Japanese is considered one of the most challenging languages to learn on earth. People probably think so because of the kanji writing system and the Japanese grammar.
Yes, Japanese grammar is pretty different from English, but that doesn’t necessarily make learning Japanese difficult. Once you start studying Japanese grammar, you realize everything is in order and makes sense.
This is the case with Japanese prepositions as well. Don’t become discouraged yet! Because in this post, you’ll learn the most commonly used Japanese prepositions and how to use them in sentences.
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But first, let’s see what actually is a preposition in linguistic terms.
What Is A Preposition?
A preposition is a word or group of words used right before a noun, pronoun, and noun phrase. They can indicate a direction, time, or location or introduce an object. The most common English prepositions are “in, at, on, of, and to.”
I think prepositions are a kind of assistant words that help us to complete our sentences fully and perfectly.
What Is The Difference Between Prepositions In English And Japanese?
Prepositions in Japanese have the same function as in English; however, they show differences in how they are formed in a sentence. Japanese prepositions often come right after the noun phrase they modify. So they’re like postpositions in English.
The other difference is that a Japanese preposition is usually separated between one or more words, usually the standard Japanese particles.
How To Use Japanese Prepositions In A Sentence?
Unlike English, Japanese has an SOV sentence structure, is generally agglutinative, and usually adds particles at the end of sentences. Due to those reasons, prepositions in Japanese are formed differently than in English.
First, let’s look at the three different ways to use prepositions in Japanese, and then we’ll give you a list of Japanese prepositions where you can find any preposition you need.
I. _の + Preposition
Usually, you add aの (no) before the preposition so that you can connect a Japanese noun to a location word. To understand it better, please analyze this example:
- In front of the bank – 銀行の前 (Gakkou no mae)
If you want to describe where something is located in relation to another thing, you should use the particle は (wa). To understand it better, please analyze this example:
- The library is next to the park. – 図書館は公園のとなりです。(Toshokan wa kouen no tonari desu.)
II. _と_の + Preposition
If you have to attach a preposition to two different nouns, you can connect them with と (to). The most common example of this situation is 間 (aida)which means ”in between”.
To understand it better, please analyze this example:
- In between the park and the hospital. – 公園と病院の間です (Kouen to byouin no aida desu.)
III. Without の
In Japanese grammar, it’s possible to use a preposition without の (no). However, you must figure out what the preposition is related to based on the context. Most of the time, it is from the speaker’s perspective.
- (I) saw something interesting to my right. – 右に面白物ものが見。(Migi ni omoshiroi mono ga mieta.)
The Ultimate List Of Japanese Prepositions
| English | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| about | 約 | やく | yaku | |
| above | 上に | うえに | ue ni | |
| according to | によると | ni yoru to | ||
| across | 横切って | よこぎって | yokogit te | |
| after | 後に | あとに | atoni | |
| against | に対して | に たいし て | ni taishi te | |
| among | の間に | の あいだ に | no aida ni | |
| around | の周りに | の まわり に | no mawari ni | |
| as | として | toshite | ||
| as far as | 限り | かぎり | kagiri | |
| as well as | だけでなく | dake de naku | ||
| at | に | ni | ||
| because of | のために | no tame ni | ||
| before | 前 | まえ | mae | |
| behind | 後ろに | うしろに | ushiro ni | |
| below | 下 に | したに | shita ni | |
| beside | 横に | よこ に | yoko ni | |
| between | の間に | の あいだ に | no aida ni | |
| beyond | 越えて | こえ て | koe te | |
| by | によって | niyotte | ||
| close to | の近くに | の ちかく に | no chikaku ni | |
| despite | にもかかわらず | ni mo kakawara zu | ||
| down | 下に | した に | shita ni | |
| due to | の ため に | no tame ni | ||
| during | 間に | あいだ に | aida ni | |
| except | 除いて | のぞい て | nozoi te | |
| except for | を除いて | を のぞい て | wo nozoi te | |
| for | のために | no tame ni | ||
| from | から | kara | ||
| in | 中で | なかで | naka de | |
| in addition to | に加えて | に くわえて | ni kuwae te | |
| in front of | の前に | の まえ に | no mae ni | |
| in spite of | にもかかわらず | ni mo kakawara zu | ||
| inside | 内部で | ないぶ で | naibu de | |
| inside of | の中に | の なかに | no naka ni | |
| instead of | の代わりに | の かわり に | no kawari ni | |
| into | 中に | なか に | naka ni | |
| near | 近くに | ちかく に | chikaku ni | |
| near to | の近くに | の ちかく に | no chikaku ni | |
| next | 次の | つぎ の | tsugi no | |
| next to | の隣に | の となり に | no tonari ni | |
| of | の | no | ||
| on | 上に | うえ に | ue ni | |
| on behalf of | に代わって | に かわって | ni kawat te | |
| opposite | 反対の | はんたい の | hantai no | |
| out | 外で | そと で | soto de | |
| outside | 外側で | そと がわ で | soto gawa de | |
| outside of | の外側に | の そと がわ に | no soto gawa ni | |
| over | 上 に | うえ に | ue ni | |
| per | ごとに | goto ni | ||
| plus | と | to | ||
| prior to | の前に | の まえ に | no mae ni | |
| round | 周りに | まわり に | mawari ni | |
| since | から | kara | ||
| than | より | yori | ||
| through | まで | made | ||
| to | に | ni | ||
| toward | に向かって | に むかって | ni mukat te | |
| under | 下 に | した に | shita ni | |
| unlike | とは違って | と は ちがって | to wa chigat te | |
| until | まで | made | ||
| up | 上 に | うえ に | ue ni | |
| with | と | to | ||
| without | なし で | nashi de |
3 Japanese Words That Mean ”Next To”
There are three different words that you can use to say ”next to” in Japanese. Since it may be a little confusing for new Japanese learners, we wanted to shed some light on this issue.
となり (tonari)
となり implies that something is right next to the object you’re talking about. There are no other objects in between.
よこ (yoko)
よこ implies that something is on a horizontal line from the thing you’re talking about. It may sometimes be used instead of となり. However, keep in mind that よこ has other stuff in between.
わき (waki)
わき implies that there is a small gap or space in between. For example, it’s usually used for the side of the road.
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