Introduction to
Japanese Sentence Structure
Introduction
Sentence structure is the set of rules that govern the ordering of elements in a sentence. Elements can include verbs, objects, subjects, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, as well as grammatical words. It is an essential skill to understand and master to effectively communicate in any language. In this lesson we will learn about and practice building simple sentences in Japanese
SOV Word Order
Japanese is classified as an SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language. This means that in Japanese the subject is generally stated first, followed the object and finally the verb. By comparison, English is classified as an SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) language. While it can initially be difficult to mentally shift from SVO to SOV word order, with practice you will be able to do it effortlessly. Lets take a look at an example below
Subjects and Sentence Topics
A subject is a noun, pronoun or noun phrase that is either 1) being emphasized, 2) performing an action, or 3) being linked to a verb.
A sentence topic is the main idea or concept that is being discussed in conversation when 1) asking questions, 2) stating information about a topic, such as facts, opinions and feelings or 3) making comparisons.
In Japanese, the subject is marked by the subject particle が (ga), while the sentence topic is marked by the topic particle は (wa)
*Note that the hiragana character は (ha) is always read as (wa) when being used as topic particle.
Particles
Particles are grammatical elements that have many unique and important functions in the Japanese language. They are similar to English prepositions (i.e. to, for, in, at, by, etc.). Generally speaking, particles go after the word that they are modifying.
Linking Verb
A linking verb is a verb that links a subject or sentence topic with a predicate (information describing a noun). The word です (desu) is the main linking verb used in Japanese, which has multiple forms depending on tense and formality level. ‘Desu’ comes at the end of a sentence and is similar to the English words ‘is’, ‘am’ and ‘are.’
です (desu) can be used in conjugation with the particles such as から (kara) or ので (no de) to form compound sentences. There are other situations where です (desu) can and cannot be used.
Adjectives
There are three types of adjectives in Japanese, i-adjectives, na-adjectives and no-adjectives. The rules for linking adjectives and nouns, and adjective conjugation differ depending on the type of adjective. Adjectives can come before nouns or before the linking verb です (desu). There are also specific rules for linking multiple adjectives together.
Verbs
In Japanese, there are three types of verbs, godan verbs, ichidan verbs and irregular verbs. The type of verb only affects the rules for verb conjugation. In Japanese verbs always come at the end of a sentence.
Summary
1. Subjects and sentence topics – Go at the beginning of a sentence
2. Particles – Go after the word they are modifying
3. Linking verb (desu) – Goes at the end of a sentence or in-between two sentences when forming a compound sentence
4. Adjectives – Go before a noun or before the linking verb (desu)
5. Verbs – Go at the end of the sentence
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