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N5 Grammar | How to Use を, the Object Particle
Welcome to another Japanese lesson for beginners! Let’s have a look at how to use を, the object particle.
The object of a sentence is the thing that “receives” the verb, or in other words, is the thing acted on by the subject.
The object is followed by the particle を.
This is romanised as wo, but the w is not pronounced. It sounds like pronouncing the letter O.
How to use を | Finding the Object
How to use を | Transitive & Intransitive Verbs
How to use を | Case Study With “to look at”
How to use を | FAQ’s
How to Use を | Finding the Object
An easy way to determine the object of a sentence is to ask, “what is the subject (verb)ing?”
Let’s have a look at these sentences:
| Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私は宿題をします | わたしはしゅくだい をします | watashi wa shukudai wo shimasu | I will do homework |
| 彼女は昼ご飯を作り ました | かのじょはひるごは んをつくりました | kanojo wa hirugohan wo tsukurimashita | She made lunch |
In these sentences, we can look at the verb and ask, “what is the verb acting on?”
- In the first one, the verb is “to do”. What is the thing being done? Homework.
- In the second, the verb is “made”. What was made? Lunch.
Each of these things are marked with the particle を.
These verbs also have something in common. They are transitive verbs, meaning they are verbs that act on the object.
NOTE | There are also intransitive verbs, and they do not act on an object in a sentence.
A sentence with an intransitive verb will not have an object in it marked with を.
How to Use を | Transitive & Intransitive Verbs
Let’s look at these two verbs for an example:
| 始める | はじめる | hajimeru | To begin, to start (something) |
| 始まる | はじまる | hajimaru | (something) begins, starts |
The first verb, 始める, is transitive, so there can be a direct object marked with particle を in the sentence.
On the other hand, 始まる is intransitive. There will not be an object specified:
| 先生は授業を始める | せんせいはじゅぎょ うをはじめる | sensei wa jugyou wo hajimeru | The teacher will start the class |
| 授業は始まる | じゅぎょうははじま る | jugyou wa hajimaru | The class will begin |
Many verbs will have a transitive and an intransitive form like this. Over time it will become easy to spot the patterns and the differences.
How to Use を | With the Verbs “To Look At” (Case Study)
Let’s put all of this into practice, and have a look at three versions of the verb “to look at/to face”:
| Verb 1 | Verb 2 | Verb 3 |
|---|---|---|
| 向く | 向ける | 向かう |
| むく | むける | むかう |
| muku | mukeru | mukau |
| To turn toward, to face | To point, aim | To face |
| TRANSITIVE | TRANSITIVE | INTRANSITIVE |
The way each of these verbs behave is different, even though their meaning is roughly the same.
| Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| X を向く | X をむく | X wo muku | To look at/turn towards X |
| XをYに向ける | XをYにむける | X wo Y ni mukeru | To turn X towards Y |
| XはYに向かう | XはYにむかう | X wa Y ni mukau | X faces Y |
The first two verbs are transitive, so they can have an object with を.
- In the first example, X, the object, is the thing being looked at or aimed at.
- In the second example, the object X is the thing being turned to point in the direction of Y.
- In the third example, the verb is intransitive, so there is no object.
NOTE // However, X is still facing in a direction, and that direction can be marked with particle に.
The best way to learn how to use を and remember which verbs act on objects, and what kind of objects they act on, is to learn words in their context.
After all, speaking a language is about stringing together words to create meanings, and it is important that those words are strung together properly in order for it to make sense.
Don’t just memorise words and meanings. Memorise short phrases and sentences too!
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HOW TO USE を – FAQ’s
What is を?
を is the Japanese object particle.
This is romanised as wo, but the w is not pronounced. It sounds like pronouncing the letter O.
How to use を?
を is added at the end of an object when the sentence has a transitive verb (verbs that act on the object).
A sentence with an intransitive verb will not have an object in it marked with を.
Any sentence examples using を?
先生は授業を始める | The teacher will start the class.
X を向く | To look at X.
私は宿題をします | I will so homework.
What are some other Japanese particles?
Japanese has several important particles to learn about:
– The object particle を
– The subject particle が
– The possessive particle の
– Locations particles で, に, and へ
You’ll see more as you move forward in your language learning.
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