particle N4 common casualpolitewritten
を — particle を marking the space/path traversed
を
Meaning
- through / along / across — marks the space a motion verb moves through
Key sentence
公園を散歩する。
Take a walk through the park.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (path / space) + を + 移動動詞 | N を 歩く・走る・飛ぶ・渡る… | 橋を渡る (cross a bridge) |
Examples
鳥が空を飛んでいる。
A bird is flying through the sky.
この道をまっすぐ行ってください。
Go straight along this road.
毎朝川沿いを走る。
I run along the river every morning.
When you can't use it
- Used only with intransitive verbs of motion (歩く, 走る, 渡る, 飛ぶ, 通る). This is not the object を — 道を歩く means 'walk along the road,' not 'walk the road' as a direct object.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Same particle as the object-marking を, but here it marks a path, not a thing acted on — see the を object page for that use.
See を in real sentences
Jengo shows を the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.