文末助詞(ね・よ・か)

N5

文末助詞(ね・よ・か)

bunmatsu joshi (ne / yo / ka)

Sentence-ending particles

N5

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Explanation

Sentence-ending particles add feeling and intent to a sentence. The most common at N5 are ね, よ, and か. They are placed at the end of a sentence after です/ます or a plain form. Key points: • ね = seeking agreement or softening a statement • よ = giving new information or emphasis • か = question marker ね is like “right?” or “isn’t it?” For example, “今日は寒いですね” means “It’s cold today, isn’t it?” You are inviting the listener to agree. よ is used when you are telling the listener something they may not know or when you want to emphasize. “これはおいしいですよ” means “This is tasty, you know.” か turns a sentence into a question. “田中さんは学生ですか” means “Is Tanaka-san a student?” These particles make your Japanese sound natural and friendly. They are short, but they change the tone of the sentence. Be careful not to overuse them, and remember that か is required for many polite questions, while ね and よ are optional for nuance. As you listen to native speech, notice how people use ね to check understanding and よ to sound confident or helpful. Copying these small particles will make your conversations feel more natural.

Structure

Pattern
Sentence + ね/よ/か
SentenceAny complete sentence
Examples: 今日は寒いです, これは本です, 行きます
ね/よ/かEnding particle for tone or question
Examples: , ,

Examples

Example 1
今日は寒いですね。
Kyou wa samui desu ne.
It’s cold today, isn’t it?
Breakdown
今日today
topic marker
寒いcold
ですpolite ending
seeking agreement
Note: ね invites agreement
Example 2
これはおいしいですよ。
Kore wa oishii desu yo.
This is tasty, you know.
Breakdown
これthis
topic marker
おいしいtasty
ですpolite ending
emphasis
Note: よ adds emphasis
Example 3
田中さんは学生ですか。
Tanaka-san wa gakusei desu ka.
Is Tanaka-san a student?
Breakdown
田中さんMr./Ms. Tanaka
topic marker
学生student
ですpolite ending
question marker
Note: か makes a question
Example 4
明日行きますよ。
Ashita ikimasu yo.
I will go tomorrow (for sure).
Breakdown
明日tomorrow
行きますgo (polite)
emphasis
Note: Emphasizing the statement

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