AP Japanese Language and Culture

Advanced Placement Japanese Language and Culture building Japanese language proficiency.

Basic Concepts

Japanese Grammar Structures

Building Sentences in Japanese

Japanese grammar is quite different from English. The basic sentence order is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV). This means the verb comes at the end of the sentence.

Key Elements

  • Particles: These small words mark the roles of words in the sentence (e.g., は, を, に).
  • Verb Conjugations: Verbs change form depending on tense and politeness.
  • Adjectives: There are two main types: い-adjectives and な-adjectives.

Examples of Sentence Structure

  • Simple present: 私はりんごを食べます (I eat an apple)
  • Polite request: 水をください (Please give me water)

Practical Tips

  • Practice recognizing particles in sentences.
  • Try rearranging English sentences into SOV order.
  • Watch Japanese media and listen for sentence endings.

Examples

  • 私は日本語を勉強します。

  • 友達と映画を見ました。

In a Nutshell

Japanese sentences have a unique structure and use special particles to show meaning.

Key Terms

Particle
A word that shows the function of another word in a sentence.
SOV
Subject-Object-Verb, the typical word order in Japanese.