4.6: The Sentence-Ending Particles ね (ne) and よ (yo)
- Page ID
- 289579
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In this module, we will explore the nuances of the Japanese particles ね (ne) and よ (yo), adding a touch of friendliness or assertiveness to your conversations.
The particles ね (ne) and よ (yo) are commonly used at the end of a sentence to convey certain nuances in conversations.
While both are used as sentence-ending particles in Japanese, they serve different purposes:
- ね seeks agreement or confirmation and adds a friendly tone to the conversation.
- よ is used to highlight new information being conveyed by the speaker.
Now, let’s take a closer look at how these sentence-ending particles are used in sentences via this short video created by Learn Japanese with Puni Puni Japan.
So to recap, ね is used to seek agreement or confirmation, or to invite the listener’s attention. It is often used to soften a statement or to make it sound more friendly and inclusive. Here are a few examples:
きょうはいい天気（てんき）ですね。
Kyou wa ii tenki desu ne.
It’s a nice day today, isn’t it?
きょうは暑（あつ）いですね。
Kyou wa atsui desu ne.
It’s hot today, isn’t it?
In contrast, よ is used to emphasise or assert information, or to provide new information. It adds a sense of confidence and assertiveness to a statement.
When pronounced with emphasis, it can give a strong command or suggestion, depending on the intonation, like an exclamation mark. So, using a soft intonation with a slight smile is the key to maintaining a friendly and approachable tone. Here are a few examples:
日本（にほん）の首都（しゅと）は東京（とうきょう）ですよ。
Nihon no shuto wa Toukyou desu yo.
The capital of Japan is Tokyo, you know.
明日（あした）はテストですよ。
Ashita wa tesuto desu yo.
We have a test tomorrow, you know.
Exercise 1
Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)
Figures – Exercise
1 “Winter Tree Branches” (untitled) by Jordan Benton. Pexels. Licensed under Pexels licence.
2 “Winter Sunlight in Hokkaido” (untitled) by Chelsea TEY. Pexels. Licensed under Pexels licence.
3 “Heath” (untitled) by Evgeny Tchebotarev. Pexels. Licensed under Pexels licence.
4 “Walking a Dog” (untitled) by Chilmars. Pexels. Licensed under Pexels licence.
References
Learn Japanese with Puni Puni Japan. “Japanese Grammar—Japanese Particles yo (よ) and ne (ね).” YouTube video, 2:33. January 10, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxLBNw0AILI.