In English The Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language defines a particle as a “word that does not change its form through inflection and does not fit easily into the established system of parts of speech”.

In grammar, a particle is a range of words that fall outside the traditional eight parts of speech – noun, verb, pronoun, adjective, preposition, adverb, interjection, conjunction, yet there is no doubt about its value in language.

1a : a minute quantity or fragment. b : a relatively small or the smallest discrete portion or amount of something. 2 archaic : a clause or article of a composition or document. 3 : any of the basic units of matter and energy (such as a molecule, atom, proton, electron, or photon)

Languages that use many modal particles in their spoken form include Dutch, Danish, German, Hungarian, Russian, Telugu, Nepali, Indonesian, Chinese and Japanese. The translation is often not straightforward and depends on the context.

Examples of macroscopic particles would include powder, dust, sand, pieces of debris during a car accident, or even objects as big as the stars of a galaxy.

Lesson. A particle is a pseudo-word which has no meaning, but a function in maintaining order in a sentence. The particles are as follows: は (wa) marks the topic of a sentence (equivalent to English “as for …” or “speaking of …”). (Note: When は is used as a particle it is pronounced “wa”, not “ha”.)

I

it is like watashi wa means “about me” watashi ga means “by myself” it is a very rough explanation. Watashi wa sensei which means you are talking about you. Watashi ga teacher which means you are telling that you are teaching by yourself.

Wa (hiragana: わ, katakana: ワ) is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora.

Wa (和) is a Japanese cultural concept usually translated into English as “harmony”. It implies a peaceful unity and conformity within a social group in which members prefer the continuation of a harmonious community over their personal interests.

Both kudasai (ください）and onegaishimasu（お願いします) are Japanese words used when making a request for items. In many cases, these two Japanese words, which translate roughly as “please” or “please give me,” are interchangeable.

If you use “anata” with someone who you know, it is rude. So it’s better to use name plus san. You might already have known that Japanese people often leave out ‘watashi’, because you say, for example, “Hiroko desu.” to mean ‘I’m Hiroko.” We leave out “watashi” when it’s obvious.

Are wa nan desu ka = what is that? / can I know what it is? This is used in formal situations, when the person you are asking is your colleague, superior or a stranger. This is a polite usage. This is recommended when asking about something so that you can be polite and not offend anyone.

The expression 何だよ (nandayo) literally means “what is [it].” 何 (usually なに but pronounced なん here) is the word for “what,” だ is the (basically is or are) and よ is the sentence-ending particle used to emphasize something. In Japanese, 何だよ is really only used when you are surprised, upset or annoyed by something.

“Kore wa” means “This is”. It also indicate the position of the object is near to the speaker. If the object is far from the speaker but near to the person the speaker talk to, then use “Sore wa”.

kore wa nani – これは何 (これはなに) : a casual expression meaning ‘what is this? ‘ in Japanese. This needs to be used with the pitch raised. kore nani – これ何 (これなに) : a more casual expression.

DOKO DESU KA is a phrase that allows you to ask where something is, either a place or thing.

“sou desu ka” means “I got you” with honorific. “Is it so sir” literally. in opposite, “sou da na” means “I agree” without honorific.