Parts of Speech in Japanese (日本語の品詞 - Nihongo no Hinshi)

In Japanese, words are categorized into different parts of speech (品詞 -

hinshi) based on their grammatical function. The major parts of speech in
Japanese are:

1. 名詞 (Meishi) – Nouns
2. 動詞 (Dōshi) – Verbs
3. 形容詞 (Keiyōshi) – Adjectives
4. 形容動詞 (Keiyōdōshi) – Adjectival Nouns
5. 副詞 (Fukushi) – Adverbs
6. 助詞 (Joshi) – Particles
7. 助動詞 (Jodōshi) – Auxiliary Verbs
8. 連体詞 (Rentaishi) – Determiners
9. 接続詞 (Setsuzokushi) – Conjunctions
10. 感動詞 (Kandōshi) – Interjection

General Learning Objectives:

1. Identify and Classify – Recognize different parts of speech in

Japanese sentences and classify words accordingly.
2. Understand Function – Comprehend how each part of speech
functions in sentence construction.
3. Apply in Sentences – Use nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other parts of
speech correctly in written and spoken Japanese.
4. Improve Sentence Structure – Construct grammatically correct
sentences using proper parts of speech.
5. Enhance Communication Skills – Develop fluency and accuracy in
both spoken and written Japanese by mastering word usage.

Nouns in Japanese (名詞, meishi)

Characteristics of Japanese Nouns:

1. No Plural Form – Japanese nouns don’t change form for singular or

plural. Instead, context or words like たくさん (takusan, "many") indicate
quantity.
o Example: 本 (hon) can mean "book" or "books" depending on
context.
2. No Articles (a, an, the) – Unlike English, Japanese does not use
articles.
3. Often Used with Particles – Nouns are marked by particles such as は
(wa, topic), が (ga, subject), or を (o, object).
Common Objects & Places

Examples:
1. (hon) – book
a. (Watashi wa atarashii hon o kaimashita.) → I bought a new book.
b. (Sono hon wa totemo omoshiroi desu.) → That book is very
interesting.
c. (Toshokan de hon o karimashita.) → I borrowed a book from the
library.
d. (Kare wa maiban hon o yomimasu.) → He reads a book every
night.
e. (Hon wa tsukue no ue ni arimasu.) → The book is on the desk.

2. (kuruma) – car

a. (Chichi no kuruma wa aoi desu.) → My father’s car is blue.

b. (Tomodachi ga atarashii kuruma o kaimashita.) → My friend
bought a new car.
c. (Kuruma de gakkō ni ikimasu.) → I go to school by car.
d. (Sono kuruma wa totemo hayai desu.) → That car is very fast.
e. (Koko ni kuruma o tomete kudasai.) → Please park the car here.

3. (gakkō) – school

a. (Gakkō wa asa hachiji ni hajimarimasu.) → School starts at 8 AM.

b. (Kyō wa gakkō ni ikimasen.) → I am not going to school today.
c. (Kare wa atarashii gakkō ni kayotte imasu.) → He attends a new
school.
d. (Gakkō no tomodachi to asobimashita.) → I played with my
school friends.
e. (Gakkō de nihongo o benkyō shite imasu.) → I am studying
Japanese at school.
4. (eiga) – movie
a. (Kinō, eiga o mimashita.) → I watched a movie yesterday.。
b. (Sono eiga wa totemo kandōteki deshita.) → That movie was very
moving.
c.(Tomodachi to eigakan ni ikimashita.) → I went to the movie
theater with my friend.
d.(Raishū, atarashii eiga ga kōkai saremasu.) → A new movie will be
released next week.
 e.(Horaa eiga o miru no ga suki desu.) → I like watching horror
movies.

5.(mise) – store:
a. (Kono mise wa totemo ninki ga arimasu.) → This store
is very popular.
b. (Watashi wa atarashii fuku o kau tame ni mise ni
ikimashita.) → I went to the store to buy new clothes.
c. (Kono mise no pan wa oishii desu.) → The bread from this
store is delicious
d. (Haha wa yoku chikaku no mise de kaimono o shimasu.)
→ My mother often shops at the nearby store.
e. (Mise no mae ni nagai retsu ga dekite imasu.) → There is
a long line in front of the store.

.People & Occupations

1. (sensei) – teacher
a. Sensei wa yasashii desu. → The teacher is kind.
b. Sensei ga eigo o oshiemasu. → The teacher teaches
English.
c. Watashi wa sensei no hanashi o kikimashita. → I
listened to the teacher's story.
d. Sensei to issho ni benkyou shimashita. → I studied
with the teacher.
e. Sensei to issho ni benkyou shimashita. → I studied
with the teacher

2. (gakusei) – student
a. Gakusei wa mainichi benkyou shimasu. → The student
studies every day.
b. Ano gakusei wa nihongo ga jouzu desu. → That
student is good at Japanese.
c. Watashi wa gakusei desu. → I am a student.
 d. Gakusei-tachi wa sensei no hanashi o kiiteimasu. →
The students are listening to the teacher's story.
e. Kono gakkou ni takusan no gakusei ga imasu. →
There are many students in this school.

3. (isha) – doctor

a sha ni mimawaremashita. → I was examined by the

doctor.

b Watashi no chichi wa isha desu. → My father is a doctor.

c Isha wa byouin de hataraiteimasu. → The doctor works

at the hospital.

d. Ano isha wa totemo shinsetsu desu. → That doctor is

very kind.

e. Isha ni soudan shite kudasai. → Please consult a doctor.

4. (Tomodachi) – friend
a. Watashi wa tomodachi to asobimashita. → I played
with my friend.
b. Tomodachi ga takusan imasu. → I have many friends.
c. Ano tomodachi wa totemo shinsetsu desu. → That
friend is very kind.
d. Watashi no tomodachi wa nihongo o benkyou
shiteimasu. → My friend is studying Japanese.
e. Tomodachi to issho ni eiga o mimashita. → I watched
a movie with my friend.

5. (kazoku) – family
a. Watashi no kazoku wa shichinin desu. → My family has
seven members.
b. Kazoku to issho ni ryokou shimashita. → I traveled
with my family.
c. Kazoku wa totemo taisetsu desu. → Family is very
important.
d. Watashi no kazoku wa Tokyo ni sundeimasu. → My
family lives in Tokyo.
e. Kazoku de bangohan o tabemashita. → I ate dinner
with my family.
Time & Nature

1. (asa) – morning

a. Asa wa hayaku okimasu. → I wake up early in the

morning.
b. Asa gohan o tabemashita. → I ate breakfast.
c. Kyou no asa wa samukatta desu. → This morning was
cold.
d. Asa ni sanpo shimashita. → I took a walk in the morning.
e. Asa wa itsumo isogashii desu. → Mornings are always
busy.

2. (yoru) – night
a. Yoru wa totemo shizuka desu. → The night is very
quiet.
b. Yoru ni wa hoshi ga kirei ni miemasu. → The stars look
beautiful at night.
c. Kare wa yoru ni benkyou shimasu. → He studies at
night.
d. Ashita no yoru, eiga ni ikimasu. → I will go to the
movies tomorrow night.
e. Yoru no kaze wa suzushii desu. → The night breeze is
cool.

3. (tenki) – weather
a. Tenki ga ii desu ne. → The weather is nice, isn't it?
b. Ashita no tenki wa kumori deshou. → The weather
tomorrow will probably be cloudy.
c. Tenki ga warui desu. → The weather is bad.
d. Kyou no tenki wa atatakai desu. → The weather today is
warm.
e. Tenki ga yokatta kara, soto de asobi mashita. → The
weather was good, so I played outside.

4 . (yama) – mountain
 a. Yama ni nobottara, kirei na keshiki ga miemasu. →
When you climb the mountain, you can see a beautiful view.
b. Kono yama wa takai desu. → This mountain is tall.
c. Yama de kitanai kimochi o aruku no wa suki ja nai
desu. → I don’t like walking in the mountain with unpleasant
feelings.
d. Kare wa yama de totemo tanoshimu koto ga suki desu.
→ He really enjoys spending time in the mountains.
e. Yama ni kite, kokoro ga yasuraka ni narimashita. → I
came to the mountain, and my heart became peaceful.

5.(kawa) – river

a. Kawa no mizu wa totemo kiyoi desu. → The river water is

very clear.
b. Kawa wo watatte, asobi ni ikimashita. → I crossed the
river and went to play.
c. Kawa no soko ni ikiru sakana ga takusan imasu. → There
are many fish living at the bottom of the river.
d. Kawa no nagare wa shizuka desu. → The flow of the river
is peaceful.
e. Kawa no kishi de picniku wo shimashita. → We had a
picnic by the riverbank.

Food & Drinks

1. (mizu) – water

Asa okitara, mazu mizu o nomimasu.

→ I drink water first thing in the morning.

Kono mizu wa totemo tsumetakute oishii desu.

→ This water is very cold and delicious.
 Mizu o kudasai.
→ Please give me some water.

Shokubutsu ni mizu o yaru no o wasurenaide kudasai.

→ Please don’t forget to water the plants.

Mizu no naka de oyogu no ga suki desu.

→ I like swimming in the water.

(Mizu o kudasai.)

→ Please give me water.

2. (gohan) – rice/meal

Asagohan o tabemashita ka?

→ Did you eat breakfast?

Kyō no bangohan wa karē raisu desu.

→ Tonight’s dinner is curry rice.

 Gohan o mō ippai kudasai.

→ Please give me another bowl of rice.

 Gohan no jikan desu yo!

→ It’s mealtime!

 Haha no tsukuru gohan ga ichiban oishii desu.

→ My mom’s cooking is the most delicious.

3. (sakana) – fish

 Yūgohan ni sakana o tabemashita.

→ I ate fish for dinner.

Kono sakana wa shinsen desu ne.

→ This fish is fresh, isn’t it?
  Watashi wa sakana yori niku no hō ga suki desu.
→ I prefer meat over fish.

 Sakana o yaiteimasu.
→ I’m grilling fish.

 Umi de takusan no sakana o mimashita.

→ I saw many fish in the ocean.

 Watashi wa sakana ga suki desu.

→ I like fish.

4. .(kudamono) – fruit

 Mainichi kudamono o taberu yō ni shiteimasu.

→ I try to eat fruit every day.

 Ichiban suki na kudamono wa ringo desu.

→ My favorite fruit is apple.

 Kudamono wa karada ni ii desu yo.

→ Fruit is good for your health, you know.

 Sūpā de takusan no kudamono ga utteimasu.

→ A lot of fruit is sold at the supermarket.

 Dezāto ni kudamono o tabemashou.

→ Let’s eat fruit for dessert.

5. (cha) – tea

 Nihon de wa ocha o yoku nomimasu.

→ In Japan, people often drink tea.

 Ryokucha to kōcha, dochira ga suki desu ka?

→ Do you prefer green tea or black tea?

Ocha o iremashou ka?

→ Shall I make some tea?
  Shokugo ni ocha o nomimashita.
→ I drank tea after the meal.

 Tsumetai ocha ga nomitai desu.

→ I want to drink cold tea.