chart from here. very useful resource for keeping the basics straight.
| meaning/function | reading | hiragana | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominative case | -ga | ーが | 彼女が一番です。 Kanojo ga ichi-ban desu. “She is number one.” |
| Location | -de | ーで | ここで食べます。 Koko de tabemasu. “(I) eat here.” |
| Destination | -e | ーへ | 彼は図書館へいきます。 Kare wa toshokan e ikimasu. “He goes to the library.” |
| Dative case / Time | -ni | ーに | Dative: 彼は子供に本をあげました。 Kare wa kodomo ni hon o agemashita. “He gave the kid a book.” Time: 私は5時に出発します。 Watashi wa go-ji ni shuppatsu shimasu. “I depart at five o’clock.” |
| Origin | -kara | ーから | 駅は家から徒歩5分です。 Eki wa ie kara toho go-fun desu. “The station is a five-minute walk from home.” |
| Co-participant | -to | ーと | 彼女は彼と歌います。 Kanojo wa kare to utaimasu. “She sings with him.” |
| Objective case | -o | ーを | 私は本を読みます。 Watashi wa hon o yomimasu. “I read the book.” |
| Possessive case | -no | ーの | これは私のカバンです。 Kore wa watashi no kaban desu. “This is my bag.” |
| End point | -made | ーまで | 彼は駅まで歩きました。 Kare wa eki made arukimashita. “He walked to the station.” |
| Starting point / Comparative | -yori | ーより | Starting point: 会議は9時より行われます。 Kaigi wa ku-ji yori okonawaremasu. “The meeting will be held at nine o’clock.” Comparative: これはあれより安いです。 Kore wa are yori yasui desu. “This is cheaper than that.” |
note: objective case is defined as: “the objective case in English grammar refers to the form of a pronoun (like me, him, her, us, them) or noun when it acts as the object in a sentence—receiving the action as a direct or indirect object, or following a preposition.”
nominative particles: comes after a noun and expresses the relationship the noun has with the predicate which follows が、お、で、に、へ、から、まで、と、より、etc
binding particles: comes after a particle or noun to add extra information, such as adding emphasis or expressing that two things are the same. は、も、鹿、こそ、etc
note: when 「も」or 「は」is added to 「が」or 「を」, the 「が」or 「を」become less visible.