How to use sentence ending particles in Japanese

How to use sentence ending particles in Japanese

Welcome back to another “Video & Article” series with tutor Wakako. In this article and video we will talk about how to speak casually in Japanese. Speaking casual Japanese does not only mean leaving out “Keigo”. It involves varying degrees of leaving out and adding particles and exchanging certain stiff or polite words. Let’s take a first look at how to speak casual Japanese!

Table of Contents
[Introduction]
[Sentence ending particles]
[よ, ぞ & ね]
[な, なあ & や]
[か↗ & か↘]
[わ↗, わ↘ & わよ] [ぜ]

[Introduction]

In spoken Japanese, many kinds of sentence ending particles are used. These particles function to show the speaker’s mood, emotions, or attitude and often allow the speaker to give off a friendly impression or make the tone of the sentence softer.

[Sentence ending particles]

If you speak Japanese entirely without using sentence ending particles, it is going to sound too direct and unnatural - sometimes even impolite. You can use sentence ending particles not only with the dictionary form of verb in casual conversations, but also in polite conversations. They can be added to the “ます”-form of a verb as well. You can also add these particles to nouns and adjectives. There are many varieties of sentence ending particles. It’s best to be a little careful, since some particle sound very masculine and others very feminine. Additionally, each particle has a subtle nuance. Let’s take a look at some of these particles now.

[よ, ぞ & ね]

“よ”, “ぞ” and “ね” are used to relay information thought to be important by the speaker, especially when the speaker wants to make extra sure. 明日( あした ) ( ) ( ) わせは、10( ) 。The time to meet tomorrow is 10. ( ) 放題( ほうだい ) だ。さあ、たくさんたべる。 “ぞ” is usually used by men since it sounds very masculine, but sometimes women use it as well. 頑張( がんば ) って料理( りょうり ) したから、たくさん( ) べて。 I put a lot of effort into this food, so please eat a lot. “よ” is used to call someone over as well. ミケ、ご( はん ) 。 Mike, it’s dinner time! (“ミケ” is a typical name for a cat in Japan.) たけし、もう10( ) ( ) きなさい。 Takeshi, it’s already 10am. Get up! “ね” is also used to ask for confirmation from the listener. 明日( あした ) ( ) ( ) わせは、10( ) だよ? The time to meet tomorrow is 10, isn’t it? この( みち ) で、いいんだよ? This way is correct, isn’t it? “ね” is also used to ask for agreement. このワンピース、良子( りょうこ ) さんに似合( にあ ) うよ。 Ryoko looks good in this dress, doesn’t she? 今日( きょう ) ( あつ ) 。 It’s hot today, isn’t it?

[な, なあ & や]

“な↘”, “なあ↘” and “や” express that the speaker is impressed. 良子( りょうこ ) さんはたくさん( ) べるなあ! Ryoko sure eats a lot! 良子( りょうこ ) さんは、お寿司( すし ) 20( かん ) ( ) べるなんて、すごい! It’s amazing that Ryoko ate 20 pieces of Sushi! * “( かん ) ” is a counter word for Sushi.

[か↗ & か↘]

If you use “か” with rising intonation, it makes a question sentence. However, you can also use “か” with falling intonation. In that case, “か” expresses that the speaker has accepted something with a sense of surprise. 良子( りょうこ ) さん、お寿司( すし ) 20( かん ) ( ) べたの。 I’m surprised that Ryoko managed to eat 20 pieces of Sushi by herself. え、( むすめ ) さんはもう20( さい ) なの。 What? Your daughter is already 20 years old! “か” can also be used for talking to yourself, e.g when you’re trying to motivate yourself to do something. 10( ) 。もう( ) きる。 It’s 10 am. I should get up now. 明日( あした ) テストだから、勉強( べんきょう ) する。 I have an exam tomorrow, so I guess I should start studying.

[わ↗, わ↘ & わよ]

“わ” with rising intonation and “わよ” are used only if the speaker wants to sound feminine and express a feminine nuance. However, they are not used by young women these days. They sound a bit old-fashioned. 良子( りょうこ ) さんは、たくさん( ) べる。 Ryoko eats a lot. ( わたし ) もたくさん( ) べるわよ。 I eat a lot, too. Sometimes “わ” is used with falling intonation. In this case, it doesn’t sound particularly feminine, so both men and women use it. その仕事( しごと ) は、( おれ ) がやる。 I’ll do that task. 良子( りょうこ ) さんは、( ぼく ) から( ) っておく。 I’ll tell this to Ryoko.

[ぜ]

“ぜ” sounds very masculine, so it’s mostly used by men. However, you will hardly ever hear this particle used in a real-life conversation. “ぜ” sounds like a male anime or manga character speaking. ( あい ) してる! I love you! ( おれ ) 財宝( ざいほう ) か?( ) しけりゃくれてやる… My treasure? If you want it, I’ll give it to you…! That is all for today's lesson. If you have any questions you can always clear them up by booking a lesson with one of our native Japanese tutors. See you next time!
単語たんごリスト(Vocabulary list)
( ぶん ) Sentence, text
最後( さいご ) Last
( ) ける To attach, to add
紹介( しょうかい ) する To introduce
気分( きぶん ) Mood
気持( きも ) Feeling
態度( たいど ) Attitude
( しめ ) To show, to indicate
( かん ) Sense, impression
( やわ ) らかい Soft
( ) ( ) わせ Appointment
( ) 放題( ほうだい ) All-you-can-eat
料理( りょうり ) する To cook
( はん ) Meal
( みち ) Way, road, street
似合( にあ ) To suit, to match
( あつ ) Hot
寿司( すし ) Sushi
( かん ) Counting word for Sushi
( むすめ ) Daughter
( ) きる To wake up, to get up
財宝( ざいほう ) Treasure
( ) しい Wanted, wished for, to want something