Oku Sensei’s Guide to Japanese Grammar: The Essential Step-by-Step Roadmap for Japanese Learners

A Clear Progression Plan for Mastering Japanese Grammar

How to Use This Guide

This is a roadmap, not a grammar textbook. It’s designed to show you what to study, and in what order, so you can build your grammar skills step-by-step without getting overwhelmed.

Japanese grammar is incredibly deep and nuanced—but trying to learn it randomly, or in the wrong sequence, often leads to confusion and burnout. Each level in this guide builds on the last, so it's important to master each layer before moving forward to the next.

After years of teaching students who felt lost or frustrated—bouncing from one app, textbook, or YouTube video to the next without any sense of direction—I realized I couldn't just stand by and watch learners drift aimlessly through the internet, unsure of which grammar points actually mattered or how to progress.

That’s why I created this roadmap: to guide learners clearly and calmly through the fog of Japanese grammar, with a structure that works in the real world.

Level 1: The Absolute Core of Japanese Grammar (Beginner)

Goal: Build a strong foundation in sentence structure and essential grammar rules.

1.1 Understanding Basic Sentence Structure (SOV)

• Japanese follows Subject-Object-Verb (SOV), unlike English (SVO).
  • Fundamental particle: は (wa) → Topic marker
  • Fundamental verb: です（desu）→ is/am/are
  • 私は学生です。 (I am a student.)
  • これは本です。 (This is a book.)

Essential demonstratives for objects (this, that, that over there):

• これ (kore) → This (near me) → これはペンです。 (This is a pen.)
• それ (sore) → That (near you) → それは時計です。 (That is a clock.)
• あれ (are) → That over there (far from both) → あれは山です。 (That over there is a mountain.)

Essential demonstratives for locations (here, there, over there):

• ここ (koko) → Here (near me) → ここは東京です。 (This is Tokyo.)
• そこ (soko) → There (near you) → そこは学校です。 (That is a school.)
• あそこ (asoko) → Over there (far from both) → あそこは駅です。 (That over there is a station.)

1.2 Learning Essential Particles

• Fundamental particles that define sentence roles:
  • が (ga) → Subject marker
  • を (wo) → Object marker
  • に (ni) / で (de) → Time/location markers
  • と (to) → "And" (for nouns) / "With" (for people & objects)
  • か (ka) → Question marker (used at the end of a sentence to indicate a question)

Key point: In Japanese, once a topic is introduced with a topic marker, it carries for the rest of the conversation and does not need to be restated again. When the topic is a person in the conversation, the topic is most often omitted.

• Example sentences:
  • 家に帰る。 (Go home.)
  • 名前をペンで書く (Write your name in pen.)
  • ティムさんは図書館で友達と日本語を勉強します (Tim studies Japanese with his friend at the library).

1.3 Essential Verb Conjugations (Casual & Polite)

• Plain (casual) form vs. Polite form:
  • 食べる (to eat) → 食べます (polite)
  • 食べた (ate) → 食べました (polite)
  • 食べない (don’t eat) → 食べません (polite)
  • 食べなかった (didn’t eat) → 食べませんでした (polite)

 1.4 Adjective Conjugation (Casual & Polite)

い-adjectives:

• Plain (casual) Form:
  • 楽しい (fun) → 楽しくない (not fun)
  • 楽しかった (was fun) → 楽しくなかった (was not fun)
• Polite Form:
  • 楽しいです (It is fun) → 楽しくないです (It is not fun)
  • 楽しかったです (It was fun) → 楽しくなかったです (It was not fun)

な-adjectives:

• Plain (casual) Form:
  • きれい (beautiful) → きれいじゃない (not beautiful)
  • きれいだった (was beautiful) → きれいじゃなかった (was not beautiful)
• Polite Form:
  • きれいです (It is beautiful) → きれいじゃないです (It is not beautiful)
  • きれいでした (It was beautiful) → きれいじゃなかったです (It was not beautiful)

 1.5 Asking Basic Questions (Who, What, Where)

• 何？ (What?)
• どこ？ (Where?)
• 誰？ (Who?)
• いつ？ (When?)
• なぜ？ / どうして？ / なんで？ (Why?)
• どう？ / どうやって？ (How?)

• Example sentences:
  • 何を食べますか？ (What will you eat?)
  • どこに行きますか？ (Where are you going?)
  • 誰と一緒に勉強しますか？(Who will you study with?)

End of Level 1: The learner can now form basic sentences, ask questions, and use fundamental particles correctly.

Level 2: Expanding Functionality (Beginner-Intermediate)

Goal: Learn how to describe situations, express intentions, and give reasons.

2.1 Expressing State & Existence

• ～がある (for things) / ～がいる (for people & animals)
  • ここに本がある。 (There is a book here.)
  • 学校に先生がいる。 (There is a teacher at school.)

2.2 Connecting Actions (て-form & と)

How to Conjugate the て-form (for linking actions & commands):

• ～て (used to link actions) & ～と (when/if this happens).
  • 朝ご飯を食べて、学校に行く。 (Eat breakfast and go to school.)
  • ボタンを押すと、ドアが開く。 (If you press the button, the door opens.)

2.3 Expressing Ability (Potential Form & ～ことができる)

• 泳ぐことができる。 (I can swim.)
• 日本語が話せる。 (I can speak Japanese.)

2.4 Expressing Wants

Wanting to Do Something (～たい)

• Used with verbs to express wanting to perform an action.
• Conjugation: Verb stem + たい (casual) / たいです (polite).
  • 日本に行きたい。 → (I want to go to Japan.)
  • 寿司を食べたいです。 → (I want to eat sushi.)

Key Point: たい is only used to describe your desires or when asking about someone else’s. It is only used for actions (verbs).

Wanting a Thing (ほしい)

• Used with nouns to express wanting a tangible object.
• Sentence structure: [Person] は [Object] がほしい
  • 新しいパソコンがほしい。 → (I want a new computer.)
  • お金がほしいです。 → (I want money.)

Key Point: ほしい is for things (nouns), not actions. To express wanting someone else to do something, use the ～て form of a verb with ほしい (e.g., 手伝ってほしい = "I want you to help me").

2.5 Expressing Giving & Receiving (くれる・もらう・あげる Verbs)

くれる is used when someone gives you something (they give to me).

もらう is used when something is received from someone (someone/I receive something).

あげる is used when I or someone else gives to another person. (me give to them OR someone gives to someone)

It is conjugated with the て-form of the verb + くれる / もらう / あげる :

• 手伝ってくれる？ (Can you help me?)
• 日本語を教えてもらった。 (I was taught Japanese.)

2.6 Expressing Reasons (から & ので)

• ～から (becauｆse, informal) / ～ので (because, formal)
  • お腹が空いたから、食べる。 (I’ll eat because I’m hungry.)
  • 頭が痛いので、薬を飲みます。 (Since I have a headache, I’ll take medicine.)

2.7 Expressing Comparisons (より & ほうが)

• Comparing two things using より (than) & ほうが (preferred option).
  • ラーメンより寿司のほうが好き。 (I like sushi more than ramen.)

End of Level 2: The learner can now express existence, wants, comparisons, and give reasons.

Level 3: Intermediate Communication

Goal: Learn how to express opinions, give suggestions, and describe hypothetical situations.

3.1 Making Requests & Asking for Permission

Asking for Permission: ～てもいいですか？

• Used to ask if an action is allowed or acceptable.
• Example sentences:
  • トイレに行ってもいいですか？ (May I go to the bathroom?)
  • ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか？ (Is it okay to take a picture here?)
    📌 Use when checking if an action is permitted.

Making Direct Requests (Casual → Polite → Formal)

Summary: When to Use Each Type of Request

3.2 Expressing Hypotheticals (～たら, ～ば, ～なら)

• 雨が降ったら、出かけない。 (If it rains, I won’t go out.)
• 安ければ、買う。 (If it’s cheap, I’ll buy it.)
• 静かなら、ここで勉強できる。 (If it’s quiet, I can study here.)

3.3 Expressing Opinions & probability (と思う, でしょう, かもしれない)

• 明日は雨が降ると思う。 (I think it will rain tomorrow.)
• 彼は忙しいでしょう。 (He’s probably busy.)
• 彼は来るかもしれない。 (He might come.)

3.4 Giving Suggestions (～たほうがいい)

• 早く寝たほうがいいよ。 (You should sleep early.)
• もっと日本語を勉強したほうがいい。 (You should study more Japanese.)

3.5 Expressing Obligation (～なければならない & ～なくてもいい)

• 宿題をしなければならない。 (I must do my homework.)
• 行かなくてもいい。 (I don’t have to go.)

End of Level 3: The learner can now express conditions, make requests, and state opinions.

Level 4: Advanced Communication (Upper Intermediate)

Goal: Speak naturally and fluently with keigo, uncertainty expressions, and nuanced phrases.

4.1 Using Keigo (Polite Speech)

• 先生がいらっしゃいます。 (The teacher is here.) → 私がお持ちします。 (I will bring it.)

4.2 Expressing Uncertainty & Contradictions

• ～かどうか (whether or not) / ～のに (despite, even though)
  • 彼が来るかどうかわからない。 (I don’t know if he’s coming or not.)

End of Level 4: The learner has reached fluency in expressing nuanced thoughts and speaking politely.

Conclusion: The Road to True Japanese Mastery

This roadmap has provided you with a clear, structured path to learning fundamental Japanese grammar, ensuring you build a strong foundation step by step. However, this is just the beginning of your grammar journey.

Mastering Japanese grammar goes beyond fundamentals.

• This guide covers the core structures you need, but fluency requires immersing yourself in real-world usage, context, and nuance.
• To sound truly natural, you must learn more advanced sentence patterns, idiomatic expressions, and subtle grammar shifts that change depending on formality, tone, and situation.
• Grammar is not just a set of rules—it’s a tool that expresses culture, thought, and human connection in Japanese.

The next step: Deepening your knowledge through guided learning.

While this roadmap provides a strong foundation, moving into beginner-advanced, advanced, and master-level Japanese grammar study requires detailed instruction from an expert in both Japanese linguistics and education.

That’s where Oku Sensei’s guidance makes all the difference.

✔ Learn beyond just textbook definitions—understand when and how grammar is used naturally.
✔ Get tailored instruction that helps you break through common plateaus.
✔ Gain access to high-level grammar and nuanced expressions that will elevate your comprehension and fluency.

Ready to take your Japanese to the next level?
👉 Continue learning with OSJ’s structured courses for expert-led instruction.
👉 Join a class with Oku Sensei to receive personalized feedback and practice real-world grammar usage.

Final Message: This roadmap guides you through the fundamentals, but true mastery comes from consistent study, deepening your grammar knowledge, and learning from an experienced mentor. With the right structure, expert guidance, and dedication, your Japanese skills can reach heights you never imagined.