Differences in Parts of Speech between Japanese and English①

Table of Contents

1. Differences in Parts of Speech between Japanese and English
2. Common Parts of Speech
3. Differences in Verbs
4. Differences in Adjectives (い Adjectives)
5. Elements Found Only in English
6. Summary
7. Similer Articles
8. Comment

Q: Are there parts of speech that Japanese and English share, and others that they don’t?

A: Since Japanese and English have fundamentally different grammatical systems, some parts of speech are shared, while others do not correspond directly.
In this article, we’ll look at the parts of speech common to both languages as well as those found only in English, and explore their differences with concrete examples.

① Parts of speech common to both Japanese and English	Nouns, verbs, adjectives (い adjectives), adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections
② Parts of speech found only in English	Articles, plural noun endings
③ Parts of speech found only in Japanese	Particles, auxiliary verbs, attributive words, な adjectives (adjectival nouns)

Common Parts of Speech

Basically, the parts of speech that both Japanese and English share are as follows.
They have almost the same functions in both languages.

Part of Speech (Japanese / English)	Explanation / Examples
名詞めいし／noun	Represents people, things, or places. Examples: 子供こども (child), 本ほん (book), 学校がっこう (school)
副詞ふくし／adverb	Modifies verbs or adjectives. Examples: とても (very), ゆっくり (slowly), まっすぐ (straight)
代だい名詞めいし／pronoun	Used in place of a noun. Examples: 彼かれ (he), これ (this), その (that)
接続せつぞく詞し／conjunction	Connects words or sentences. Examples: そして (and), それから (then), でも (but)
感動かんどう詞し／interjection	Expresses feelings or reactions. Examples: えー！ (eh!), あっ (ah!), へぇ (wow)
動詞どうし／verb	Expresses actions or states. Examples: 食たべる (eat), 飲のむ (drink), ある (exist), 行いく (go)
形容けいよう詞し（い形容けいよう詞し）／adjective	Describes qualities or conditions. Examples: 大おおきい (big), 良よい (good), すごい (amazing)

Differences in Verbs

Verbs exist in both Japanese and English as a shared part of speech, but their systems differ greatly.
The biggest difference lies in conjugation. In Japanese, verbs change their form depending on factors such as meaning, tense, or level of politeness. In contrast, English does not have such a systematic conjugation structure.

Grammar Term (for Japanese Learners)	Example: 聞きく (to listen)
① 未然みぜん (Negative form)	聞きかない (do not listen)
② 連用れんよう (Past / Polite form)	聞きいた・聞ききます (listened / listen politely)
③ 終止しゅうし (Dictionary form)	聞きく(listen)
④ 連体れんたい (Attributive form)	ー
⑤ 仮定かてい (Conditional form)	聞きけば (if [someone] listens)
⑥ 命令めいれい (Imperative form)	聞きけ (listen!)

[Examples]
話はなしをよく聞きけ！
Listen carefully!
⇒ When giving an order or instruction, unlike in English where the verb is used as it is (Listen), in Japanese the verb “聞きく” must be conjugated into the imperative form “聞きけ”.

春はるになると、さくらが咲さきます。
When spring comes, the cherry blossoms bloom.

この本ほんは来週らいしゅう、返かえさないといけません。
I have to return this book next week.

Thus, one major difference is that in Japanese, the verb form changes depending on its grammatical role within the sentence.

Differences in Adjectives (い Adjectives)

Like verbs, Japanese adjectives change their form (conjugate) within a sentence.
In contrast, English adjectives generally do not change form, which is one of the key differences between the two languages.

Grammar Term (for Japanese Learners)	Example: あつい (hot)
① 未然みぜん (Negative form)	ー
② 連用れんよう (Past / Negative form)	あつかった／あつくない (was hot / not hot)
③ 終止しゅうし (Dictionary form)	あつい (hot)
④ 連体れんたい (Attributive form)	あつい (hot [modifying a noun])
⑤ 仮定かてい (Conditional form)	あつければ (if it is hot)
⑥ 命令めいれい (Imperative form)	―

[Examples]
きのうはとても暑あつかったですね。
It was very hot yesterday, wasn’t it?

あの車くるまはとてもかっこいいです。
That car is really cool.

もっと安やすければ、このスマホを買かいたいです。
If it were cheaper, I’d like to buy this smartphone.

In this way, Japanese adjectives are characterized by their ability to change form according to tense or condition.

Elements Found Only in English

Japanese does not have features like articles or plural noun endings that exist in English.
Let’s take a closer look at each difference below.

■ Articles

In English, a / an are used before a noun to indicate something general, while the is used to indicate something specific.
In contrast, Japanese expresses nouns without adding anything in front of them.
However, when referring to something specific or already mentioned, Japanese distinguishes meaning by using demonstratives such as これ・この (this), それ・その (that), あれ・あの (that over there), and どれ・どの (which).

[Examples]
あの電車でんしゃに乗のろう。
Let’s take that train.

A：来月らいげつから新あたらしいマネージャーになるらしいよ。
B：それ、わたしも聞きいたよ。
A: I heard there’s going to be a new manager starting next month.
B: Yeah, I heard that too.

Also, in English, articles are used even with unique nouns such as “the moon” or “the president”, whereas in Japanese, the noun is used as it is without an article.

[Examples]
Astronauts have walked on the moon.
⇒ 宇宙うちゅう飛行ひこう士しは月面げつめんを歩あるいたことがあります。

The president signed the new law last week.
⇒ 大統領だいとうりょうは先週せんしゅう、新あたらしい法律ほうりつに署名しょめいしました。

■ Plural Suffixes

In Japanese, the form of a noun does not change between singular and plural.
In other words, whether you say “a cat” or “several cats,” the word remains the same — “ねこ”.
Unlike English, Japanese has no plural suffix like “-s,” and the suffix “たち” cannot be used for animals.

[Example]
あそこにかわいい子こねこがいるよ。
There’s a cute kitten over there.
⇒ The word 「子こねこ」 stays the same whether it refers to one or several kittens.

When expressing plurality, Japanese uses counters (such as 匹ひき・人にん・枚まい) or quantitative words (such as たくさん “many” or いくつか “several”).

[Examples]
あそこに子こねこが3匹びきいるよ。
There are three kittens over there.

今年ことしは新入しんにゅう社員しゃいんがたくさん入社にゅうしゃしました。
Many new employees joined the company this year.

Summary

[Parts of Speech Common to Japanese and English]

• The common parts of speech are seven: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, conjunctions, and interjections.
• However, Japanese verbs and adjectives have a unique system of conjugation that does not exist in English.

[Elements Found Only in English]

• Japanese does not have articles or plural noun endings like English does.
• When expressing plurals in Japanese, it is uncommon to change the noun itself (as with “-たち”).
• Instead, Japanese uses numerals (e.g., 3匹びき・5人にん) or adverbs (e.g., たくさん, いくつか) to indicate quantity.

Similer Articles

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