日本語: Word Order

What is a sentence?

A sentence is an organized series of words composed to make a statement, ask a question, express a thought, offer an opinion or shoot the breeze.

Examples
Yamada is Japanese. (Statement)	山田さんは日本人です。 やまださんはにっほんじんです。
Is Yamada Japanese? (Question)	山田さんは日本人ですか。 やまださんはにっほんじんですか。
Yamada, be careful! (Exclamation)	山田さん気をつけてください。 やまださんきをつけてください。

English Sentences

Except with questions, English sentences are SVO (Subject, Object, Verb) in word order.

Subject	Verb	Object	...
Bob	eats	candy	every other day.
I	saw	a play	this evening.
The car	is	out of gas	-

The subject and the predicate are the two basic parts of the English sentence. The subject is who or what the sentence is about and must consist of a noun or proper noun. Typically in a statement, the subject comes first in the sentence.

Subject	...
Bob	speaks Japanese.
Yamada	is Japanese.

The part is the sentences that expresses what is said about the subject is the predicate. It typically located directly after the subject, consisting of everything thing in the remainder of the sentence, including the mandatory verb.

Subject	Predicate
Bob	speaks Japanese.
Yamada	is Japanese.
The sky	is blue.

Japanese Sentences

Japanese sentences are SOV (Subject, Object, Verb) in word order. In Japanese, unlike English, the verb must come at the end of the sentence.

Subject	Object	Verb
お母さんが Mother	りんごを apple	買いました。 bought
山田さんが Yamada	それを it	しました。 did
お父さんが Father	映画を movie	見ませんでした。 did not see

In Japanese questions, the word order remains the same. And rather than a question mark, the particle か is added to the end of the sentence.

Subject	Object	Verb
お母さんが	りんごを	買いましたか。
Did mother buy the apple?
山田さんが	それを	しましたか。
Did Yamada do it?
お父さんが	映画を	見ませんでしたか。
Did father not see the movie?

Subject and Predicate

Japanese sentences must have a predicate, however, the subject and topic are not necessary. Appearing at the end of the Japanese sentence, the predicate is the core of the sentence and must be a verb or come in a verb form. This verbal form may be a noun with copula (is/are) or a verbal adjective.

Subject or Topic	Predicate	Predicate Type
山田さんは Yamada	話します。 speaks	(Verb)
山田さんは Yamada	日本人です。 Japanese is	(Noun Copula)
果物は Fruit	高いです。 expensive is	(Verbal Adjective)

A Japanese sentence may of course be composed a other elements in addition to the subject or topic: object, indirect object, adverb ect. These elements must come before the predicate and are not considered a part of it.

Where word order is concerned, for Japanese sentences, there are only two constants: The predicate must come at the end of the sentence and a particle must immediately follow the word or words it marks. In all other ways, the Japanese sentence may be flexible. Generally, the subject or topic comes first, however, the adverb may proceed or follow it. Expressions of time generally proceed expressions of place and modifiers generally proceed the words they modify.

彼は毎日家で新聞をたくさん読みます。

かれはまいにちうちでしんぶんをたくさんよみます。

(lit.) he (topic marker) everyday home at newspapers (object marker) many reads

この子供たちは日本人です。

このこどもたちはにほんじんです。

(lit.) these children (topic marker) Japanese are

新聞がテーブルの上にあります。

しんぶんがテーブルのうえにあります。

(lit.) newspapers (sub. marker) table ‘s top on (there) is

今日山田さんは東京から京都に行きます。

きょうやまださんはとうきょうからきょうとにいきます。

(lit.) today Yamada (topic marker) Tokyo from Kyoto to will go

お母さんはおもちゃ屋でおもちゃを買いました。

おかあさんはおもちゃやでおもちゃをかいました。

(lit.) mother (topic marker) toy store at toy (obj. marker) bought

彼女は本屋で本を買いましたか。

かのじょはほんやでほんをかいましたか。

Did she buy a book at the book store?

If a question involves a question word (who, what when ect.) it generally comes after the subject or topic, but this is flexible.

彼女はいつ本屋で本を買いましたか。

かのじょはいつほんやでほんをかいましたか。

When did she buy a book at the book store?

彼女はなぜ本屋で本を買いましたか。

かのじょはなぜほんやでほんをかいましたか。

Why did she buy a book at the book store?

誰が本屋で本を買いましたか。

だれがほんやでほんをかいましたか。

Who bought a book at the book store?

それはどんな本ですか。

それはどんなほんですか。

What kind of book is it?

Incomplete Sentences

As long as the context is clear, in most languages, certain words can be left out. With Japanese, the subject or topic may be omitted, but not the predicate. In fact, if the situation is clear with out the subject or topic, the Japanese tend to leave it out.

これは何ですか。

What is this?

これは本です。Or　本です。

This is a book.

A simple statement of the noun, a book, would be the appropriate answer in English. However, in Japanese, the copula or verb is needed also. Keep in mind that the Japanese sentence must have the predicate or verb form.

あなたは何を買いましたか。

(lit.) you what did buy

Note: This sentence may be grammatically correct, however the Japanese would prefer to omit ‘you’:

何を買いましたか。

What did (you) buy?

本を買いました。

(I)bought a book.

In actuality, these are not incomplete sentences, because in Japanese they make perfect sense.