を (wo): The Object-Marking Particle (with Examples)
What を marks
を points to the target of a verb. Most often that target is the direct object — the thing being acted on. If が tells you who or what does the action, を tells you what the action is done to. A handy frame: [noun] を [verb] = "do [verb] to [noun]."
The particle sits directly on the end of a noun, and the verb follows. Nothing conjugates — を itself never changes.
| Piece | Role | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | what the verb acts on | パン (bread) |
| を | object marker (say "o") | パンを |
| Verb | the action | パンを食べる (eat bread) |
The verb has to be one that can take an object — a transitive verb like 食べる (eat), 読む (read), 見る (watch), 買う (buy). This everyday use is the one you'll meet first: the noun before を is what the action lands on.
ヤッタンはパンを食べます。
ヤッタンは パンを たべます。
Yattan eats bread.
パン is the thing being eaten — the direct object.
モチは本を読みます。
モチは ほんを よみます。
Mochi reads a book.
先生はコーヒーを飲みました。
せんせいは コーヒーを のみました。
The teacher drank coffee.
ヤッタンは新しいかばんを買いました。
ヤッタンは あたらしい かばんを かいました。
Yattan bought a new bag.
ヤッタンの弟はテレビを見ています。
ヤッタンの おとうとは テレビを みて います。
Yattan's little brother is watching TV.
When を isn't an object at all
Two other jobs use the same particle without any object in sight. With motion verbs (歩く walk, 散歩する take a walk, 飛ぶ fly, 走る run), を marks the space or route you move along or through.
モチは公園を散歩します。
モチは こうえんを さんぽします。
Mochi takes a walk through the park.
公園 is the space moved through, not something Mochi 'does' to the park.
ヤッタンは毎朝この道を歩きます。
ヤッタンは まいあさ この みちを あるきます。
Yattan walks along this road every morning.
鳥が空を飛んでいます。
とりが そらを とんで います。
A bird is flying across the sky.
And with verbs of exit — 出る (leave/exit), 降りる (get off), 卒業する (graduate) — を marks the point of departure, where you set out from.
ヤッタンは七時に家を出ます。
ヤッタンは しちじに いえを でます。
Yattan leaves home at seven o'clock.
モチは次の駅でバスを降ります。
モチは つぎの えきで バスを おります。
Mochi gets off the bus at the next stop.
先生は東京の大学を卒業しました。
せんせいは とうきょうの だいがくを そつぎょうしました。
The teacher graduated from a university in Tokyo.
を or が?
The particle が sits right next to を in learners' minds, and the mix-up is worth settling once. The cleanest split:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| が | the subject — who or what does the action | ヤッタンが食べる = Yattan eats |
| を | the object/path/departure point — what the action affects | パンを食べる = eat bread |
Both can appear in one sentence: ヤッタンがパンを食べる ("Yattan eats bread"). For the difference between が and the topic marker は, see wa vs ga.
Where it sits — and where it goes wrong
を clings to the end of the noun it marks, never to the verb or the subject. Two placement traps follow directly from that:
- Don't put it on the doer. The one performing the action takes が (or は), not を: ヤッタンが来る (✓), not ヤッタンを来る.
- Only one を per clause. A single verb pulls in a single を object — which is why the causative pushes the person onto に (see the Insight above).
Watch-outs
- It's said "o," not "wo." Written を but pronounced identically to the vowel お.
- Skip it with intransitive verbs. 行く (go), 来る (come), and 帰る (return) don't take a を object — you go to a place with に or へ, never 公園を行く.
- "Leave a place" ≠ "act in a place." "Leave home" is 家を出る (を = where you exit from); a plain location you act inside takes で instead.
The short version
- を marks what a verb acts on — the direct object: 本を読む.
- It also marks a path moved through (道を歩く) and the place you leave (家を出る).
- Written を, pronounced "o." Used only with verbs, never adjectives.
- が = who/what does it; を = what it's done to.
Practice it
Choose the sentence that uses を correctly.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
先生はコーヒー＿＿＿飲みました。
Frequently asked questions
Is を pronounced 'wo' or 'o'?
It's pronounced 'o' — the same sound as the vowel お. The 'wo' spelling is just the traditional kana used for this particle.
What's the difference between を and が?
が marks the subject (who or what does the action): ヤッタンが食べる. を marks the object the action affects: パンを食べる. They often appear together in one sentence.
Why does 公園を散歩する use を if 公園 isn't an object?
With motion verbs, を marks the space or path you move through, not a thing you act on. So 公園を散歩する is 'take a walk through the park.'
Can I use を with adjectives?
No. を only pairs with verbs. Adjectives describe things and don't take a direct object.
Where を fits
Don't confuse it with
- Conditional 〜と · N4 — The と conditional links A to an inevitable result B: 春になると、桜が咲く. Learn the plain-form formation, why B can't be a request, and how it differs from ば/たら/なら.
- で · N5 — The particle で marks where an action happens, the means or tool you use, the material, the cause, and the scope of a superlative. Learn each use and how で differs from に.
- です · N5 — です is the polite 'to be': NOUN/な-adjective + です means 'is/are.' Learn the negative じゃありません, past でした, how です attaches to い-adjectives, and the plain だ.
- が · N5 — が marks the grammatical subject and introduces new information. Learn how to use が with question words, existence (ある/いる), ability, and likes such as 好き — plus how が differs from は.
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ように — 〜ように means 'so that ~' — an aim you can't fully control: 忘れないようにメモする. Learn the formation with potential and negative verbs, and how it differs from 〜ために.
- まだ — まだ means 'still' with a positive verb and 'not yet' with 〜ていない. Learn both uses, the one-word answer, and how まだ differs from もう.
- もう — もう means 'already' with a positive verb (もう食べた), 'not anymore' with a negative (もう食べない), and 'one more' with numbers (もう一杯). Pairs with まだ.
- 〜ている — 〜ている has two big jobs: an ongoing action ('is doing') and a continuing state ('is in a state'). Learn when it means which, how to form it, and see clear examples.
- 〜あとで — 〜あとで means 'after' doing something: past-form verb + あとで (ご飯を食べたあとで) or noun + のあとで (授業のあとで). Learn the た-form rule and how it differs from 前に.
- 〜前に — 〜前に means 'before': dictionary-form verb + 前に (寝る前に), noun + の前に (食事の前に), and time + 前に (三年前に). Always use the dictionary form — even for past events.