The direct object: を
Object を + verb
Object + を + verb: を marks what the action is done to. It's said “o” and goes right after the object.
In short
を (pronounced “o”) marks what the action is done to: what you eat, read, buy… “パンを たべます” = “I eat bread”.
- 水を のみます。mizu o nomimasuI drink water.
- 本を よみます。hon o yomimasuI read a book.
- 日本語を はなします。nihongo o hanashimasuI speak Japanese.
The basics
を (pronounced “o”) marks the direct object: the thing the action is done to. What you eat, what you read, what you buy. It goes right after the object, and the verb comes at the end.
So the sentence order is: who (は) — what (を) — verb. “I eat bread” becomes “I は bread を eat”.
- パンを 食べます。pan o tabemasuI eat bread.
- わたしは まいにち 新聞を 読みます。watashi wa mainichi shinbun o yomimasuI read the newspaper every day.
を is written を and said “o”
を barely exists any more except for this particle. It's pronounced exactly like お. On a keyboard, you type it “wo”.
Verbs that take を
Most action verbs have an object with を. A few useful examples for N5:
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 水を 飲みます | to drink water |
| テレビを 見ます | to watch TV |
| おんがくを 聞きます | to listen to music |
| 本を 買います | to buy a book |
| てがみを 書きます | to write a letter |
| 日本語を はなします | to speak Japanese |
Going through a place with を
を also marks a place you go through or leave: こうえんを さんぽします (to take a walk in the park), うちを 出ます (to leave the house). This use is rarer at N5, but it sometimes comes up in the exam.
- みちを わたります。michi o watarimasuI cross the street.
Common mistakes
- Writing お instead of を: the particle is always written を.
- Using を with わかります, すき, ほしい: these words take が (日本語が わかります).
- Leaving out を in writing: in speech it's sometimes dropped, but the exam expects it.
5 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N5 point is on the Fukutoshin Line (People) of the Tokyo subway.