The Particle を: The Direct Object 直接目的語を示す「を」
The particle を is the second most important case particle in Japanese after the particle が. As we learned, case particles attach to a noun to mark a particular grammatical function (case). The function that the particle を marks, as we will learn, is to mark the direct object of a sentence. The grammatical case that it represents is called the accusative case.
Before we get into the actual grammar of all this, let’s recap some important terminology that we’ve seen thus far while adding these new concepts to the list.
- Case Particle: A particle that attaches to a noun to mark a particular grammatical function/case.
- Verb: A word that describes an action, state, or occurrence. It may constitute the predicate at the end of a sentence or be part of a noun-predicate when used as a participle/modifier.
- Predicate: The part of a sentence that makes a statement about the subject.
- Intransitive Verb: A verb that only takes a subject and does not take an object.
- Transitive Verb: A verb that takes both a subject and an object.
- Object: A noun that is directed by the main verb of the sentence.
- Direct object: A word that receives the action of the main verb of the sentence.
- Accusative Case: Grammatical case whose main function is to show the direct object of a verb.
Pronunciation Note: The particle を is pronounced as “o” by most speakers, but it is historically pronounced as “wo,” which is still preferred in some dialects and certain social contexts. For instance, it is frequently pronounced as “wo” in clearly enunciated speech as well as in music.
What is a Direct Object?
直接目的語とは？
First, a direct object is a noun phrase denoting a person or thing that is the recipient of the action of a transitive verb. Putting aside what a transitive verb is, below are examples of direct objects in English.
i. I kissed a boy.
ii. I ate a hamburger.
iii. I drank milk.
iv. She bought a television.
v. He sold his stereo.
Intransitive & Transitive Verbs
The next question is what a transitive verb is, but in figuring this out, it’s best to understand what transitive and intransitive verbs are.
Intransitive Verb: A verb that doesn’t need an object to complete its meaning.
Transitive Verb: A verb that requires one or more objects to complete its meaning.
Here are some examples of both intransitive and transitive verbs in English.
vi. I saw a monkey. (transitive)
vii. He stood still. (intransitive)
viii. He found a raccoon. (transitive)
ix. The alligator swam away. (intransitive)
x. She cooked the meal. (transitive)
Intransitive Verbs (自動詞) vs Transitive Verbs (他動詞)
In Japanese, intransitive verbs are called 自動詞. Such verbs only require that a subject be used in concert with the predicate, and of course, the subject is marked by が. Transitive verbs are called 他動詞. Such verbs require that both a subject and direct object be used in concert with the predicate. Although the subject is still marked by が, the direct object is marked by を. The fact that 他動詞 need one more element (argument) to the sentence to be grammatical, the presence of a direct object or lack thereof, is frequently used to distinguish 自動詞 and 他動詞.
In fact, it is often the case that the subject of an intransitive predicate can become the direct object of a transitive predicate. This is also the case in English, which can be seen in the following examples.
1. 電気がついた。(Intransitive)
The lights turned on.
2. ジェイムズさんが電気をつけました。(Transitive)
James turned on the light.
Sentence Note: The subject of Ex. 1 is the direct object of Ex. 2.
3. ビールが冷えた。(Intransitive)
The beer chilled.
4. 雄太君がビールを冷やした。(Transitive)
Yuta chilled the beer.
Sentence Note: The subject of Ex. 3 is the direct object of Ex. 4.
Intransitive-Transitive Verb Pairs
In English, the verbs “to turn on” and “to chill” can be both used as either intransitive or transitive verbs without any change to their conjugations; however, the same cannot be said for Japanese. “To turn on” is つく and つける for the intransitive and transitive sense respectively, and “to chill” is 冷える and 冷やす in the intransitive and transitive sense respectively.
In Japanese, many verbs have intransitive-transitive verb pairs, which is another means of figuring out when and when not to use the particle wo を. Some of the most common examples of these so-called intransitive-transitive verb pairs in Japanese are listed below. Note that for some of them, they also create verb pairs in English.
| Definition | Intransitive | Transitive |
| To break | 壊れる | 壊す |
| To change | 変わる | 変える |
| To start | 始まる | 始める |
| To stop | 止まる | 止める |
| To open | 開く | 開ける |
5. 車が止まった。
The car stopped.
6. 警察官が僕の車を止めた。
A police officer stopped me (my car).
7. 窓が開いた。
The window opened.
8. 悠さんは窓を開けました。
Yu opened a/the window.
Usages of the Particle を
「を」の使い方
So far, we have seen how the particle を primarily marks the direct object, but that is not all it can do. を can be explained as having two broad purposes with various applications. Depending on the usage, you may see it with transitive verbs, intransitive verbs, or both.
- Direct Object Marker
- Transition Marker
i. Through/Along
ii. Toward/Around
iii. Object of Departure: “From”
iv. Flux in Degree
v. Time
Now, let’s look at these usages in action. Note that at times, there will be some grammar points used that have not been fully introduced. In those instances, you are only expected to focus on learning how to use the particle を.
The Direct Object Marker を
The basic usage of を is to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. Not all transitive verbs in English are transitive verbs in Japanese, and so you cannot always expect を to be the correct particle to choose, but for verbs that are unequivocally transitive.
9. 机を売る。
To sell a desk.
10. 床を掃く。
To sweep the floor.
11. 雑誌を読む。
To read a magazine.
12. お好み焼きを食べる。
To eat okonomiyaki.
Word Note: お好み焼き is known as the Japanese pancake. In its predominant form, the batter is made of 小麦粉 (flour), grated 長芋 (Chinese yam), 出汁 (soup stalk), eggs, and 千切りキャベツ (shredded cabbage). Other ingredients such as 青ネギ (green onion), 肉 (meat), タコ (octopus), イカ (squid), エビ (shrimp), 野菜 (vegetables), コンニャク (konjac), 餅 (sticky rice cake), and チーズ (cheese) are typically added.
13. テレビを見る。
To watch TV.
14. オレンジジュースを飲む。
To drink orange juice.
15. 勝利を目指す。
To aim for victory.
16. 漢字を勉強する。
To study Kanji.
17. 石を投げる。
To throw (a) rock(s).
18. お湯を沸かす。
To boil water.
Word Note: お湯 (hot water) is used instead of 水 (water) with the verb 沸かす (to boil).
The Transition Marker を
Transitive verbs in Japanese usually involve actions in which the agent’s volition is a fundamental aspect. In other words, the agent is in control of what happens (to a direct object). It is this quality that the particle を brings attention to. Because intransitive verbs can also represent actions in which the agent is fully in control of the situation, the particle を can be used with them so long as the agent is acting upon something. In the following usages, the concept of ‘something’ is broadened to indicate transition. As the transition marker, whether it is used with intransitive or transitive verbs, the particle を indicates transition in time, space, or degree.
Motion Through All/Part of a Dimension
Transitioning through a dimension of time is one of the most important applications of the transition marker を. To visualize how this works, think of a circle and arrow going through it. The action at hand happens anywhere throughout the space を marks. Transition-wise, it may equate to various English phrases such as “along,” “through,” and “across.”
Transitivity Note: This usage is used with intransitive verbs that involve motion.
19. 富士山を登りました。
I climbed Mt. Fuji.
20. 公園を走りました。
I ran through the park.
21. 日本橋を渡りました。
I crossed the Nihon Bridge.
22. ミシシッピ川を泳ぎました。
I swam across the Mississippi River.
23. 空を飛びました。
I flew across the sky.
24. 彼は下り坂を走った。
He ran downhill.
25. アユは川を下った。
The sweetfish descended the river.
～に行く vs ～を行く
As the examples above have demonstrated, the transition marker を is used to indicate what dimension movement is taking place. However, the particle を says nothing about destination or what may happen internally within a certain dimension. Those situations are handled by other particles. The verb 行く means “to go,” and is frequently described as taking the particle に, which indicates destination.
26. スーパーに行きました。
I went to the supermarket.
However, it too can be used with the particle を. In the case of 行く, the sentence becomes figurative as it goes beyond the typical application of “to go (somewhere).”
27. 僕は僕の道を行く。
I walk along my path.
28. ラクサウルを通ってネパールとインドの国境を 越えました。
Passing through Raxaul, I crossed the border between Nepal and India.
Grammar Note: The verb 通る is used together with the conjunctive particle て to make a dependent clause meaning “passing through,” which also allows を to be used twice to mark transition.
Direction of an Action
Another use of the transition marker を is to indicate the direction of an action that, although being an outward action, isn’t necessarily going through something. The action could be done towards or around some entity, with the entity being broadened to include direction.
Transitivity Note: This usage may be used with both intransitive and transitive verbs.
29. 角を曲がった。
I turned the corner.
30. 周りを回った。
I circled around.
The Noun 方
The noun 方, frequently spelled simply as ほう, is used to help を create the meaning of “toward.” The insertion of ほう is imperative whenever the noun it precedes is not a literal direction-word (north, south, east, and west). However, it is still frequently inserted regardless.
| Phrase | Definition | Phrase | Definition |
| North | 北（のほう） | South | 南（のほう） |
| East | 東（のほう） | West | 西（のほう） |
| Up | 上（のほう） | Down | 下（のほう） |
| Left | 左（のほう） | Right | 右（のほう） |
| Forward | 前（のほう） | Back(ward) | 後ろ（のほう） |
31. 下（のほう）を見ました。
I looked down(ward).
32. 岐阜のほうを眺めました。
I gazed toward Gifu.
33. 翔平君は先生のほうを向いた。
Shohei faced the teacher.
Two Transition を in the Same Clause
The transition marker を, as we are discovering, has more than one application. Although these individual applications are all interrelated to each other, they are different enough to the point that more than one can manifest in a sentence. Because sentences can be composed of several clauses (sections) as was seen in Ex. 28, this isn’t hard to fathom.
We have also seen how the same particle can easily be used more than once in a sentence even in the same clause, as is frequently the case with the particles が and は. In those discussions, the word sentence was used in place of clause, but clause is simply one stage below a sentence in terms of grammar. Clauses come in two kinds: independent and dependent. An independent clause is something that can stand alone as a proper sentence, whereas a dependent clause cannot stand alone as sentence. A clause, nonetheless, will always have the same hallmarks of a sentence in regards to composition.
As for を, it is possible to have two usages of the transition marker function manifest in a single clause. In Ex. 34, the first を marks the direction of the action of “to walk.” The subject walked “in” the rain. The second を marks the dimension of transit, which is “through” the park. There is a principle of Japanese grammar, however, that aims to avoid such doubling of case particles. Because of this, the first such を is usually left omitted despite grammatically still being there.
34. 雨の中（を）、公園を歩いた。
I walked through the park in the rain.
Origin of Departure
The transition marker を may also mark what the agent is departing from. In this sense, it is interchangeable with another case particle から. This is only true, however, for when the point of departure is a physical, concrete location.
Transitivity Note: This usage may be used with both intransitive and transitive verbs.
35. 電車｛を・から｝降りました。
I got off the train.
Nuance Note: The use of を simply implies getting off a train. The use of から indicates that the speaker is purposely heading elsewhere upon getting off the train.
36. 家｛を・から｝出ました。
I left the home/I went out of my home.
Nuance Note: The use of を indicates the former interpretation, which implies leaving the one to live by oneself, whereas the use of から indicates the latter interpretation, which simply implies going from the home for a bit.
37. 【妻・主人】は7時に家を出ました。
My wife/husband left home at seven o’ clock.
Sentence Note: The use of うち instead of いえ, both words being spelled as 家, helps make it clear that one is not uprooting oneself from one’s home. If the particle から were used instead of を, it would imply there is a certain destination in mind with the home being the starting point. To simply express one leaving home, use 家（うち）を出る.
Grammar Note: The particle に indicates “at” when used after time phrases.
38. 外に出ました。
I went outside.
Grammar Note: Like the issue with the verb 行くas to which particle should be used, if you are intending to use the verb 出る to indicate where one has exited “to,” then you must use the particle に instead of を as it is に that indicates place of destination.
39. 去年大学｛を 〇・から X｝卒業しました。
I graduated (from) college last year.
40. 会社{を 〇・から X}辞めました。
I quit the company.
41. 船が 港｛を・から｝出発した。
The boat departed from the harbor.
Grammar Note: The use of を makes it sound that the harbor is just the origin of the act of departure. The use of から makes it sound that harbor is specifically the starting point of a venture. This distinction between the two particles is profound enough to have both particles show up in the same sentence for their own respective purposes.
42. シアトルタコマ国際空港からアメリカを出発した。
I departed America from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Flux in Degree
There are a handful of verbs in Japanese that regard fluctuation in degree. These verbs indicate how a certain value goes beyond or below a certain standard.
Transitivity Note: This usage is used with intransitive verbs.
43. 今日は35度を超える猛暑日でした。
Today was an extremely hot day exceeding 35 degrees Celsius.
44. その金額は1億ドルを上回りました。
The amount exceeded 100 million dollars.
45. 基準を下回る。
To fall below a standard.
Transition of Time
The use of the transition marker of を to show transition in a temporal sense is not as productive as the grammatical situations above. As is the case with expressing transit through space, を can mark transiting through a certain time period.
Transitivity Note: This usage may be used with both intransitive and transitive verbs.
46. カナダで夏休みを過ごしました。
I spent my summer break in Canada.
Sentence Note: 過ごす is a transitive verb. It is indicative of how this use of を, when used with transitive verbs, is used with nouns that are not literally time phrases but inherently imply a period of time.
Grammar Note: The particle で is the particle used to indicate where an action is done “at.”
47. 竣工から10年を経た建物の調査を行ないます。
We perform investigations of buildings which have passed ten years since completion.
Sentence Note: 経る is an intransitive verb. It is indicative of how this use of wo, when used with intransitive verbs, is used primarily with explicit time phrases.
Grammar Note: The particle から, when used with nouns that relate to time, indicate a starting point in time. This shows how the concepts of “from” and “since” are the same in Japanese.
48. その殺人事件の容疑者は10年もの間（を）、息を潜めて、隠れていました。
The suspect of that murder case had been hiding, breath bated, for ten years.
Grammar Note: In this example, the temporal を is optional. For one, it is not normally paired with the intransitive verb 隠れる (to hide) as the length of hiding is not a detail that must be explicitly stated. The reason why it would appear in a sentence like Ex. 48 is to emphasize the fact that the suspect was hiding for ten years. The sense of the hiding having been something that was ongoing is the heart of what the temporal をmeans.
Grammar Note: The phrase ～もの間 equates to “for” in this sentence.
49. 私たちは厳しい現実の中を生きています。
We are living through a harsh reality.
Grammar Note: Although 現実の中 can be interpreted as being a spatial phrase; “living through” a situation implies that time is also passing. This shows just how intertwined spatial and temporal phrases often are in Japanese.
50. 一旦社会を離れた女性がブランクを経て再び仕事に就くことはなかなか困難だ。
A woman who’s separated herself from the public taking a job again upon going through a gap is fairly difficult.
Grammar Notes:
1. The word こと is used to nominalize the entire phrase before it. こと literally means “situation.”
2. The を before 離れた is the を of origin of departure.
3. 経て is the verb 経る with the conjunctive particle て. The phrase ブランクを経て means “going through a gap…” This を is the temporal を.
4. The use of the particle に before the verb 就く indicates that one becomes seated into an occupation.