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. Comments

Q: It seems that Japanese people often omit particles when speaking. Is it okay to leave them out?

A: In casual conversation, particles may be omitted when the meaning is clear from the context.
However, not all particles can be freely omitted.
Let’s take a closer look.

Particles that are easily omitted

First, let’s look at the following sentences.

・今日きょうおいしいステーキ（　）食たべたんだ。
・お金かね（　）全然ぜんぜんない。
・このレストラン（　）良よかった？

The particles “を,” “が,” and “は” can be inserted in that order.

今日きょう、おいしいステーキを食たべたんだ。
I ate a delicious steak today.

お金かねが全然ぜんぜんない。
I don’t have any money at all.

このレストランは良よかった？
Was this restaurant good?

In casual conversation, particles such as “は,” “が,” and “を” are sometimes omitted.

One reason these particles are often omitted is that the sentence follows a basic Japanese sentence pattern. A typical example is “S は O を V.”

[Examples]
わたし（は）パン（を）食たべます。
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.

As in these examples, “を” is often omitted, especially in casual conversation.

“に” and “へ” Can Also Be Omitted

The particles “に” and “へ,” which indicate a destination, may also be omitted in conversation.

[Examples]
コンビニ（に）行いってくるね。

I’m going to the convenience store.

明日あした、東京とうきょう（へ）行いくよ。

I’m going to Tokyo tomorrow.

Expressions such as:

学校がっこう行いく。

I’m going to school.

会社かいしゃ行いってくる。

I’m heading to work.

コンビニ行いかない？

Do you want to go to the convenience store?

are commonly used in everyday conversation.

However, “に” has many different functions, such as indicating a place, time, or recipient, so it cannot always be omitted.

Particles that are not omitted

When omitting a particle makes it difficult to understand the relationship between words, the particle is usually not omitted.

[Examples]
母ははに花はなをあげた。
I gave flowers to my mother.

Here, “に” indicates the person who received the flowers.

If you say:

母はは、花はなあげた。

depending on the context, it may sound like “My mother gave someone flowers.”

Therefore, when you want to clearly show who received something, it is easier to understand if you keep “に.”

はしですしを食たべます。
I eat sushi with chopsticks.

Here, “で” indicates the means or method used.

If you remove “で” and say:
はし、すし食たべます。

the relationship between “はし” and “すし” becomes unclear.

In this way, particles are less likely to be omitted when they are important for understanding the meaning of the sentence.

“は” Can Also Be Difficult to Omit Depending on Its Meaning

“は” is often omitted in conversation, but it cannot always be left out.

In particular, “は” is important when it is used to contrast two things.

[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 sentence, “は” expresses contrast.

If “は” is removed, the contrast becomes less clear.

In other words, even with the same particle, how easily it can be omitted depends on the role it plays in the sentence.

The following are also examples of particles that are less likely to be omitted:

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

Let’s Compare

Particle omission may be easier to understand if you think about it in the following way.

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.

However, this is not an absolute rule.

In actual conversation, particles may still be omitted depending on the context and the way the speaker talks.

Be careful not to over-omit particles

Just because Japanese speakers omit particles in conversation does not mean that leaving out all particles will make your Japanese sound natural.

Especially while you are still learning Japanese, it is important to first learn how to use particles correctly.

[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 here.

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 usually not omitted.

In longer sentences, particles show how the different words are related to one another.

If too many particles are omitted, it can become difficult to understand which words are connected to which verbs.

In particular, it is better to use the necessary particles clearly in:

• long sentences
• explanations of new information
• giving directions
• explanations at work
• written language

Using the necessary particles in these situations makes your meaning easier to understand.

Summary

• In casual conversation, particles may be omitted when the meaning is clear from the context.
• In particular, “は,” “が,” and “を,” as well as “に” and “へ” when they indicate a destination, may be omitted.
• If removing a particle makes the meaning difficult to understand, it is less likely to be omitted.
• Even the same particle may be easier or harder to omit depending on the role it plays in the sentence.
• Particles that clearly show an important meaning, such as the contrastive “は,” are more likely to remain.
• In written language, particles are generally not omitted.
• Japanese learners should first learn to use particles correctly before learning how they are omitted in conversation.
• The key is not to memorize “which particles can be omitted,” but to ask whether the meaning is still clear without the particle.

Quiz

Can the particle in [ ] be omitted?

Click on the question to check the answer.

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