を is the particle that marks the direct object: the thing an action is done to. In 水を飲みます (“I drink water”), を tells you that water is what gets drunk. It is JLPT N5 grammar and appears in almost every sentence with an action verb. It also has a second job with movement verbs that surprises many beginners.
を points at the target of the verb. Ask "what is being eaten, read, bought or watched?" — that word takes を.
What does を mean?
を has no English translation of its own. English shows the object by word order: “I read a book”. Japanese shows it with a particle, so the words can move around more freely and the verb always comes last:
- 本を読みます。 — I read a book.
- 毎朝、コーヒーを飲みます。 — I drink coffee every morning.
を has two jobs at N5:
- Direct object. The person or thing that the action affects: パンを食べる, 写真を撮る, 友だちを待つ.
- Space you move through or leave. With verbs of movement, を marks the route or the starting point: 公園を散歩する (“walk in/through the park”), 道を渡る (“cross the road”), 家を出る (“leave home”).
The second job is not about “doing something to” the park or the house. It marks the area your movement covers, or the place you exit from.
Pronunciation: を is pronounced “o”, exactly like お. The “wo” romanization (and the “wo” key on Japanese keyboards) comes from old spelling. The kana を is used only for this particle, so when you see it, you know it is grammar.
How to form を
Put を directly after the noun, then the verb.
Things to notice:
- を never follows a verb or adjective directly. Only nouns (and noun phrases like 赤いかばん) take を: 赤いかばんを買いました.
- Other words can sit between を and the verb: 本を毎日読みます is fine.
- する-verbs: You can say 勉強する or 勉強をする. When you add the subject of study, use one を only: 日本語を勉強する, or 日本語の勉強をする.
- In casual speech, を is often dropped: 水、飲む？ (“Want some water?”). In writing and polite speech, keep it.
When is を used?
Use を with verbs where someone acts on something. At N5 the most common ones are:
- Eating and drinking: 食べる, 飲む
- Seeing and hearing: 見る, 聞く, 読む
- Making and doing: 書く, 作る, 買う, 使う, 洗う
- People: 友だちを待つ, 母を手伝う, 先生を呼ぶ
With movement verbs, use を for the space you go through: 歩く, 走る, 散歩する, 渡る, 通る, 飛ぶ. Use it for the place you leave with 出る and 降りる: 電車を降りる (“get off the train”).
を also appears in fixed requests you will use from day one: 水をください (“Water, please”) and 名前を書いてください (“Please write your name”).
を example sentences
毎朝、コーヒーを飲みます。
I drink coffee every morning.
昨日、友だちと映画を見ました。
I watched a movie with a friend yesterday.
駅の前で新しいかばんを買いました。
I bought a new bag in front of the station.
ここで少し田中さんを待ちましょう。
Let's wait here for Tanaka for a bit.
日曜日は公園を散歩します。
On Sundays I take a walk in the park.
あの橋を渡って、右に曲がってください。
Cross that bridge and turn right.
八時に家を出ました。
I left home at eight.
Example 3 is worth a second look: で marks where the action happens (in front of the station), and を marks what was bought. One sentence often uses several particles, each with its own job.
Nuance of を
を vs で with places. 公園を散歩する means you move through the park. 公園で遊ぶ means you play at the park, staying in one area. If the verb is about covering ground, use を. If the place is just the location of an activity, use で.
を with 出る vs に with 入る. You leave a place with を (部屋を出る), but you enter a place with に (部屋に入る). These two verbs look like a pair, so learners expect the same particle. They do not share one.
Dropping を changes the tone, not the meaning. ご飯食べた？ is normal between friends. In an exam answer or a polite sentence, write ご飯を食べましたか.
Quick test: If you can ask "what did you ___?" and the answer is a thing or person, that word takes を. 何を食べましたか → パンを食べました.
を vs が
Both come right before the verb, so learners swap them. The choice depends on the verb.
In English, “study Japanese” and “understand Japanese” look identical. In Japanese, 勉強する is an action, so it takes を. わかる describes a state, so it takes が. Learn the が group (好き, きらい, わかる, ほしい, できる, ある, いる) as a list. Almost every other N5 verb with an object uses を.
Common mistakes with を
わかる describes a state, not an action. It takes が. The same goes for 好き, ほしい and できる.
乗る takes に, because you get onto the train. But getting off uses を: 電車を降ります.
入る takes に (where you go into). Its opposite 出る takes を (where you come out of): 教室を出ます.
One verb gets one を. Either make 勉強する the verb, or turn 日本語 into a modifier with の.
Is を on the JLPT?
Yes. を is one of the basic N5 particles, and particle-choice questions appear on every N5 test.
At N5 you should be able to:
- Pick を for the object of action verbs and が for わかる, 好き, ほしい, ある
- Use を with movement through a place (道を歩く) and leaving a place (家を出る)
- Choose に, not を, with 乗る and 入る
A typical item shows 「まいあさ こうえん（ ）さんぽします。」 with を, で, に and が as choices. The answer is を, because 散歩する is movement through the park. Another classic pits 電車（ ）おります against 電車（ ）のります to test を and に.
Practice questions for を
Show answer
母に手紙を書きます。 — I write a letter to my mother.
Show answer
昼ご飯に何を食べましたか。 — What did you eat for lunch?
Show answer
バスを降りて、少し歩きます。 — I get off the bus and walk a little.
Show answer
私はすしが好きです。 — I like sushi. (好き is a state word, so it takes が.)
Show answer
この道をまっすぐ行って、銀行の角を左に曲がってください。 — Go straight along this road and turn left at the corner by the bank.
Learning path for を
Related grammar to review next
- が — the particle that replaces を with わかる, 好き, ほしい and ある
- に — used with 乗る and 入る, where learners wrongly reach for を
- で — marks where an action happens, the contrast to を for routes
- をください — the first を sentence most learners use in shops and restaurants
- は — replaces を when the object becomes the topic or a point of contrast
Learn を with Hane
Hane quizzes you on particle choice in real sentences, so を, が, に and で each get tied to the verbs that need them. Start practicing with Hane.
FAQ about を
What does を (o / wo) mean in Japanese?
を (o / wo) means “object marker particle”. It is JLPT N5 grammar. を has no English translation of its own. English shows the object by word order: "I read *a book*".
How do you form を (o / wo)?
Put を directly after the noun, then the verb. Noun+を+Action verb 水を飲む 本を読む 映画を見る Place+を+Movement verb 道を歩く 橋を渡る 部屋を出る Things to notice: - を never follows a verb or adjective directly. Only nouns (and noun phrases like 赤いかばん) take を: 赤いかばんを買いました.
What is the difference between を and が?
を: object of an action. が: object of a state or feeling.
What is an example sentence with を (o / wo)?
毎朝、コーヒーを飲みます。 — I drink coffee every morning.