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Japanese Grammar: A Side-by-Side Map for English Speakers (N5–N4)

2026.04.13
A side-by-side map of Japanese grammar at beginner level (JLPT N5–N4) — each point shown alongside its key difference from English, all in one view. Put together for an online Meetup session; free to use as a reference.

At N5–N4, the core building blocks are particles, verb conjugation, and sentence structure — the framework that everything else builds on.

Related link: → A Side-by-Side Map for English Speakers (N3–N1)

Sentence Structure N5
Grammar point What it is How it differs from English
Word order (SOV)
 Subject → Object → Verb. “I sushi eat.” The verb always comes last. English is SVO: “I eat sushi.” In Japanese, you cannot move the verb away from the end.
Polite form: です／ます
 The standard polite ending added to verbs and nouns. Used in most everyday situations. No equivalent in English. Japanese marks the level of politeness through verb endings, not word choice.
Plain form
 食べる (taberu), 行く (iku). Used with friends, in writing, and inside longer sentences. English uses the same verb form regardless of formality. Japanese changes the verb form itself.
Particles — The Glue of Japanese Sentences N5
Grammar point What it is How it differs from English
は (wa) — topic
 私は学生です (Watashi wa gakusei desu) — “As for me, I’m a student.” No direct equivalent. The topic is not always the grammatical subject — one of the biggest shifts from English.
が (ga) — subject
 誰が来た？(Dare ga kita?) — “Who came?” は vs. が is one of the hardest distinctions for English speakers. は sets the topic; が identifies the specific subject.
を (o) — object
 りんごを食べる (Ringo o taberu) — “eat an apple.” English uses word order to show the object. Japanese uses this particle, making word order more flexible.
に (ni) — direction / time / target
 学校に行く (Gakkoo ni iku) — “go to school.” 3時に (sanji ni) — “at 3 o’clock.” Also marks location of existence with ある/いる: 公園にある (kooen ni aru) — “is in the park.” Covers several English prepositions: to, at, in (for time).
で (de) — location of action / means
 公園で走る (Kooen de hashiru) — “run in the park.” バスで (basu de) — “by bus.” で marks where an action happens or how it is done. に marks where something exists.
へ (e) — direction
 Marks direction of movement. Emphasises heading toward, not arriving. Often interchangeable with に for movement. へ focuses on direction; に on destination.
と (to) — with / and
 友達と行く (Tomodachi to iku) — “go with a friend.” English “with” and “and” are separate words. と covers both depending on context.
から／まで — from / until
 東京から大阪まで (Tookyoo kara Oosaka made) — “from Tokyo to Osaka.” Equivalent to “from” and “until/to,” but always follow the noun (postpositions, not prepositions).
の (no) — possession / connection
 私の本 (Watashi no hon) — “my book.” 日本語の先生 (Nihongo no sensei) — “Japanese teacher.” Like English “’s” or “of,” but modifiers always come before the noun.
も／か／ね／よ
 も = also, か = question marker, ね = seeking agreement (“right?”), よ = asserting information. English expresses these through tone or extra words. Japanese uses sentence-final particles.
Verbs N5N4
Grammar point What it is How it differs from English
Verb groups (3 types)
 Group 1 (u-verbs): 書く (kaku), 飲む (nomu). Group 2 (ru-verbs): 食べる (taberu), 見る (miru). Group 3 (irregular): する (suru), くる (kuru). →NHK verb chart (PDF) The group determines how the verb conjugates. Similar to strong/weak verb distinctions in European languages.
Te-form 〜て
 The most versatile form. Used to connect actions, make requests (〜てください te kudasai), describe ongoing actions (〜ています te imasu), ask permission (〜てもいいですか te mo ii desu ka), and more. No single English equivalent. Think of it as a connector — like “-ing” or “and” — but it does far more.
Past tense 〜た
 食べた (tabeta) — “ate.” 行った (itta) — “went.” Japanese has only two tenses: past and non-past. No future tense — context or time words clarify.
Negative form 〜ない
 食べない (tabenai) — “don’t eat.” 行かない (ikanai) — “don’t go.” English adds “don’t/doesn’t.” Japanese changes the verb ending itself.
〜ている (te iru)
 食べている (tabete iru) — “is eating.” Continuing state: 結婚している (kekkon shite iru) — “is married.” 知っている (shitte iru) — “knows.” Similar to English “-ing,” but also covers states: being married, knowing something — not just actions in progress.
Potential form — can do
 食べられる (taberareru) — “can eat.” できる (dekiru) — “can do / is possible.” English uses “can” as a separate word. Japanese changes the verb form itself.
Passive form
 食べられた (taberareta) — “was eaten.” Also: 雨に降られた (Ame ni furareta) — “got rained on” (suffering passive). English passive: “was eaten.” Japanese also has a suffering passive for unwanted events — no direct English equivalent.
Causative form — make / let
 食べさせる (tabesaseru) — “make/let someone eat.” English uses “make” or “let” as separate words. Japanese changes the verb ending.
Adjectives N5
Grammar point What it is How it differs from English
I-adjectives 〜い
 高い (takai) — expensive. 寒い (samui) — cold. Conjugate: 高くない (takakunai) — not expensive. 高かった (takakatta) — was expensive. English adjectives don’t conjugate. Japanese i-adjectives change form for tense and negation, similar to verbs.
Na-adjectives 〜な
 きれいな (kirei na) — beautiful. 好きな (suki na) — liked. Before a noun: きれいな人 (kirei na hito) — a beautiful person. Behave more like nouns than adjectives. The な only appears before a noun; otherwise they use です/だ endings.
Key Expression Patterns (Beginner) N4
Grammar point What it is How it differs from English
〜たいです
 Add たい to the verb stem: 食べ＋たい (tabe+tai) — want to eat. Conjugates like an i-adjective: 食べたくない (tabetakunai) — don’t want to eat. Like “want to,” but generally used only for the speaker’s own desires — using it for others can sound presumptuous.
〜てもいいです／〜てはいけません
 Te-form + もいいです (permission) or てはいけません (prohibition): 食べてもいいです (Tabete mo ii desu) — “You may eat.” 食べてはいけません — “You must not eat.” Equivalent to “may” and “must not.” Both are built on the te-form.
〜なければなりません
 行かなければなりません (Ikanakereba narimasen) — “I have to go.” Like “must” or “have to.” The double-negative structure (literally: “if I don’t go, it won’t do”) often surprises English speakers.
〜と思います
 雨が降ると思います (Ame ga furu to omoimasu) — “I think it will rain.” Like “I think.” The quoted clause comes first, followed by と思います at the end.
Conditionals: 〜たら／〜ば／〜と
 食べたら (tabetara) — “if/when you eat.” 安ければ (yasukereba) — “if it’s cheap.” 春になると (Haru ni naru to) — “when spring comes.” English uses one word (“if”) for all conditions. Japanese has multiple conditional forms with subtle differences in nuance.
〜んです
 Used to imply ‘there’s context behind this.’ Attaches to the plain form of verbs and adjectives: 食べるんです (taberu n desu). To ask for explanation: どうしたんですか？(Dooshita n desu ka?) — “What’s going on?” English has no equivalent structure. Without it the sentence is a neutral statement; with it, the speaker signals or invites background context.
Politeness (Beginner Range) N5
Grammar point What it is How it differs from English
〜てください
 食べてください (Tabete kudasai) — “Please eat.” Like “please + verb,” but requires the te-form of the verb first.

This map covers JLPT N5–N4 level grammar. Advanced topics (keigo, complex conditionals, noun-modifying clauses, etc.) build on these foundations.

Related link: → A Side-by-Side Map for English Speakers (N3–N1)

If you spot any errors or have suggestions for improvement, feel free to reach out via the contact form.

For reference only. Created with AI assistance. Please verify accuracy independently.

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Japanese Grammar: A Side-by-Side Map for English Speakers (N5–N4)