JLPT N5 Grammar – Can Japanese particles be omitted?

Table of Contents

1. Can Japanese particles be omitted?
2. Particles that are easily omitted
3. Particles that are not omitted
4. Let’s Compare
5. Be careful not to over-omit particles
6. Summary
7. Quiz
8. Similar Articles
9. Comment

Q: It seems that Japanese people often omit particles when they speak. Is that okay?

A: In casual speech, particles are often omitted, but some cannot be omitted depending on their function.

Particles that are easily omitted

Can you figure out which particles are omitted in the following sentences?

・今日きょうおいしいステーキ（　）食たべたんだ。
I ate a delicious steak

・お金かね（　）全然ぜんぜんない。
I have no money.

・このレストラン（　）良よかった？
Was this restaurant good?

The correct answers in order are “を”, “が”, and “は”.

These particles are easily omitted because they follow the basic structure of Japanese sentences.
A typical basic sentence structure is “SはOをV”.

[Examples]
わたし（は）パン（を）食たべる。
I eat bread.

Q: きのう何なに（を）した？　
A: 渋谷しぶやで映画えいが（を）見みたよ。
Q: What did you do yesterday?
A: I watched a movie in Shibuya.

Particles that are not omitted

Even though the particle “は” is the same, it has various roles. When it is not used in its basic meaning (as a topic marker), it cannot be omitted because it emphasizes a different function.

[Example]
魚さかなは好すきだけど肉にくは好すきじゃないです。
I like fish, but I don’t like meat.
⇒ In this case, it indicates a contrast.

Additionally, particles like the ones shown below cannot be omitted because their positions in the sentence structure can change.

[Time] に／から／まで
[Place] で／から／まで
[Means] で
[Person] と

[Examples]
はしですしを食たべます。
すしをはしで食たべます。
I eat sushi with chopsticks.

空港くうこうまで車くるまで行いった。
車くるまで空港くうこうまで行いった。
I went to the airport by car.

Let’s Compare

The following table provides an overview of particle omission.
Let’s review the roles of each particle and whether they can be omitted. You’ll notice that “に” is relatively less likely to be omitted.

Particle	Role	Omission	Example
は	Topic	◯	これ（は）おいしい。 This is delicious.
	Contrast	×	夏なつは暑あついし冬ふゆは寒さむい。 Summer is hot, and winter is cold.
が	Subject	◯	これ（が）好すき。 I like this.
	Existence/Ownership	◯	駅えき（が）ある。 車くるま（が）ある。 There’s a station. There’s a car.
へ	Destination	◯	日本にほん（へ）行いく。 I’m going to Japan.
に	Direction of movement	◯	コンビニ（に）行いってくる。 I’m going to the convenience store.
	Time	×	今朝けさ７時じに起おきた。 I woke up at 7 this morning.
	Location of existence	×	公園こうえんに子こどもがいる。 There are children in the park.
	Recipient	×	母ははに花はなをあげた。 I gave flowers to my mother.
を	Object	◯	パン（を）食たべた。 I ate bread.
	Passing point	◯	橋はし（を）渡わたって右みぎに行いって。 Cross the bridge and turn right.
	Leaving place	◯	電車でんしゃ（を）降おりてバスに乗り換の　かえる。 Get off the train and transfer to a bus.
	Direction of action	◯	男おとこは下した（を）向むいた。 The man looked down.
	Elapsed time	×	夏なつを田舎いなかで過すごした。 I spent the summer in the countryside.

Be careful not to over-omit particles

When there are two or more particles that can be omitted in a single sentence, or when the sentence is long or requires a proper explanation, over-omitting particles can make the sentence difficult to understand. If your Japanese isn’t completely natural yet, omitting particles might also make your speech sound unnatural, so be careful.

[Examples]
これ（は）わたし [が] 好すきなおかしなんだ。
This is the snack [that] I like.
⇒ “は” can be omitted, but “が” is rarely omitted.。

道みち（を）渡わたってその信号しんごう [を] 左ひだり [に] 行いくと、大おおきなパン屋やさん[が]あるよ。
Cross the road, then turn left at the traffic light, and there will be a big bakery.
⇒ The first “を” can be omitted, but the following “を,” “に,” and “が” are rarely omitted.

Summary

• Basic sentence patterns tend to have particles omitted, but those whose position can change are not omitted.
• Whether particles can be omitted depends on their function.
• Unnecessary omission of particles can make it harder to understand or sound unnatural, so it should be avoided.

Quiz

Can the particle in [ ] be omitted?

Click on the question to check the answer.

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