The Japanese particle “de”: When and how to use it correctly

The particle “de”「で」 is one of the most useful particles in Japanese as it has two very common uses:

• To mark the means by which an action is completed
• To mark the location where an action takes place

In this article, we will take a detailed look at these two main uses of “de”「で」, including when they apply, how to use “de”「で」 in a sentence, as well as a few things to be mindful of when using or encountering “de”「で」.

The Japanese particle “wo” (o): What it is and how to use it

The particle “wo”「を」 is one of the most common and useful particles. It is also one of the simplest to understand.

This is great for two reasons:

1. With just a few examples, we can easily see how to use “wo”「を」 in a sentence, as you will see below.
2. We can take advantage of the simplicity of “wo”「を」 to try to better understand some more general concepts related to Japanese sentence structure – concepts that can be applied to other particles too.

In this article we will look at what “wo”「を」 is, how to use it in a sentence, and a few things to be careful of. We’ll also touch on some more advanced concepts that give some insight into the bigger picture of the Japanese grammar system.

The Japanese particle “ga”: What it’s for and when to use it (and not “wa”)

The particle “ga”「が」 is probably one of the most misunderstood due to its apparent similarities to the particle “wa”「は」. However, “ga”「が」 itself is actually surprisingly straightforward.

In this article, we will look at the purpose of the subject particle “ga”「が」, as well as compare it to “wa”「は」 to see why these two particles are so easily confused. We will also look at some situations where “ga”「が」 is more commonly used, and why “ga”「が」 is preferred over “wa”「は」 in those situations.

How to use Anki to supercharge your Japanese learning

Learning a new language invariably requires you to remember a lot of new information.

Over the past several decades, a lot of research has concluded that one of the most effective ways to memorize things and ensure they remain in your long-term memory is a technique called “Spaced Repetition”.

In this article, I’m going to explain what exactly spaced repetition is, and show you how you can use a particularly popular app called Anki to incorporate spaced repetition into your Japanese study efforts.

I’ll also give you some ideas for how you can use Anki to enhance your Japanese learning, beyond just the typical uses of vocabulary and kanji.

Make no mistake, this technique is extremely powerful, and Anki is the go-to app for people in a variety of fields, particularly those that need to memorize copious amounts of information such as medicine, law, and of course, languages.

Let’s supercharge your Japanese language skills!

Japanese Expressions of Time (and when to use the particle “ni”)

Time expressions are incredibly useful in any language. Sometimes, even if you can’t say much else, the ability to refer to different points in time can make a world of difference.

In this article, we’ll go over the basics of how to specify different points in time in Japanese, including the most important part – how to use these expressions in a sentence.

Before we get started, however, we need to be clear about one thing…

Expressions of time are often lumped together into a single group, but the reality is there are different types of time expressions. The main three are:

• Timing = when something happens
• Frequency = how often something happens
• Period/duration = how long something happens for

In this article, we will be focusing on the first one – timing.

(For a detailed explanation of all three, with tons of examples, check out chapter 6 of my book).