Introduction to Particles
Many students ask questions about Japanese particles. Particles are markers that identify what role each word or phrase plays within a sentence in the Japanese language.
Click each particle below.
The car is white.
This sentence has one particle: “WA”, which tells us who/what the sentence is about.
SUBJECT |
PARTICLE |
DESCRIPTION |
VERB |
[topic] |
WA |
(something that describes the topic) |
DESU |
THE CAR |
WHITE |
IS |
|
KURUMA |
WA |
SHIROI |
DESU. |
くるま |
は |
しろ い |
です。 |
Many students ask about the translation of the particle WA (written as は in Japanese).
“Wa” has no literal translation. It is what we call a particle. Particles are very important in the Japanese language. They are markers that identify what role each word or phrase has within a sentence in the Japanese language.
The particle “wa” is used to identify that the word or phrase before it is the topic of that sentence. The topic is basically the thing that is being talked about in that sentence, and usually appears near the beginning of a sentence.
In the previous examples the things that are being talked about are “I”, “this”, and “the car”, respectively, so the topics of these sentences in Japanese are “watashi”, kore” and “kuruma”.
Subject/TOPIC |
PARTICLE |
DESCRIPTION |
VERB TO BE |
[SUBJECT] |
WA |
(something that describes the topic) |
DESU |
わたし |
は |
がくせい |
です。 |
これ |
は |
ほん |
です。 |
くるま |
は |
くろい |
です。 |
Another important item to know is that in Japanese, the main verb comes at the end of the sentence. For example, In all of the examples above, that verb is “desu”, which takes the form of “is” or “am” in English. However, this rule also applies for other verbs.
And finally, it is also important to keep in mind that articles “a”, “an” and “the” do not exist in Japanese language. This means that the sentences: “This is a car”, and “This is the car”, would both be written as “kore wa kuruma desu”. There is no differentiation.
These 3 important points apply to everything, so using the first two in particular, we can adapt our sentence structure model from earlier to this:
TOPIC |
PARTICLE |
OTHER INFORMATION |
VERB |
[TOPIC] |
WA |
(NOUN OR ADJECTIVE) |
DESU |
[TOPIC] |
WA |
For verbs other than “desu”, however, basically everything in the ‘other information’ section needs to be accompanied by a particle. |
OTHER VERBS |
Mariko saw the child.
This sentence has two particles:
- WA defines the ‘topic’ of a sentence, which is the person or thing performing the main action described.
- WO, pronounced “o”, defines the object, which identifies to whom or to what that action was done.
SUBJECT |
PARTICLE |
OBJECT |
PARTICLE |
VERB |
MARIKO SAN |
WA |
KODOMO |
WO |
MIMASHITA |
まりこさん |
は |
こども |
を |
みました。 |
Tanaka-san lives in Tokyo. This sentence has two particles:
- WA defines the ‘topic’ of a sentence, which is the person or thing performing the main action described.
- NI, defines the location, which identifies to where the person lives.
SUBJECT |
PARTICLE |
Location |
PARTICLE |
VERB |
Tanaka san |
WA |
Tokyo |
|
lives |
Tanaka SAN |
WA |
TOKYO |
NI |
SUNDE IMASU |
たなかさん |
は |
とうきょう |
に |
すんでいます。 |
Particle NO の
The particle “NO” indicates possession. Adding particle “NO” converts “I”, “you”, “he”, “she” and “they” into “my”, “your”, “his”, “her” and “their”, respectively.
My car |
Your car |
The house’s window |
The book of Mr. Tanaka |
|
わたし の くるま |
あなた の くるま | うち の まど | たなかさん の ほん |
For other things like people’s names, animals, places and objects, it has the same effect as adding ‘s (apostrophe s), with the “NO” indicating that the item belongs to the person or thing in front of NO：
X NO Y means that Y belongs to X.
Any noun regardless of where it is used in the sentence, can be expanded to indicate possessive as long as the resulting phrase is a valid noun phrase. Our diagram can be like this:
ROLE OF WORD |
PARTICLE |
JAPANESE
|
||
NO |
Topic (NOUN) |
WA は |
||
Object (NOUN) |
WO を |
|||
Means of Transportation |
DE で |
|||
Location where action happens |
DE で |
|||
Time |
NI に |
|||
Origin |
KARA から |
|||
Destination |
NI に |
|||
Co-participation in the action |
TO と |
|||
Time something ends |
MADE まで |
|||
How Particles Work
The main thing that differentiates Japanese from most other languages is the use of particles to identify the role of words in the sentences. In any language, a combination of words will only make sense if the role of each word is clear. Before we move on, we need to be clear about what is meant by ‘the role each word plays in a sentence’.
Let's compare English and Japanese sentences. Click each sentence.
In English, the word order determines its role in a sentence. Here’s a very basic example:
Mariko saw Tom.
This sentence has three words: Mariko, saw and Tom. The most important word in any sentence, in both English and Japanese, is the main verb, which in this case is “saw”. The other words in a sentence relate to the main verb. To figure out what the role of each of the other words is, we look at the word order:
1) “Mariko” comes before “saw”, which tells us that MARIKO is the one that saw something.
2) “Tom” comes after “saw”, which tells us that TOM is what was seen.
- If we change the order and put “Tom” first, we end up with the sentence: Tom saw Mariko.
This has an entirely different meaning because changing the word order in English also changes the role that each word plays, which in turn, changes the overall meaning of the sentence. By looking at the word order on this second sentence we determine that:
1) “Tom” comes before “saw”, which tells us that now TOM is the one that saw something.
2) “Mariko” comes after “saw”, which tells us that MARIKO is what was seen.
In Japanese, the particles determine the role of each word in a sentence.
For example, here is one way to write the sentence “Mr. Tanaka saw Ms. Mariko.” in Japanese:
SUBJECT |
PARTICLE |
OBJECT |
PARTICLE |
VERB |
TANAKA SAN |
WA |
MARIKO SAN |
WO |
MIMASHITA |
たなかさん |
は |
まりこさん |
を |
みました。 |
This sentence has two particles:
“WA”, which tells us who we are talking about and “WO”, which tells us what they saw.
Because of particles like these, word order is not as important in Japanese as it is in English.
Using Particles with Other Verbs
When writing sentences with other verbs, we use the same 3 points:
- The particle “wa” identifies the topic of a Japanese sentence
- The verb comes at the end of the Japanese sentence
- The articles “a”, “an” and “the” do not exist in Japanese
The difference between DESU and other verbs is that the other information before a verb other than DESU always needs to be accompanied by a particle. And to decide what particle to use, we need to remember that particles define the role of the word that comes before them.
Here is a sample to write the sentence “Mariko saw the car.” in Japanese:
Subject |
PARTICLE |
Object |
PARTICLE |
Verb |
Mariko san |
|
the car |
|
SAW |
MARIKO SAN |
WA |
KURUMA |
WO |
MIMASHITA |
まりこさん |
は |
くるま |
を |
みました。 |
This sentence used two particles:
“WA”, which was used to identify the topic, which is what or who we are talking about and “WO”, which was used to identify the object of the verb, which is what or who they saw.
To continue to study how to write sentences with other verbs, we need to study what particles are used to identify which role in the sentence.
Understanding Particles in Context
Particles じょし（助詞） in Japanese encompass a whole group of one or more syllable Hiragana “short words” that are used to mark things, connect things, or otherwise modify things in sentences in addition to and between nouns, adjectives, verbs and other parts of sentences. Some of these particles have equivalent “meanings” in English, but some do not have a true, translated meaning in another word in English. They are better understood by the part of the sentence they “mark” or the function they serve in the sentence.
There are many particles in Japanese (close to 200 are possible), and many that use the same Hiragana character are used for a number of different purposes (so context is critical to understanding these). However, at this level, most students have probably only encountered a fairly small number of them, and only some uses of the same sound/Hiragana character(s) as a particle. Some particles are used in a variety of ways depending on the context, some can serve more than one function in different parts of sentences, and some can mean very different things in different situations.
The detailed information and examples provided in this Section are NOT intended to cover ALL the particles in Japanese! Note that most particles in Japanese follow or come AFTER the word they mark or modify, and this often means it occurs in backwards order compared to word orders in English.
The main “types” or “categories” of particles normally covered so far in Japanese studies for this level are outlined below. These are covered in more detail and with examples in the following parts of this section.
The particles は and が are used to “mark” or identify subjects and topics in Japanese sentences. Note that the particleは is written with the Hiragana character for the phonetic sound “ha” but it is pronounced “wa” only when used as a particle or part of a combination particle. Also note that there are other uses for the Hiragana character が used as a particle (more on this in other types of particles). These two particles are used to mark nouns that are performing actions in the sentence and/or topics of discussion in sentences. Neither of these particles have a true equivalent “word” in English, but there are ways to evaluate when their use is appropriate (more on this in the detailed section with examples for these particles). The two particles are sometimes swappable (meaning either one can be used in some situations) but they also have situations where only one or the other is appropriate. Learning when to use one versus the other is one of the ongoing challenges for students of the Japanese language!
The particles を and に are used to mark the “objects” of verbs or “actions” in sentences. The particle を is generally pronounced “o” in modern Japanese, but it can be pronounced as “wo” as the character representing it shows. Note that the Hiragana character を is ONLY used to represent the “direct object” particle (it is not used in words in modern Japanese). “Direct objects” are objects directly affected by the “action” or verb of the sentence (specific examples are found in the detailed section for this). The particle に is used to mark “indirect objects” of the action of the sentence (often the “recipients” of the action of the sentence). Note that sometimes if describing something “from” someone else (such as someone else giving you a gift) the particle から (meaning “from”) can be used instead of に. Note that there are many uses for the character に as particles in Japanese sentences, and this is only ONE of these uses.
The particles に、へ、And で are all used with “places” to indicate the direction/place/destination of motion (going, coming or returning) in a sentence. The particles に And へ are roughly equivalent to the word “to” in English (going TO, coming TO, or returning TO a place or event). The particle に is slightly more formal and can be used in ALL cases, but へ can also be used when going to a place (but not to an event). The particle へ is generally pronounced “e” instead of the full “he” the Hiragana character normally represents.
The particle に is also used to indicate the location of something in a sentence, with the equivalent meaning of “at” or “in” in English (located AT or IN a place). The particle で is used after a place to indicate where an action is occurring, and is the equivalent of “at” or “in” in English in this context. Note that both に and で are used in other contexts and situations to mean different things.
The particle に is used after specific times and dates in Japanese in an equivalent to the words “at” or “on” in English when expressing times or dates (“at” 5:00, “on” Monday, etc). General times often do not require a particle, and a general rule of thumb is that if “at” or “on” is not needed in English, then the particle に is not needed in Japanese (see examples in the detailed section for these kinds of particles). The combination of the particles から and まで is used as an equivalent of “from” and “to” for both times and places to mark a beginning point and ending point (see examples in the detailed section for these particles).
The first connective particle most students in Japanese study is the “noun-connector” particle の. The の particle is used to make nouns “possessive” (such as “my house” わたしのうち) but it is also used to “link” nouns that modify each other (such as “Japanese teacher” にほんごのせんせい). It is also used to “nominalize” or convert verbs and proper adjectives into nouns (such as “like to eat sushi” すしをたべるのがすきです).
Another simple connective particle introduced early in Japanese study is the conjunction particle と meaning “and” between nouns (this is used ONLY between nouns). It is used in what can be called “exhaustive” lists of nouns where ALL the nouns ARE listed and connected with と. Unlike English, the particle と is used between EACH noun in the series (instead of commas then “and” before the last noun in the series as is done in English). The particle と is also used to mean “with” when describing who is doing an action (in the sense of someone is doing the action “with” someone else, meaning either “person A AND person B” OR “person A WITH person B).
A similar particle meaning “and” between nouns is や, but it is used for “incomplete” lists of nouns where some of the intended list are stated, but others are not (an “incomplete” list of nouns). The particle など may be added at the end of a list using や to emphasize that the list is “incomplete” (only part of the possible list is given in the sentence).
To connect two sentences with the simple meaning of “and” (Sentence 1 AND Sentence 2) the particle そして is used. It is normally used to being the second (or further) sentence in the series following “and”. In a series of actions mean to be sequential, however, the particle combination それから is used to mean “and then” (as in “first this, and then that”). It can be literally translated to mean “after that” where それ means “that” and から means “after”.
There are many specific particles used to “compare” things in Japanese, but the basic comparisons covered up to this point include saying something is “more” than something else using より; saying something is “not as much” as something else using ほど, and saying something is “about the same as” something else using the particle と followed by the word for “the same” or おなじ.
To “contrast” two sentence clauses or two full sentences, the particles が and でも can be used to mean “but” and “however” respectively. To contrast two clauses in the same sentence (a compound sentence) use が or “but”. Note that in Japanese, the particle が FOLLOWS the first clause instead of BEGINNING the second clause (“This BUT that” ClauseAが、ClauseB).
To contrast two separate sentences, the particle でも is used to mean “however” (“This sentence. However, that sentence.” SentenceA。でも、SentenceB。). Although not a true “contrasting” sentence, the particle から can be used at the end of a first sentence clause that expresses a “reason” or “cause” for what is described in the second sentence clause (the result). In this context, から takes on the English meaning of “because” “so” or “since” depending on how it’s phrased in English (such as Reasonから、Result Because of ClauseA, Clause B occurs).
The first sentence-ending particle normally studied in Japanese is the “question marker” particle か。It is used at the end of a question to replace the Western question mark (?). Note that the ? should NOT be used in Japanese unless the question is “incomplete” and lacks か。At the end (such as in “And you?” あなたは？).
Another sentence-ending particle used in Japanese is ね. It is used to add “emphasis” (with a “falling” intonation) or “confirmation” (with a “rising” intonation) of something in the sentence preceding it. It is sometimes translated in English as the phrase “isn’t it” (used as a statement for emphasis) or “isn’t it?” (used as a question for confirmation). It is also used routinely just as a way to express more politeness or friendliness in a conversation, or to “soften” the sentence or statement (making it less forceful or direct).
A similar sentence-ending particle used is ねえ (with the extra vowel) can be used to add more emphasis (somewhat like an exclamation mark ! is used in English). These particles are used in many different situations and are common in Japanese conversation.
Another sentence-ending particle used in Japanese is よ. This is used at the end of a sentence to add emphasis, much like an English exclamation mark !, and is especially used in commands or forceful statements. It should be used sparingly as it is considered rather strong and intrusive for regular sentences and statements in Japanese.
There are other sentence-ending particles used (some primarily by women and some primarily by men) that correlate with the particles just described above, but they will be saved for a future level of Japanese study.
The particle で is discussed above in relation to its use with “place” words, but it has other uses, some that have been covered so far. This particle is also used to mark the “means by which an action” takes place in some sentence contexts. This can indicate a “tool” that is used to accomplish an action (for example, a “pencil” may be the “means or tool” by which you “write” ( えんぴつでかきます) or the “method” by which something is accomplished (for example, a student may go to school “by means” of a bus (バスで学校に行きます.) There are other uses for this particle not covered yet, but these three uses should cover what is needed at this point.
The particle も is used as an equivalent for the English “also” or “too” in certain contexts. This usually occurs in a series of events, sentences, or conversation items where adding another item to the series (to mean “this also” or “that too”) is logical. For example, if your friend says he is going to the movies tonight, and you want to say you are “also” going to the movies (or you are going to the movies “too”) you can say ( 私もえいがに行きます ) There are other contexts for use for this particle, but so far, that’s all that is needed at this point.
The particle と is used to mean “and” and “with” in contexts already described above, but it’s also used in the specific situation of “quoting” something in Japanese. To express “says” or “said” the quoted material ends with (といいます（と言います）) Quoted material generally has the pattern of Person (Who says the quote) は「Quote. 」と言います。
More Types of Particles
This section adds more detail and examples to the discussions and review of types of particles covered in Japanese grammar so far in this series of courses. Please be sure to CLICK EACH SECTION below to read about different types of particles and how they are used.
The particle は and が are used to “mark” or identify SUBJECTS and TOPICS in Japanese sentences. These are used to mark nouns that are performing actions in the sentence and/or to mark the topics of discussion in sentences (sometimes these two are the same and sometimes they are not). There are not direct equivalents to learn in English for how these are used, but situations and context can provide guidance on when and how to use them. Learning when to use one versus the other is one of the ongoing challenges for students of the Japanese language!
The particle は (pronounced as “wa” when used as a particle) is often described as the TOPIC MARKER for the topic of discussion, while the particle が is often described as the SUBJECT MARKER for a noun that performs an action. These two can also be thought of in the opposite manner depending on how the “topic” and “subject” are described or identified in a sentence. The subject and topic of the sentence are also often the same, in which case the particle は is general used. The difference between the two tends to cause confusion among beginners but their usage can be summed up better as a matter of the MAIN FOCUS in sentences as will be shown in explanations and examples below.
The topic particle は is used when introducing a topic and has the MAIN FOCUS on the ACTION of the sentence (the verb or the adjective of the sentence). This often marks a person or persons who are doing the action, but that is not always the case. This is the most commonly used particle to mark the subject/topic of the sentence. The subject marker が is used when the MAIN FOCUS is on the SUBJECT of the action (not the action itself). This again can be a person or persons, but it can also be a number of other things. Is this confusing yet? Please make SURE you read the rest of this explanation AND the examples for each situation!
One can also think of the particle は as replacing the English phrases "AS FOR…”, "ON THE TOPIC OF…” or "REGARDING…" where the ACTION is the MAIN FOCUS (Not who or what is doing the action). The particle が where the MAIN FOCUS is more on WHO or WHAT is doing the action (instead of the action itself). While the phrases that can be added to identify situations to use the particle はaren’t usually actually used in English very often, they can be “mentally added” to sentences to show how to use these expressions and tell the difference between using はand が.
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The particles を (written with the Hiragana character for “wo” but commonly pronounced as just “o”) and に are used with verbs to “mark” the “direct object” and “indirect object/subject” in sentences.
The “direct object” marker を marks an object that is “acted upon” by the verb or action of the sentence (the “recipient” object of the action of the verb). There is no equivalent for this in English, so it must be thought of in the context or situation of the sentence rather than as translated from an English word.
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The particles に、へ andで are used to mark a “location” in specific contexts in different types of sentences. It is important to learn when to use and when NOT to use each one.
One use of the particles に and へ (written with the character “he’ but pronounced “e”) is with “verbs of motion” (going, coming, or returning) that indicate a “direction” of the movement action. These have roughly the meaning of “TO” (or “TOWARD”) in English. Note the verb “to return” is generally only used when someone is “going to” or “returning” home (their house, their home city, their home country, etc) from somewhere other than home. In English, it’s usually expressed as “GOING home” but in Japanese the verb for “return” is used in this context.
Examples:
私は月曜日に学校に行きます。 I go TO SCHOOL every Monday.
私は明日あなたの家に来ます。 I will come TO YOUR HOUSE tomorrow.
私は昨日七時半に家に帰りました。 I returned (went)(TO) HOME yesterday.
私はコンサートに行きました。 I went TO A CONCERT.(EVENT not a PLACE)
NOTE: In ALL of these examples except the last one the particle へ can replace the particleに. However, if the direction of movement is toward an EVENT instead of a PLACE then the particle に should be used (see the last example).に is considered the more formal of the two particles.
Connective particles are used to “connect” words, phrases, or entire sentences in different ways. The の particle is used to connect nouns either through possessive relationships (replacing the ‘ apostrophe in English) or simply by connecting related nouns (there is not equivalent in English for this).
The と and や particles are used to connect nouns in a list or series with the English meaning of “and” but ONLY for connecting nouns. The particles そして (“and”) and それから (“and then”) are used to transition from one sentence to another in a “series” with the meanings provided above.
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The particles が andでもcan be used to “contrast” two sentence clauses or separate sentences, and the particles から and のに can be used to connect a “reason” with a “result” in a compound sentence.
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There are a wide variety of particles used at the end of sentences to provide “punctuation” or to provide subtle meanings and emotions that apply to the information provided before them. Many of the more subtle sentence-ending particles have not been and will not be covered at this level, and many tend to be gender-specific (and they have no real translational meaning in English), but there are some standard ones that should be used at this point in Japanese studies, and these do indicate a “meaning” that can be indicated in English with words and/or punctuation marks (? And !).
The sentence-ending particles that should be used at this point include the following: か (for questions), ね (for confirmation/agreement), ねえ (for emphasis), and よ (for extra emphasis).
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Two additional particles covered and/or used at this point in the Japanese courses, although they are unrelated, are も andで. Both of these particles have multiple uses, and one of these （で）has already been discussed earlier in this particle review for use with describing “places” where action occurs. The other (も) also has several uses and is described here (this may be NEW information for some of you).
New Particle Usage
In this section, you will learn how to use some familiar particles in new and different ways.
も＝Inclusive Particle
は＝Emphatic, Negative Predicate, Contrastive Particle
で＝Totalizer Particle
REVIEW: You have learned previously that the particle も can be used to express “also” or “too” as what is called an “inclusive particle”. It is translated as “also/too” in affirmative sentences, and “neither-nor” in negative sentences. In these contexts, も replaces particles を、が、Or は (depending on the context of the rest of the sentence). It can also have the meaning of “both” in certain contexts.
Examples:
You are a high school senior. I am ALSO a high school senior. (Or I am a high school senior TOO.)
あなたは高校三年生です。私も高校三年生です。
I am NOT a middle school student. My older brother is ALSO NOT a middle school student.
私は中学生ではありません。あにも中学生ではありません。
BOTH my mom and dad can speak Japanese.
母も父も日本語を話すことができます。
NEW: The particle もcan also have the meaning of “as many/long/high/etc as” where もfollows a number and counter, and it emphasizes the AMOUNT in the sentence. It suggest that the amount given is MORE than was expected.
Examples:
I was absent from school FOR AS MANY AS three days. (Emphasizing that 3 days is a lot)
私は学校を三日も休みました。
I had a fever AS HIGH AS 39 degrees (Centigrade).
私は三十九度もありました。
NEW: The particle も can also be used as an “open-ended” counter following a question word counter (like 何度、何人、Etc) where is suggests that there are MANY of the items being counted.
Examples:
My older sister has been living in Japan for MANY years.
兄は何年も日本に住んでいます。
I have read MANY letters today.
私は手紙も読みました。
REVIEW: You have studied and used the particle は as a marker for the main subject/topic of sentences since the beginning of your Japanese studies. It is sometimes replaced with が in some contexts, and you have learned and practiced that in the past as well.
Examples:
I live in Japan. (The emphasis of the sentence is not “I” but is where I live)
“As for me,” I live in Japan. This phrasing can help to determine when は should be used (in most cases it is used.)
私は今日本に住んでいます。
Who lives in Japan? (The subject “who” is unknown and is the focus of the question)
だれ（誰）が日本に住んでいますか。
Today is April 4. (The focus of the question is on today)
今日は四月四日です。(“As for today,” it’s April 4)
NEW: The particle は can also be used to emphasize a “negative predicate” or “contrast” between two items in certain contexts where a negative statement is made and/or the sentence is showing a contrast between two subjects/topics.
Examples:
No、it is NOT my book.
いいえ、本は私のではありません。(は is often used to replace が in negative answers)
There is a test on Monday, but there is not a test on Friday.
月曜日にしけん（試験）はありますが、金曜日に試験はありません。(は is used instead of が to emphasize the CONTRAST of the two parts of the sentence)
The decision to use は versus が can be complicated and tricky as it can depend on very specific circumstances and context, but they are often interchangeable as well.
REVIEW: You have used the particle で in the past for several reasons, including indicating the “location an action is occurring at”, stating a “tool” used to complete an action, or indicating the “means” by which an action takes place.
Examples:
I study Japanese AT home and school.
私は家と学校で勉強をします。
I write my Japanese homework WITH (BY MEANS OF) a pencil.
私はえんぴつ（鉛筆）で日本語のしゅくだい（宿題）を書きます。
I go to school BY (BY MEANS OF A) bus every day.
私は毎日バスで学校に行っています。
NEW: The particle で can also be used to mean “because of” when giving a reason that can be expressed as a single noun (this does NOT work for verbs). It be used with the noun for a reason, followed by the particle で, and then followed by a sentence that describes the “consequence” of the reason. You have already learned how to express a “reason” followed by a “result” or “consequence” that involves a verb expression (that is a different and more complex pattern).
Examples:
I was absent from school for a week BECAUSE OF (DUE TO) illness.
私はびょうき（病気）で一種間学校をやすんできます（休んでいます）。
I am moving to Okinawa BECAUSE OF (DUE TO) my mother’s work/job.
私は母のしごと（仕事）でおきなわ（沖縄）にひっこします（引っ越します）。
REVIEW and NEW Transition Particles:
Let's review some familiar “transition” particles/words that occur within or between sentences in Japanese, and learn a few that you may not be familiar with.
そして＝And… (Between sentences)
それから＝And then… (Between sentences)
それとも＝Or… (Between sentences)
が・しかし・けど・けれど＝But… (Within a sentence or between sentences)
でも＝However… (Between sentences)
から・ので＝Because/So/Since… (Within a sentence)
から・あと（後）＝After… (Within a sentence)
まえ（前）＝Before… (Within a sentence)
Examples:
I am going to Japan this summer. And I’m going to go to Korea also.
私はこのなつ（夏）に日本に行きます。そして、かんこく（韓国）も行きます。
I get up at 6:30 am every day. And then, I take a shower.
私は毎日午前六時半におきます（起きます）。それから、シャワーをあびます（浴びます）。
I plan to go to the pool tomorrow. Or, I plan to ride (my) bike.
私は明日プールに行くよていです。それとも、じてんしゃ（自転車）にのるよていです。
I did my homework, but I didn’t study for the test.
私はしゅくだい（宿題）をしましたが、しけんをべんきょう（勉強）をしませんでした。
I want to buy a new car. But (However) I don’t have any money.
私は新しい車を買いたいです。しかし、お金がありません。
I want to go to China. However, I don’t have free time.
私はちゅうごく（中国）に行きたいです。でも、時間がありません。（OR ひまではありません）
Since/Because I have a test tomorrow, I can’t go to the game.
私は明日しけんがありますから、ゲームにいけません。
Because today is Saturday, I don’t have to go to school.
今日は土曜日なので、学校に行くひつようはありません。
After (I’m done) working, I’m going to a restaurant.
しごと（仕事）してから、私はレストランに行きます。
Before I come home, I’m going shopping.
家に帰る前に、買い物に行きます。
After going to the beach, I went home.
私はうみ（海）に行った後に、家に帰りました。
Now go to Grammar V