In Japanese, the wo を particle has one function: it marks the direct object of the sentence. Which should make it the simplest particle in all Japanese. However, just because it's the simplest one, that doesn't mean it's going to be simple.

To begin with, the wo を particle is also romanized o を. This happens because the wo を particle is pronounced like o お in Japanese.

In this article, as well as in the rest of this blog, it's romanized wo. In other blogs, resources, it may be romanized o. There's no difference: it's the same Japanese, different romaji.

• Direct Object Marker
  
  • In Passive Voice
    
    • Direct Object vs. Patient
  • Disparity with English
    
    • Nouns Becoming verbs
    • Passing Through
  • Replaced by ga が
    
    • Transitivity
    • Dummy Subject
    • Stative Verbs
    • Verbs Becoming Adjectives
    • Potential Form
    • Auxiliary Adjectives
• Sentence-Ending Particle
  
  • By Dislocation
  • By Omission
• Compounds

In Japanese, the ga が particle has several functions.

• Subject Marker
  
  • Active Agent Marker
  • Passive Patient Marker
    
    • Patient vs. Direct Object
  • Disparity with English Subjects
    
    • Transitivity
    • Noun Becoming a Verb in English
    • Existence and Possession
    • Topic Marker Usage
  • Replaced by wa は
    
    • Replaced by mo も
  • Replacing wo を
    
    • With Auxiliaries
    • In The Potential Form
  • Replaced by no の in Relative Clauses
• Focus Marker
  
  • Exhaustive Listing
    
    • Cancelling Implicatures
  • Neutral Description
• Role Distinction
  
  • Two Subjects, One Sentence
    
    • Two Clauses, Two Subjects
  • Subordinated Clauses
  • Stage-Level Predicates
    
    • Accent
• Conjunction
  
  • But, However
  • Comma Placement
  • Fact plus Question
• Sentence-Ending Particle
  
  • Due to Repositioning
  • Due to Implicitness
  • Due to Omission
• Compounds
• Genitive Case Marker
  
  • Possessive Marker
  • In Names of Places and People
• Further Reading
  
  • References

In Japanese, the ni に particle has way, way too many functions, I mean, seriously, look at this:

• Location
  
  • Destination
    
    • Placement
  • Position
• Dative Case
  
  • Indirect Object Marker
  • Target
    
    • Change
    • Unaccusatives
    • Direction
    • Extent
    • Comparison
  • Recipient
  • Benefactive
  • Reason
    
    • Cause
    • Objective
  • Causee
  • Benefactor
  • Subject
    
    • Potentials
    • Cognitives
    • Possessives
    • Requirements
• Passive Agent Marker
  
  • Indirect Passives
• Matching
  
  • Fractions
  • Complements of a Set
    
    • Addition
• Time
  
  • Time Intervals
• Adverbial Copula
  
  • Adverbializer
  • 連用形助動詞
• Compounds
  
  • にの
  • Marking Verbs
  • のに
• Marking Verbs Directly
• Collocations
• References

In Japanese, the na な particle has several functions.

• Creates Adjectives
  
  • Attributive Copula
• Negative Imperative
• Positive Imperative
• Agreement
• Wonder
• Doubt

In Japanese, the no の particle can sometimes replace the ga が particle as subject marker in a relative clause. Since this is something that's a bit confusing, I thought I'd better make a separate article to talk about it.

• Usage
• Tricky Parts
  
  • Subject in Japanese, Object in English
  • Ambiguity with の Adjectives

In Japanese, the no の particle has several functions.

• Creates Adjectives
• Turns Words into Nouns
• Marks the Subject
• Asks Questions
• Asserts Statements
• Asserts Orders
• References

In Japanese, ~to ii ~to ii ～といい～といい is a pattern used when citing two things about a situation before concluding something the situation.

• nedan to ii, shitsu to ii, manzoku desu
  値段といい、質といい、満足です
  (Citing) the price, the quality, (conclusion) [I'm] satisfied.
  • Given the price and the quality, I'm satisfied with this.

They're also spelled to ii と言い, from to iu と言う, "to say." Not to be confused with the other to ii といい, which's from "good," ii 良い.

The pattern can repeat for more than two things, but it's usually just two things.

In Japanese, otoko 男 means a "man." This article, however, is mostly about the slang otoko 漢, which means a "MAN," as in a real man, a manly man, a man among men.

• otoko (jishou)
  漢（自称）
  Man among men (self-proclaimed).

This is more like a meme than a word, showing up in manga and anime from time to time.

In Japanese, koto aru ことある means something "exists" or "happens," or can happen, might happen, or that it has "happened," or that someone "has done" something before, as opposed to have never done it. Variants include koto ga aru ことがある and koto wa aru ことはある.

Literally, it's the combination of the light noun koto こと plus the verb aru ある, "to exist." Grammatically, koto is qualified by an adjective, such as relative clause, so it can abstractly refer to "a kind of something," and then the aru says that kind of something exists or happens.

The opposite is koto nai ことない: "doesn't exist," "doesn't happen," "never done it."

Depending on the adjective qualifying koto, the meaning changes.

In Japanese, koto nai ことない means someone has "never done something," or that something has "never happened," or that something "doesn't exist," or "doesn't happen." Variants include koto ga nai ことがない and koto wa nai ことはない.

Literally, it's the combination of the light noun koto こと plus the i い adjective nai ない, "non-existent." Grammatically, koto is qualified by an adjective, such as relative clause, so it can abstractly refer to "a kind of something," and then the nai says that kind of something doesn't exist or happen.

The opposite is koto aru ことある, "exists," "happens," "I've done it."

Depending on the adjective qualifying koto, the meaning changes.

In Japanese, yaru やる means a bunch of things. It can mean "to do" in a dozen ways. It can mean "to give [something]," or be used as an auxiliary verb to say "to do [something] for [someone]," just like ageru 上げる. It can mean "to work [a profession]." It can mean "to murder [someone]". And it can mean "to have sex with [someone]."

Depending on its meaning, it's sometimes written with different kanji.

• To Do
  
  • やった
    
    • やったこと
  • やりたい
  • To Play
  • やる気
  • やり方
• To Work As
  
  • To Be
  • やっている以上
• To Give
  
  • ～てやる
    
    • やってやる
    • やってやろう
    • くれてやる
• To Kill
• To Have Sex With

In Japanese, guruguru-me ぐるぐる目 means "spiraling eyes," "spinning eyes," or "swirling eyes." In anime, it's those spiral-shaped eyes characters make when they're dizzy, puzzled, dazed, flustered, and so on.

The term comes from guruguru ぐるぐる, a mimetic word meaning "swirling," and me 目, "eyes."

• Usage
• Examples
  
  • Spinning Eyes
  • Spiral Eyes
    
    • Angular
    • Round
    • Wide
    • Long
    • Desynchronized
    • Thin
    • Messy
  • Spiral Pupils
  • Kaomoji
  • Mind Control

The anime Sarazanmai さらざんまい airing this season has so many puns and cultural Japanese references that I thought it'd be a good idea to list them here for further reference. This way you'll finally be able to unders... to understan...

...

Okay you won't be able to understand the anime, but you'll be able to understand the Japanese part of the anime, and that's one step, at least, so let's content ourselves with that. Anyway.

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS!!! The first part of the article assumes you have already watched at least the first episode. After that, there's a second spoiler warning, and sections spoiling each and every episode. So scroll with caution!

• Kappa
  
  • Shirikodama
• Puns
  
  • Sara
    
    • Zanmai
    • Dish
  • Guddo Sarakku
  • Saratto
  • Sara ni
  • Sarasu
  • Kapparau
  • ア Symbol
  • Kawauso
  • Kaisou
  • Tsunagaritai
  • Recurring Phrases
• Background Music
• Episode Notes
  
  • Episode 1
  • Episode 2
  • Episode 3
  • Episode 4
  • Episode 5
  • Episode 6
  • Episode 7
  • Episode 8
  • Episode 9
  • Episode 10
  • Episode 11

In Japanese, egao 笑顔 means someone's "smile." Literally, it translates to "smiling face," or "smiling expression." That is, the face someone makes while they're smiling.

• mamoritai, kono egao
  守りたい、この笑顔
  [I] want to protect, this smile. (dislocation.)

In Japanese, negao 寝顔 means "sleeping face," or "sleeping expression." The face someone makes while they're sleeping.

Literally, it's neru 寝る, "to sleep," and kao 顔, "face," which becomes gao because of rendaku.

• Examples