Japanese Particles Quiz: Practice は・が・を・に・で Online
Free Japanese particle fill-in-the-blank quiz. Read the sentence, pick the right particle — covers wa, ga, wo, ni, de, he, no, to, kara, and made with an explanation for every answer.
Try 12 questions (no sign-up)
は・が (wa / ga)
は marks the topic, が marks the subject. 私は学生です is "as for me"; 学生がいます is "there is a student."
を・に・で (wo / ni / de)
を marks the direct object, に marks time points, destinations, and targets, で marks where an action happens and the means used.
の・と・から・まで
の links nouns for possession, と marks doing something together, から and まで mark the start and end of a range.
Particles are the skeleton of Japanese
English relies on word order to say who did what to whom; Japanese relies on particles. In 私は水を飲みます, the particles は and を define the structure — the words could even move around. Pick the wrong particle and the sentence means something else entirely, which is why particles are the single most tested topic in JLPT grammar.
The three pairs everyone confuses
First: は vs が — topic versus subject, and existence sentences (〜があります) always take が. Second: に vs で — both translate as "in/at," but に marks existence and destinations (教室にいます) while で marks where an action happens (教室で勉強します). Third: を vs が — transitive verbs take を (水を飲む), while potential forms and intransitive patterns take が (水が飲める).
When time words take に
Specific points in time take に: 7時に起きます, 月曜日にテストがあります. Relative time words never do: 今日, 明日, 来週, and 毎日 attach directly to the verb. Saying 来週に行きます is one of the most common beginner mistakes.
How to practice particles effectively
Skip the rule tables — practice inside sentences. Seeing 学校＿＿行きます, first read the verb (行く is a motion verb), identify the slot (destination), then choose the particle. The full OK Nihongo trainer groups questions by grammar point, explains why each answer is right, and recycles your mistakes into review.
What is the real difference between は and が?
The practical rule: use は to say something about a known topic, and が to answer "who/what" or to introduce new information and existence. Existence sentences 〜があります/います always use が.
Both に and で mean "in/at" — how do I choose?
Look at the verb. Existence (います/あります) and arrival verbs (行く/来る/帰る) take に; action verbs performed at a place (食べる/勉強する/買う) take で. 図書館で本を読む, but 図書館に本がある.
Can particles be dropped in speech?
Casual speech often drops は and を (これ、食べる？), but が, に, で, and から usually stay. In JLPT answers and written Japanese, keep all particles.
Is this quiz free?
The 12 preview questions on this page are free with no account. Signing up unlocks the full particle bank, practice grouped by grammar point, and automatic review of your mistakes.