What are some tricky particle pairs in Japanese?

For students studying Japanese, learning to use particles correctly can be one of the biggest hurdles. Particles are everywhere, and they can have a wide range of meanings and uses.

There are a number of particle contrasts that Japanese learners tend to struggle with, but in this post we’ll focus on just five of them. These contrasts are:

• を (transcribed o) vs. で (transcribed de) for locations of movement

  e.g. “I walked around / in the park.”

• を (transcribed o) vs. から (transcribed kara) for points of departure

  e.g. “I left home.”

• から (transcribed kara) vs. より (transcribed yori) with a starting point or point of origin

  e.g. “The meeting starts at 10.”

• に (transcribed ni) vs. へ (transcribed e) vs. まで (transcribed made) for destinations

  e.g. “I went to the bank.”

• に (transcribed ni) vs. と (transcribed to) for interactions with people

  e.g. “I talked to my teacher.”

In the sections below we’ll go through each pair of particles in context and direct you towards some resources where you can learn more about each particle individually. Ready to have a look? Let’s dive in!

In Japanese, a particle is a small helping word that “marks” another word or phrase and helps you understand the role that other phrase plays in a sentence or conversation. The ones we’ll look at in this post are used sort of like English prepositions (e.g. in, at, on), but particles can have other functions too.

For a broader introduction to particles in Japanese, check out our introduction to Japanese particles. In this post, we’re looking at some cases where changing the particle you use can slightly alter the meaning of a sentence.

The particle を (transcribed o) and the particle で (transcribed de) each have a number of functions, but the contrast most students learning Japanese struggle with is choosing which one you should use each particle to mark a location where movement takes place. Both can be used when the motion takes place entirely within the location the particle marks.

• 公園を歩く。

  Transcription: Kōen o aruku.

  Translation: I walk all through the park.

  Literally: lit. I walk the park.
• 公園で歩く。

  Transcription: Kōen de aruku.

  Translation: I walk in the park

So what’s the distinction?

• Use を (transcribed o) if you are completing a goal by moving at or through a particular location.

  → Common translations: “through,” “around,” “throughout,” or no preposition.

• Use で (transcribed de) if the location is secondary. The goal was to move, and that just happened to take place at that location.

  → Common translations: “in,” “at,” “on”

You can remember about this difference using the examples below:

• Use を [o]:

  He walked the plank.

  He walked to the end of the plank and completed the task, falling into the ocean! 🏴‍☠
• Use で (de):

  He walked on the plank.

  He was walking around, and it happened to be on a plank. No sailors were harmed!

Let’s go through some of the cases where you’ll want to use the particle を (transcribed o) alongside a verb of motion. Here are two cases where you’d want to use を (transcribed o) with a verb of movement in Japanese:

1. “How did you get there?”

   Imagine your friend asks you “How did you get to the main street?” This is a question about completing a goal (getting to your destination), so the answer with を (transcribed o) is correct.

   • ✅ Answer with を [o]:

     公園を歩いて、大通りに出たんだよ。

     Transcription: Kōen o aruite, ōdōri ni deta n da yo.

     Translation: I walked (through) the park and came out to the main street.
   • ❌ Answer with で [de]:

     公園で歩いて、大通りに出たんだよ。

     Transcription: Kōen de aruite, ōdōri ni deta n da yo

     Translation: I walked in the park and came out to the main street.

2. Completing an achievement

   You can use を (transcribed o) with a verb of motion to imply that traversing a location is an achievement.

   彼は今大西洋を泳いでいる。

   Transcription: Kare wa ima Taiseiyō o oyoideiru.

   Translation: He is swimming the Atlantic Ocean.

   This implies that he is swimming all the way across the ocean — a HUGE achievement!

   Using で (transcribed de) does not carry this implication. Compare:

   彼は今大西洋で泳いでいる。

   Transcription: Kare wa ima Taiseiyō de oyoideiru.

   Translation: He is swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.

   A lovely day out, but nothing will really be achieved at the end of the day.

One of the other uses of the particle を (transcribed o) is marking the point of departure. This one gets tricky, because the particle から (transcribed kara), which here means “from,” can also do this. But the two aren’t always interchangeable. It depends on the type of “departure” that is taking place, and sometimes the destination you’re leaving. Let’s have a look!

In addition to being used to mark the starting point of movement, から (transcribed kara) can also be used for other types of origins, like the start of a period of time, the beginning of a measurement, or the source of a product or message. In this use, we aren’t really describing something’s point of departure so much as its “point of origin.” For example:

• 会議は10時 から 始まります。

  Transcription: Kaigi wa ku-ji kara hajimaru.

  Translation: The meeting will start at ten o’clock.

  10:00 is the starting point for the period of time (the meeting)
• 公園からスタートして、ゴールは駅前です。

  Transcription: Kōen kara sutāto shite, gōru wa ekimae desu.

  Translation: Start from the park and the finish line is (located) at the front of the station.

  Here, we are discussing the path of the race, which is a measured space or track.
• イギリスから輸入した紅茶を販売しております。

  Transcription: Igirisu kara yunyūshita kōcha o hanbai shite orimasu.

  Translation: We sell tea imported from England.

  Though technically the tea did travel, in this context we’re really just focusing on describing the tea as having its origins in England.

These non-moving “points of origin” can also be marked using the particle より (transcribed yori). For example, compare these sentences to the ones above:

• 午後10時より会議を始めます。

  Transcription: Gogo ku-ji yori kaigi o hajimemasu.

  Translation: The meeting will start at ten o’clock.
• 公園よりスタートして、ゴールは駅前です。

  Transcription: Kōen yori sutāto shite, gōru wa ekimae desu.

  Translation: Start from the park and the finish line is (located) at the front of the station.
• イギリスより輸入した紅茶を販売しております。

  Transcription: Igirisu yori yunyūshita kōcha o hanbai shite orimasu.

  Translation: We sell tea imported from England.

In this case, there is no difference in literal meaning between the two particles. The only real difference between から (transcribed kara) and より (transcribed yori) in this context is formality and politeness: より (transcribed yori) is more formal than から (transcribed kara). It can even sound a little bit stiff.

In Japanese, three main particles are used to mark the destination or direction of movement: に (transcribed ni), へ (transcribed e), and まで (transcribed made). In this section, we’ll talk about when you’ll want to use each one.

All three of these particles can be translated as “to” or sometimes “towards,” but there is a slight difference in their meaning.

1. へ (transcribed e) is more like “towards.” You use it to mark your final destination, but it’s implied that you haven’t arrived yet.

   新幹線で京都へ行く。

   Transcription: Shinkansen de Kyōto e iku.

   Translation: (I) go to (towards) Kyoto by bullet train.

   Kyoto is the final destination of the train, but the speaker might get off before then, or might decide to come home.

   Therefore, we don’t usually use へ (transcribed e) with a verb for an action that involves “arriving.”

   ❌ 電車へ乗る

   Transcription: densha e noru

   Translation: Intended: to get on the train

   “Getting on” implies that you arrived there, so saying this is a little like saying “to get on towards the train”

2. に (transcribed ni) is like either “to” or sometimes “towards.” You use it with a final destination that you have reached or expect to reach. However, you can use this with a final destination that you haven’t actually reached yet.

   新幹線で京都に行く。

   Transcription: Shinkansen de Kyōto ni iku.

   Translation: (I) go to Kyoto by bullet train.

   The speaker may not be there yet, but is planning to reach Kyoto.

   Unlike へ (transcribed e), we can use に (transcribed ni) with a verb for an action that involves “arriving.”

   電車に乗る

   Transcription: densha ni noru

   Translation: to get on (to) the train

   Though usually you get on a train because you’re going somewhere else, the final destination of the “getting on” action itself is still the train.

3. まで (transcribed made) is like “as far as” or “by way of.” It is used to mark a stop along the way to somewhere else.

   新幹線で京都まで行く。

   Transcription: Shinkansen de Kyōto made iku.

   Translation: (I) go to (as far as) Kyoto by bullet train.

   The speaker intends to reach Kyoto, but Kyoto is not their final destination.

The images below can give you a quick visual of what the differences are.

destination + へ (transcribed e)
destination + に (transcribed ni)
destination + まで (transcribed made)

There are, therefore, lots of cases where all three particles are acceptable, and may even receive the same English translation, but the implications are slightly different in Japanese. Let’s look at some examples like this!

• エレベーターで５階 ___ 上がる。

  Transcription: Elebētā de gokai ___ agaru.

  Translation: (I) go up to the fifth floor by elevator.
  • へ

    Transcription: e

    I intend to reach the fifth floor, but my story is probably about what happens while I’m in the elevator.
  • に

    Transcription: ni

    The fifth floor is my final destination and I intend to reach it.
  • まで

    Transcription: made

    I’m traveling to several places in the building, and the fifth floor is one of those places.
• 自転車で駅 ___ 向かった。

  Transcription: Jitensha de eki ___ mukatta.

  Translation: (I) went to the station by bicycle.
  • へ

    Transcription: e

    I went to the station, but I’m talking about what happened along the way.
  • に

    Transcription: ni

    The goal was to reach the station and I got there.
  • まで

    Transcription: made

    I’m going to several places today, and I reached the station by bike.
• 毎日学校 ___ 来る。

  Transcription: Mainichi gakkō ___ kuru.

  Translation: (I) come to school every day.
  • へ

    Transcription: e

    While you can probably assume this means that I attend school every day, I’m really talking about and focused on my trip to school.
  • に

    Transcription: ni

    I attend school every day.
  • まで

    Transcription: made

    This sounds like I’m stopping in at the school, or it’s one of the places I go every day.

In Japanese, you will often use the particle に (transcribed ni) or the particle と (transcribed to) to mark the person someone is interacting with. For example:

• 友達に会った

  Transcription: Tomodachi ni atta.

  Translation: (I) met a friend.
• 友達と会った

  Transcription: Tomodachi to atta.

  Translation: (I) met with a friend.

Can you guess, based on those translations, what the difference is between them, in this context?

• に (transcribed ni): The interaction is one-sided. The subject is taking the initiative in the interaction and is doing all the work.

  来週先生に話す。

  Transcription: Raishū sensei ni hanasu.

  Translation: I will talk to the teacher.

  This interaction is one-sided. Only the student is talking.

• と (transcribed to)→ The interaction is mutual. Both parties are taking part in the interaction. This is more like “talking with” someone.

  来週先生と話す。

  Transcription: Raishū sensei to hanasu.

  Translation: I will talk with the teacher.

  This interaction is mutual. They are talking to each other.

In this article, we’ve gone through several of the trickiest particle contrasts in Japanese. Here’s what to remember:

• location of movement + を (transcribed o) / で (transcribed de)

  • を (transcribed o) → traversing the location completes a goal

  • で (transcribed de) → simply specifies where it happened

• point of departure + を (transcribed o) / から (transcribed kara)

  • を (transcribed o) → simply specifies the departure point

  • から (transcribed kara)→ implies moving on to somewhere specific

• starting point + から (transcribed kara) / より (transcribed yori)

  • から (transcribed kara) → casual, informal

  • より (transcribed yori)→ polite, formal

• destination + に (transcribed ni) / へ (transcribed e) / まで (transcribed made)

  • に (transcribed ni) → marks final destination

  • へ (transcribed e)→ marks final destination, focuses on the travel

  • まで (transcribed made)→ marks a stop along the road

• second participant + に (transcribed ni) / と (transcribed to)

  • に (transcribed ni) → interaction is one-sided (“talk to”)

  • と (transcribed to)→ interaction is mutual (“talk with”)

Ready to practice these distinctions? Check out our tricky particle pair activities to test your skills! Happy learning!