day/month expressions

Duration expressions — 間, 前 (ago), 後 (after)

Can express durations

Frequency adverbs — いつも, よく, 時々, あまり, 全然

Can use frequency adverbs correctly

Existence verbs — いる for animate beings, ある for inanimate things

Can express existence with いる and ある

Position words — 上, 下, 中, 前, 後ろ, 隣, 間, 右, 左

Can describe positions of things

がほしい — expressing desire to have something

Can express wanting things

から — expressing reason/cause ('because')

Can give reasons with から

けど/が — connecting contrasting or preliminary clauses ('but/however')

Can connect contrasting clauses

て form for connecting sequential actions

Can connect sequential actions with て

とき — expressing 'when' for situations and conditions

Can express 'when' with とき

前に (before) and 後で (after) — temporal sequencing

Can express before/after with 前に and 後で