ぶんぽう (Grammar)

Counting in Japanese is straightforward. One (1) to ten (10) are counted as follows.

To ask someone's telephone number, we can say でんわばんごうは なん(ばん)ですか. The counter ばん is optional. Telephone numbers are pronounced at a steady, even pace. A dash in the telephone (-) is read as の.

To keep the rhythm consistent, the digits 2 and 5 are often pronounced as にい and ごお, with a long vowel, making them about the same length as the other digits.

Review the Vocabulary page for expressions used to tell time (…じ…ふん・ぷん) and to express lengths of time in hours and minutes (... じかん…ふん・ぷん). This grammar page introduces additional expressions for referring to parts of the day. Japanese has several expressions for parts of the day. ごぜん (a.m.) and ごご (p.m.) are placed before the time expression, just like prefixes. For example, ごぜん９じ means 9:00 a.m., and ごご３じ means 3:00 p.m. In addition, Japanese uses expressions such as あさ (morning), ひる (daytime/noon), ゆうがた (late afternoon/early evening), and よる or ばん (night/evening) to indicate parts of the day. あさ refers to the time from dawn until around noon, so あさの９じ means 9:00 in the morning. ひる refers to the period around noon until just before sunset, so ひるの１２じ means 12 noon. (Note that English 12:00 p.m. corresponds to しょうご or ごご０じ in Japanese. Do not translate it directly as ごご１２じ.) ゆうがた refers to the time around sunset, so ゆうがたの５じ means 5:00 in the late afternoon or 5:00 toward evening. Both よる and ばん refer to the evening or nighttime. Generally, よる emphasizes the time after it becomes dark, while ばん is more commonly used in time expressions, as in ばんの８じ (8:00 in the evening).

The suffixes ごろ and ぐらい both mean "about" or "approximately." ごろ is used to approximate a point in time, such as a clock time or date. ぐらい is used to approximate an amount or length of time, such as minutes or hours. ✅ Note: In everyday conversation, ぐらい is also commonly used with clock times. Therefore, both ３じごろ and ３じぐらい are natural ways to say "about three o'clock." However, ごろ cannot be used to express a duration of time.

In Lesson 5, you learned the verb あります can be used to state an inanimate object is located somewhere (e.g., そこに エレベーターが あります: The eleveator is located there). The verb あります can also be used to state some organized event will take place at a particular time.

1.	ごご４じはんに ミーティングが あります。	There will be a meeting at 4:30 p.m.
2.	日本ごの クラスは げっすいきんに あります。	Japanese classes are on Mon-Wed-Fri.
3.	私はわ げっすいきんに オフィスに います。	I am in the office on Mon-Wed-Fri.
4.	８月(がつ)１９日(にち)にリトリートがあります。	We will have a retreat on the August 19th.

✅ Note: The particle に is required for specific point in time but is NOT used with relative time expressions (e.g., きょう, あした, あさって, こんばん, こんしゅう, らいしゅう, etc.) or repeated time expressions (e.g., まいにち, まいしゅう, etc.) or duration (length of time) expressions (e.g., １０じかん, etc.).

4.	きょう ミーティングが あります。	We will have a meeting today.
5.	らいしゅう ウェルカムパーティーが あります。	We will have a welcome party next week.
6.	ミーティングは まいにち あります。	We have a meeting every day.
7.	ミーティングは １じかん あります。	We have a meeting for an hour.

For あさ、ひる、ばん、ごぜんちゅう、ごご、しゅうまつ (or こんしゅうまつ), に is optional.

8.	日本ごの クラスは あしたのあさ(に)あります。	There is a Japanese class tomorrow morning.
9.	日本ごの クラスは きょうのごご(に) あります。	There is a Japanese class this afternoon.

The particle に is also required when relative time expressions are combined with specific time expressions.

10.	きょう（の） ３じに あります。	We will have it at 3 o'clock today.
11.	あした（の） ９じくじにあります。	We will have it at 9 o'clock tomorrow.
12.	らいしゅうの げつようびにあります。	We will have it on Monday next week.
13.	こんどの にちようびに あります。	We will have it on this coming Sunday.

The particles から (from) and まで (until or to) are used to indicate when something begins and ends. They can be used separately or together.

1.	えいがは１０じからです。	The movie starts at 10.
2.	えいがは１１じまでです。	The movie is until 11.
3.	えいがは１０じから１１じまでです。	The movie is from 10 to 11.
4.	１０じから１１じまで えいがが あります。	The movie is from 3 to 5.
5.	げつようびから きんようびまで クラスがあります。	We have classes Monday through Friday.

✅ Note: When から and まで are used to indicate the beginning and end of an event, から means "starting at" and まで means "ending at". Since these particles already specify the time, the particle に is omitted.

The nouns まえ (before) and あと (after) are used to indicate that one event takes place before or after another time or activity. When です follows まえ or あと, the particle に is not used. When a verb such as あります follows, に is required.

1.	えいがは クラスの まえです。	The movie is before the class.
2.	えいがは クラスの まえに あります。	There is a movie before the class.
3.	クラスは えいがの あとです。	The class is after the movie.
4.	クラスは えいがの あとに あります。	There is a class after the movie.

✅ In Dialogue 1, Alice replies あと３０ぷんぐらいですね to Kinoshita.

K:	きょうは ごご４じはんに ミーティングが あります。
A:	あと３０ぷんぐらいですね。

The あと Alice uses in this dialogue is related in meaning to あと in Sentence 3 and 4 above, but is used differently. Here, the word あと means "remaining" or "left (until something happens)." It indicates the amount of time that remains following a point in time before an event. ✅ Note: あと can also be used with other amounts: あと１０ページあります。 (There are ten pages left.)

In this section, we introduce Japanese action verbs that describe actions taking place at a particular time and location. We begin with verbs that are used without a direct object, such as おきます (wake up, get up), ねます (go to bed, sleep, lie down), and あそびます (play, have fun, hang out). To indicate the specific point in time when an action takes place, Japanese uses the particle に.

Topic/Subject	Specific Time	Verb
キムさんは	９じくじに	おきます。
Ms. Kim wakes up at nine o'clock.

No particle is used to express the duration of an action or a repeated or relative time (such as "every day" or "tomorrow").

A:	まいにち なんじかん ねますか。	How many hours do you sleep every day?
B:	８じかんぐらい ねます。	I sleep for about eight hours.

To indicate the location where an action takes place, Japanese uses the particle で, not に. If the action is performed together with another person or animal, the particle と marks the companion.

Topic/Subject	With whom	Where	Verb
田中さんは	いぬと	こうえんで	あそびます。
Ms. Tanaka plays with her dog in the park.

In English, the preposition at can refer to either time or location (She goes to bed at home at 9 o'clock). In Japanese, however, に is not used for the place where an action occurs. Instead:

• に marks a specific point in time (９じに: at 9:00) or the location where something or someone exists.
• で marks the place where an action takes place.

Therefore, 田中さんは いぬと こうえんに あそびます is ungrammatical because あそびます is an action verb and the location must be marked by で.

When answering negatively to Yes-No questions, the particle はわis added to the particles に, で and と. (This use of はわis a contrastive particle はわ explained in Lesson 5.)

A:		としょかん	で	ねますか。	Do you sleep at the library?
B:	いいえ、	としょかん	では	ねません。	No, I don't sleep at the library.
A:		６じ	に	おきますか。	Do you get up at 6 o'clock.
B:	いいえ、	６じ	には	おきません。	No, I don't get up at 6 o'clock.
A:		いぬ	と	あそびますか。	Do you play with the dog?
B:	いいえ、	いぬ	とは	あそびません。	No, I don't play with the dog.

Many common action verbs, such as eating, drinking, reading, and listening, take a direct object. In Japanese, the direct object—the person or thing directly affected by the action—is marked by the particle を. Other sentence elements, such as time, location, and companion, can be added as shown below.

Topic/Subject だれが	Time なんじに	With whom だれと	Where どこで	What なにを	Verb
スミスさんは	３じに	田中さんと	アパートで	おんがくを	ききます。
Ms. Smith listens to music at her apartment with Mr. Tanaka at three o'clock.

When answering Yes–No questions negatively, the topic particle はわ is commonly used. When the direct object is marked by を, はわ replaces を. With other particles, はわ is added after the particle, forming では, には, and とは. (This use of はわis a contrastive particle はわ explained in Lesson 5.)

A-1:		あさごはん	を	たべますか。	Do you eat breakfast?
B-1:	いいえ、	あさごはん	はわ	たべません。	No, I don't eat breakfast.
A-2:		うち	で	たべますか。	Do you eat at home?
B-2:	いいえ、	うち	では	たべません。	No, I don't eat at home.
A-3:		６じ	に	たべますか。	Do you eat at six?
B-3:	いいえ、	６じ	には	たべません。	No, I don't eat at six.
A-4:		スミスさん	と	たべますか。	Do you eat with Mr. Smith?
B-4:	いいえ、	スミスさん	とは	たべません。	No, I don't eat with Mr. Smith.

Like other verbs, expressions of duration are used without a particle.

A:		１じかん		おんがくを ききますか。	Do you listen to music for an hour?
B:	いいえ、	１じかん	はわ	ききません。	No, I don't listen to it for an hour.

Frequency expressions are also used without a particle. The following are common expressions used in affirmative sentences.

A:	コーヒーを のみますか。	Do you drink coffee?
B:	ええ、ときどき のみます。	Yes, I sometimes do.
	ええ、よく のみます。	Yes, I often do.
	ええ、たいてい のみます。	Yes, I usually do.
	ええ、いつも のみます。	Yes, I always do.
	ええ、まいにち のみます。	Yes, I do everyday.

Noun します

The verb します ("do") can combine with many nouns to form a verb phrase. In these expressions, the particle を is optional.

テニス (を) します	to play tennis
べんきょう (を) します	to study

⚠ A Japanese verb can have only one direct object. Therefore, the second sentence below is ungrammatical because it contains two direct objects marked by を.

にほんごを べんきょうします。	to study Japanese (language)
にほんごを べんきょうを します。	[ungrammatical]

To express the same idea using the noun べんきょう, make にほんご modify べんきょう with の:

にほんごの べんきょうを します。

I study Japanese. (= I do the study of Japanese.)

Motion verbs describe movement relative to a particular point of reference, which is usually the speaker's current location or another location that is the focus of the conversation.

The verb いきます (go) describes movement away from the current location toward another location. It indicates that the subject leaves the point of reference and goes somewhere else.

In contrast, きます (come) describes movement toward the point of reference. It is used when the subject is approaching or arriving at the location in focus, typically where the speaker is or where the conversation is centered.

Unlike the English verb "come," Japanese きます cannot be used to describe the speaker's own movement from the current location. For example, if you are leaving your current location for school, Japanese uses いきます, not きます, even though English may say I'm coming to school.

The destination of a motion verb is marked by the particle に or へえ (pronounced as え). When a specific time is given with いきます, it may refer to either the departure time or the arrival time, depending on the context. With きます, however, the time normally refers to the arrival time.

	Topic/Subject だれが	Time なんじに	Destination どこに／どこへ	Verb
1.
	スミスさんは	９じくじに	がっこうに	いきます。
Ms. Smith goes to (i.e., leaves for/arrives at) school at 9. (The sentence may refer to either the departure time or the arrival time, depending on the context.)
2.
	田中さんは	９じくじに	うちに	きます。
Mr. Tanaka comes to my house at 9. (The time refers to Mr. Tanaka's arrival.)

When answering Yes-No questions negatively, the topic particle はわ is added to the destination particles に and へえforming にはわ and へはわ.

A:		がっこう	に	いきますか。	Do you go to school?
B:	いいえ、	がっこう	には	いきません。	No, I don't go to school.
A:		６じ	に	かえりますか。✅	Do you go/come home at 6 o'clock?
B:	いいえ、	６じ	には	かえりません。	No, I don't go/come home at 6 o'clock.
A:		おふろ	に	はいりますか。	Do you take a bath?
B:	いいえ、	おふろ	には	はいりません。	No, I don't take a bath.

✅ Note: The verb かえります means "return." When you are returning to your own home, use かえります, not いきます.

うちに (or へえ) かえります	I'm returning home.
うちに (or へえ) いきます	Unacceptable if you are returning to your own home; Acceptable if you are going to someone else's home.

Motion Verbs with a Purpose

Motion verbs can also be followed by a noun that expresses the purpose of going (or coming) somewhere. The destination and the purpose are both marked by に.

Destinationに	Purposeに	Verb
デパートに	かいものに	いきます	I go to the department store to shop.
がっこうに	日本ごのクラスに	いきます	I go to school for Japanese class.
日本に	日本ごの べんきょうに	いきます	I go to Japan to study Japanese.
うちに	ひるごはんに	かえります	I go home for lunch.
こうえんに	さんぽに	いきます	I go to the park for a walk.
スーパーに	アルバイトに	いきます	I go to the supermarket for my part-time job.
プールに	すいえいに	いきます	I go to the swimming pool to swim.

The following expressions are commonly used with negative verbs.

A:	こうえんで よく あそびますか。	Do you often play at the park?
B-1:	いいえ、ぜんぜん あそびません。	No, I don't play there at all.
B-2:	いいえ、あまり あそびません。	No, I don't play there very often.

The table below summarizes the expressions introduced so far. The expressions to the left of the blue line are normally used only with negative verbs, while those to the right are typically used with affirmative verbs.

A:	こうえんで あそびますか。	Do you play at the park?
B-1:	いいえ、ぜんぜん あそびません。	No, I don't play there at all.
B-2:	いいえ、あまり あそびません。	No, I don't play there very often.
B-3:	ええ、ときどき あそびます。	Yes, I sometimes play there.
B-4:	ええ、よく あそびます。	Yes, I often play there.
B-5:	ええ、たいてい あそびます。	Yes, I usually play there.
B-6:	ええ、いつも あそびます。	Yes, I always play there.
B-7:	ええ、まいにち あそびます。	Yes, I play there everyday.

The frequency expressions on the affirmative side of the table can also be combined with negative verbs. In this case, they keep their original meaning, but the entire statement is negated, much like the English expressions below.

ときどき いきません。	Sometimes, I don't go there.
よく いきません。	I often don't go there.
たいてい いきません。	I usually don't go there.
いつも いきません。	I always don't go there.✅
まいにち いきません。	I don't go there every day.

✅ English normally prefers I'm never there or I never go there in contexts where Japanese says いつも いきません. By adding the contrast particle はわ after some frequency expressions, you can express partial negations.

いつもはわ いきません。	I don't always go there. [Implication: I go there---but not all the time.]
まいにちはわ いきません。	I don't go there everyday. [Implication: I go there---but not everyday.]