を
- 1Marks the direct object, the thing acted on by a transitive verb.Ex. 1
- 2Marks the path, route, or area passed through with motion verbs such as 行く, 歩く, 通る, 渡る.Ex. 2
- 3Marks the place one leaves or gets off from, with verbs such as 出る and 降りる.
Pronunciation: written を but pronounced the same as お
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An essential case particle used in every register, from casual speech to formal writing. With action verbs it marks what is acted on. With motion verbs it marks the space traversed, unlike に/へ, which mark the destination. With 出る and 降りる it marks the place left, where から would stress the starting point.
Learners often use を with 好き, わかる, or ほしい, but these normally take が (コーヒーが好きです).
Do not use を with 乗る or 会う for the vehicle or person; these take に (電車に乗る, 友達に会う).
Do not use を to mark a destination; use に or へ instead (学校に行く, not 学校を行く).
- に / へN5「に／へ」mark the destination or direction of movement, while 「を」marks the route passed through or the point of departure, so the two are not interchangeable. A destination cannot take 「を」: instead of 「東京を行きます」, say 「東京に／へ行きます」.
- て / でN5「を」attaches to nouns and marks the object of an action, the route passed through, or the point of departure, while 「て / で」attach to verbs, adjectives, or nouns to connect clauses and express a reason, as in 「風邪で休んだ」. Their functions differ, so they cannot be swapped.
- からN5They overlap only in expressing a point of departure: 「を」focuses on the act of leaving, while 「から」marks starting points of time or place in general, often pairs with 「まで」, and can also attach to sentences to express a reason. Both work in 「駅を／から出る」, but 「大学を卒業する」normally uses 「を」.
- がN5「が」marks the subject, while 「を」marks the object and the place passed through or departed from, so they are usually not interchangeable. The objects of 「好き・わかる・できる・ほしい」take 「が」, though with potential forms like 「読める」either particle works; 「が」can also express the contrastive sense of 'but'.
- 中をN2「中を」is close to 「を」in the sense of passing through: 「を」attaches directly to a place, while 「中を」sets the scene against conditions such as rain, snow, or busy times, and can attach to adjectives and verbs as well as being used in expressions of thanks. For places the two are often interchangeable (森を／森の中を歩く), but for conditions they are not.
に/へ mark a destination and を marks the route passed through, while で marks where an action happens rather than the space covered. から stresses a starting point and が marks the subject or the object of 好き/わかる. The N2 pattern 中を means 'amid/despite' a circumstance (お忙しい中を).
