How Japanese works

词汇

• 膠着語agglutinative language
• 語順word order
• 助詞particle
• 活用conjugation / inflection
• 述語predicate
• 修飾語modifier
• 主題topic (grammatical)
• 格助詞case particle
• 自動詞intransitive verb
• 他動詞transitive verb
• 受身形passive form
• 使役形causative form

表达

• 日本語は述語が最後に来るIn Japanese, the predicate comes at the end
• 助詞が文の構造を決めるParticles determine the structure of the sentence
• 主語が省略されることが多いThe subject is often omitted
• 自動詞と他動詞の区別が重要だIntransitive/transitive distinction matters
• 活用によって意味が変わるThe meaning changes depending on the conjugation
• 日本語は文脈依存の言語だJapanese is a context-dependent language

常见错误

• ✗は and が are interchangeable
  ✓は marks topic, が marks subject — different functions

  は sets the theme of the sentence; が identifies or contrasts the subject. Confusing them changes meaning fundamentally

• ✗窓が開いた = The window was opened
  ✓窓が開いた = The window opened (by itself)

  自動詞 開く describes a spontaneous event; the passive was opened would be 窓が開けられた (他動詞 passive)

• ✗Applying English word order to Japanese
  ✓Modifiers always precede what they modify in Japanese

  Japanese is strictly head-final: all modifiers (adjectives, relative clauses) come before the noun, not after

• ✗食べれる instead of 食べられる
  ✓食べられる is the standard potential form

  ら抜き言葉 (ra-nuki) is common in speech but considered incorrect in formal writing; C2 learners should know both

• ✗Using で for all locations
  ✓で marks action location, に marks existence location

  公園で遊ぶ (play at the park) vs 公園にいる (be at the park) — the particle changes with the verb type

小测验