How to Study Japanese Grammar

Most language learners, myself included, are scared of grammar in general and try to avoid it as much as possible. However, you cannot learn to understand a language without focusing at least a bit on the grammar part. You can know all the vocabulary in a sentence but still don’t understand the meaning of the sentence due to a lack of grammar knowledge.

I would not recommend memorizing grammar structures and trying to understand all the beginner or intermediate grammar at once. That would probably not lead to success (maybe even burnout). Instead, I would propose to acquire grammar in a more natural way, through consuming a lot of native content. It may be a long process, however, grammar is a fundamental part of a language and cannot be learned overnight. Additionally, you can use various resources to read through the grammar rules and do some exercises. However, watching and reading various native content is the most integral part because you will see how grammar is used in different contexts.

Japanese sentence order differs from English; verbs are placed at the end of a sentence and the language uses particles to modify nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Pronouns are often omitted and should be clear from the context.

Textbooks & Apps

Here are some resources that I found to be the most useful for learning grammar as a beginner.

Of all the apps for learning Japanese grammar, I have found Bunpo the most useful one. And I would also recommend the website Kanshudo; this one is great for beginners and advanced learners. The site contains every grammar point, divided into JLPT levels, and provides example sentences.

Particles

Particles are an important aspect of the Japanese language. At the beginning of your studies, you should at least read through all the basic functions of the most important particles: は (topic marker)、か (question)、が (specific subject marker, emphasis)、を(object marker)、の (possessive)、で (location, tool)、に (movement and time)、へ (movement)、も (also, too)、と (and)、ね (right?)、や (and). It is okay if you don’t understand everything from the get-go, that’s only normal, but you should have some basic idea of how these particles are used.

Verbs: Forms & Conjugations

For me, this is one of the most difficult aspects of every language. It takes time to learn the most common verbs and to understand the various forms of conjugation. The resources I mentioned above contain solid explanations and example sentences, but I would also recommend watching YouTube videos about this subject.

For (native) Russian speakers, I would recommend this YouTube video about all Japanese verbs, their forms, and conjugations. I have not found a better explanation yet! Unfortunately, it is not translated into English. For English speakers, I would recommend videos by Japanese Ammo with Misa. And when you reach a more advanced level (JLPT N3+), then videos by NihongoNoMori will provide you with detailed and understandable information in Japanese. If you are into video games or like the idea of learning grammar through game dialogue, then there is an excellent channel that explains grammar found in popular games; GameGengo.

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