Wo in Japanese is used to make the object word in a sentence, explained

What is “wo” in Japanese?

Japanese native speakers use “wo” as a case particle to make the object word in a sentence. In this blog post, I will explain this particle in detail with example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “wo”
• Example #1: how to use “wo” in Japanese
• Example #2: another usage of “wo”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “wo”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “wo”.

• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.

Its actual pronunciation is “o”, but I will stick to the “wo” expression to clearly differentiate it from the prefix, “o“.

Japanese native speakers often use this case particle to make the object word in a sentence. This naturally means that this particle is often used together with a verb in a sentence. If a sentence doesn’t conatin any verb, it dosn’t need to have any object word.

Let me explain how to use this particle through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to use “wo” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• ai shi – 愛し (あいし) : one conjugation of the verb, “ai suru”, which means ‘to love’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “ai shi”, to make its te form, “ai shi te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with the auxiliary verb, “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, it is put after the te-formed verb, “ai shi te”, to express the continuity of the action, ‘to love’.

This is a typical usage of “wo”. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “kanojo”, to make the object word in the sentence. The English sentence doesn’t contain any preposition, as “to love” in English can work as a transitive verb. In Japanese, however, “ai suru” needs the case particle to indicate the direction in which the action, ‘to love’, is directed.

Example #2: another usage of “wo”

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• sushi – 寿司 (すし) : a noun meaning ‘sushi’ in Japanese.
• tabe – 食べ (たべ) : one conjugation of the verb, “taberu”, which means ‘to eat’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word in the example sentence.
• tai – たい : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make its desire form. Probably, it is well known as a part of Japanese tai form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “tabe”, to make its tai form, “tabe tai”, which means ‘to want to eat’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “wo”. In this example, it is put after the noun, “sushi”, to make the object word in the sentence. Due to its role, we can easily understand the direction in which the action, ‘to eat’, is directed.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the Japanese case particle, “wo”, in detail with the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”. Japanese native speakers often use this case particle to make the object word in a sentence. This naturally means that this particle is often used together with a verb in a sentence. If a sentence doesn’t conatin any verb, it dosn’t need to have any object word.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.