The question that perplexes all Japanese learners at the beginning: Why is ha (は) read as wa in Japanese, sounding exactly the same as わ? We all thought Japanese phonetics were pretty straightforward, but just when you think you’ve nailed the hiragana and katakana writing systems, you come across this conundrum. 

Of course, once you’re used to reading, writing, and speaking Japanese, this problem is less of a real concern and more of an annoying tick. It doesn’t matter. It is what it is. No one really knows the answer, right? The same thing goes for ​へ (he), which is sometimes pronounced as ‘e’, and を (wo), which is always pronounced as ‘o’.  

But exploring the cultural significance and history of Japan can help you better understand the language. And if you’re left exasperated by the cookie-cutter answer, we’re here to give you a deep dive into the complex world of the Japanese language and linguistic evolution.

The Short Answer to Why We Pronounce Ha (は) as Wa (わ)

In grammar, は marks the topic of a sentence and is pronounced “wa” instead of “ha.” This is a special rule from classical Japanese that stuck — even though it’s written は, it’s spoken as “wa” when used as a particle.

Let’s take a look at three examples first, containing both the Japanese letters は and わ. 

おはようございます。
Ohayou gozaimasu. 
Good morning.

今日はいい天気ですね。
Kyou wa ii tenki desu ne. 
The weather is good today.

私の名前はコトです。
Watashi no namae wa Coto desu.
My name is Coto.

You may have pronounced the は and わ differently, or even interchangeably. You reflectively say kyou wa instead of kyou ha. Ohayou instead of owayou. And that’s great. That means you already know the proper Japanese phonetics. 

So did the sounds of these particles change since the spelling was set down? Or were the spellings intentionally chosen for some reason? Are there any other irregular kana spellings omitted?

The short answer is simple, really: if the は is used as a Japanese particle, it is pronounced as ‘wa’.  The particle は is the topic particle that identifies the topic of your sentence. 

If it’s used to build a Japanese word, as adjectives, adverbs, nouns, or even names, it goes back to its original pronunciation: ha. 

This is why the word おはようございます, which contains は, retains the typical ‘ha’ pronunciation. In the second and third sentences, は is the particle to help make the subject stand out: My name is Coto. Today is good weather.

The same thing for the character へ. Used in words, it is pronounced: “he”. When it’s a particle, it is pronounced: “e.” 

The Evolution of Japanese Language Phonetics: Wa and Ha

The particle は is still pronounced “wa” because it’s a historical spelling rule that dates back to classical Japanese. Over time, the pronunciation of Japanese sounds evolved, but a few traditional particles kept their old spellings. While most words were updated to match modern pronunciation, particles like は (wa), へ (e), and を (o) kept their original written forms for grammatical consistency — a linguistic “fossil” from Japan’s past.

If you’re still unsatisfied with that answer, we get it. Why is the は  particle specifically an exception? How did the sound and rule evolve into what they are in the present day? That short explanation might have just opened more doors to even more questions. 

The truth is, discrepancies between spelling and pronunciation are common, no matter the language. You’ll probably notice it in English more than in Japanese. Take the word tongue or island, for example. The Japanese language is no different, although the fact that the current Japanese spelling is almost completely phonemic makes anomalies like this stand out more. 

Only a handful of traditional spelling quirks remained, and using は for the particle that is pronounced wa is one of them.

In fact, this is what you need to know: just like society in general, language is ever-changing, and the sounds made by characters will shift over time. 

In the early history of Japanese (before 800 BC), the modern は  row of consonants, comprised of は, ひ, ふ, へ, ほ, were pronounced with ‘P’ as pa, pi, pu, pe, po. 

Enter the Nara Period (710 to 794). The ‘P’ sound underwent another change, shifting to a softer F sound: fa, fi, fu, fe, fo. This pronunciation stayed until the 16th century, judging from the transcripts made by the Portuguese of Japanese words that use the letter F where we would use H today.

For example, take the Japanese word for “mom”: 母. Today, it’s spelled as はは and pronounced as haha. In the old Japanese, the word is pronounced as fafa. 

After the Nara Period came the Heian Period (794 to 1185), where we see another shift: the F sound changed to W, but with a catch: the sound altered only when there was another vowel and when it was not at the beginning of the word.

The pronounciation changed from:

は    ひ    ふ    へ    ほ 
ha hi hu he ho

to:

は    ひ    ふ    へ    ほ 
ha hi hu he ho

This led to a verb such as 買う (買フor kafu in old Japanese) to be read as Kau (stemmed from kawu). The negative form of this verb underwent the same changes: instead of kapanai, it became kawanai.  

母 turns into fawa. The word for river, once pronounced as kafa, became the modern-day kawa. 

This marked the beginning of the transition where は is pronounced as わ. The particle は, which regularly appears after a vowel, was soon normalized as wa.

Eventually, in the Edo Period (1603 to 1867), people from various regions of Japan start to gather in Edo (the old Tokyo), This resulted in various dialects mixing and diluting. Eventually, the ‘F’ sound changed again to the H sound. 

Now, the 母 finally settled to its modern pronunciation that we know today: haha, spelled as はは. However, at that time, despite the new pronunciation, the words still used the old kana that represented the old pronunciation. 

This was the main linguistic problem. Up to World War 2, although the changes from the initial P sound to W sound were then widely accepted, the people still used historical usage. 

This meant 買う was still written 買フ (kafu) and 買わない was written as 買ハナイ (kahanai). Of course, the lack of standardized writing meant there was still a lot of confusing spelling. 

The Japanese Language Reform Changes Writing and Spelling

After World War 2, the Japanese government did a massive language reform to its writing and spelling rules to make things more even across the country. Remember the part where we said a lot of people from regional Japan were gathering in one capital? That was a huge wake-up call. So they decided to clean up the spelling and pronunciation of syllables. The official spelling of words needed to match the new pronunciation rules so that people wouldn’t think the word was supposed to be pronounced a different way. All ‘ha/は’ letters read as “wa” sounds were replaced with wa/わ. 川(かは) now was written as 川 (かわ). The kana へ, which was once pronounced e (now it’s he).

So Why Does The Particle Wa (は) Stick With The Old Spelling? 

The problem with change is that it’s usually easier said than done. Imagine this: close to a hundred million people in a country are following one unsaid linguistic rule. You can change the texts, rules, and writing across all books and paper, which in itself is already a mammoth task,  but you can’t change a society’s collective habit instantly. 

Now Japan has all these written texts where the wa ワ is written with the old Japanese rule: wa は kana. At the same time, the other は kana was now pronounced ha (ハ). 

And how do you make the entire nation write the wa は particle as wa わ? 

Simply put, it was too much trouble for Japan to try and make this change work — revamping the entire text, scripts, and literature for two particles was not worth it. The particles were excepted because many felt that changing these exceedingly common spellings would confuse people.

There you have it: up until today, we are saying the は particle according to the modern-day Japanese pronunciation, but the reason why it’s still spelled as ‘ha’ は and not わ is because we are still sticking to its traditional spelling. 

Modern pronunciation. Traditional spelling. Remember that.

Let’s Get Straight to The Point: Why Ha (は) Is Read as ‘Wa’

To sum up, は is pronounced as わ because the transcript reflects a pronunciation that did not change during the language reform. The sound わ  used to be written は in old kana usage in some cases. Old kana usage was much more irregular than it is nowadays. 

At that time, it was decided that for the particles alone, the same letters that had been used should continue to be used even though they are different from the actual pronunciation. 

Other Japanese Particles: Why を Is Read as “O” and へ as “E”

It’s the same thing with the readings for the particles へ and を, too. The modern sound え used to be written as へ in some cases and お as を. Of course, pronunciation varies, and sometimes you can hear a clear difference between お and を, for instance. Still, in all words, besides the particles, the old pronunciation differences have disappeared as time has passed.

There is an exception to the “wa” rule besides the Japanese particle, though. When は is used as the last letter of the greeting phrase, it follows the sound of a ‘wa’ particle. 

こんにちは
Actual spelling: Konnichiha.
Pronunciation: Konnichiwa

こんばんは
Actual spelling: Konbanha
Pronunciation: Konbanwa. 

To Sum It Up

There you have it: the core reason behind this ‘problem’ is simply because Japan never bothered to fully fix the two particles they spelled “wrong”. Instead, they went the easy route and deemed it the official, right way to do it. Problem solved.

The good news is that you’ll only have to deal with these in hiragana. Katakana is almost exclusively for foreign words, so you’re not really going to see particles written in katakana. 

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FAQ

Out of all Japanese particles that exist, the particle を (pronounced “o”) might be one of the most straightforward. The を particle is used to make a word the direct object of the sentence or the thing that is acted upon by the verb. There is no direct equivalent in English since the language doesn’t use particles to indicate the object or subject of the sentence. 

So let’s explore how the を (o) particle works, its structure, and example sentences.

What is The Particle を (O)?

を is a Japanese particle that designates the direct object, the word that is affected by the verb. For instance, let’s look at a simple sentence:

魚を食べる 
sakana o taberu
I eat fish

The particle を makes 魚 (sakana), or fish, the direct object, meaning it’s the object being acted upon. In this case, it tells us that the fish is the subject. You can think of を as a grammatical tool that turns words into the things that verbs affect in the sentence. 

Is を Pronounced as “Wo” or “O”?

を is pronounced as o, as in “ohio.” But you might be wondering why you often see を being written as “wo” in English. This is because to input を on a keyboard using the Roman alphabet, you have to type “wo”. If you have typed in Japanese on a Roman alphabet keyboard, you probably know that some characters need to be typed differently from how they are actually pronounced.

Pronunciation:

を → o 

Inputting on a Roman character keyboard:

wo → を

Generally, even in modern Japanese speeches, Japanese speakers prefer to spell it out as “o”. The “wo” pronunciation can sometimes be heard in songs, but it is often used to add emphasis, much like in Japanese, where singers sometimes exaggerate the “R” vowels into “L”. 

Structure of The Particle を (O)

を is the only Japanese hiragana character that can only be used as a particle. In most cases, を attaches nouns in a sentence to designate them as the direct object. Take a look at the breakdown below:

Usually, verbs come after を, following this typical sentence pattern:

Noun + を + verb

Example:

テレビを見る。
Terebi o miru。
I watch TV.

Changing Word Order with を

You are probably used to Japanese grammar, a typical order that generally goes as follows: subject → object → verb. However, it’s actually common to change the word order to create emphasis while still conveying the same meaning.

For example:

私がハンバーガーを食べた 
Watashi ga hanbaagaa o tabeta
I ate a hamburger

While this is a typical sentence structure in Japanese, grammar in Japanese is quite flexible and can be reordered like the following:

ハンバーガーを私が食べた
Hanbaagaa o watashi ga taberu
The hamburger, I ate it.

Despite the rearrangement of the words, “I ate a hamburger” is still clearly expressed. But, of course, the choice to rearrange the words might work to emphasize the subject or the object in certain contexts. 

Using を (O) at the End of the Sentence

It’s also common to use を at the end of a sentence as well, without saying a verb. Often, the verb is dropped since the meaning of the sentence is obvious based on the context. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples to understand how it works.

Example 1:

何を?
Nani o?
Of what?

This is a common question to ask when someone doesn’t specify. For instance, if someone says,昨日面白い映画を見た (omoshiroi eiga o mita) or “I watched an interesting movie yesterday,” you could respond with, 何を (nani o).

Example 2:

良いお年を
Yoi otoshi o
To a good new year!

This is a common Japanese New Year expression that roughly translates to “to a good new year.” The full expression includes the verb お迎えください (omukae kudasai).

Using を With Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs

One of the most common hurdles for new Japanese learners is deciding when to reach for the particle を (o) and when to let it go. The secret lies in the relationship between the subject and the action. To master this, we have to look at the world through the lens of transitive versus intransitive verbs.

Keep in mind that を can only be used with a transitive verb. Think of a transitive verb (他動詞; tadoushi) as an “active” force. These verbs require a direct object because someone or something is performing an action upon something else. 

Take the verb 開ける (akeru), meaning “to open.” When you physically reach out and move a door, you are performing a transitive action. In Japanese, you would say:

Transitive Verb:

ドアを開ける
Doa o akeru
Open the door

On the flip side, we have intransitive verbs (自動詞;  jidoushi). These verbs describe a state of being or a change that occurs naturally, without focusing on who started it. When using these, the direct object effectively disappears and becomes the subject of the sentence.

However, when it comes to intransitive verbs where there is no specified direct object, を is omitted. This is because を can only be used with verbs.  For instance, if you walk into a room and notice a door is already in the process of opening, you use the intransitive counterpart 開く (aku). Instead of using を, you switch to the subject particle が, resulting in:

Intransitive Verbs:

ドアが開く
Doa ga aku
The door opened

In this sentence, が is used instead of を, marking how ドア or “the door” became the subject when an intransitive verb is used. 

This is not to be confused with passive voice, where direct objects are still used with verbs like “eaten” or 食べられる (taberareru). Rather, intransitive verbs turn direct objects into subjects, which is why the Japanese particle changes. Let’s take a look at an example.

を vs Other Particles

Often, it feels like different particles can be used in similar situations, causing tons of confusion around deciding the correct particle to use. So, let’s explore how を is used compared to a couple of other particles.

1. を vs から (Kara)

を and から (kara) surprisingly have some overlap, specifically when discussing leaving a place. Say, you want to describe leaving your house. Which one should you use? Well, it actually depends on whether you are exiting or starting from your house.

Using を

When using を, the focus will be from the perspective of leaving your house. 

家を出る。
Ie o deru.
I leave the house.

Using から

When using から, the focus will be from the perspective of coming from your house.

家から出る。
Ie kara deru.
I come from my house.

2. を vs で (De)

を and で can also have some confusing overlap since sometimes you can use these particles to describe walking in a park, for example. But both of these particles express different situations.

Using を

When using を, you are describing the action of walking through a route rather than being at a location.

公園を歩く。
Kouen o aruku.
Walk through a park.

Using で

When using で, you are describing the location where an action is happening.

公園で歩く。
Kouen de aruku.
Walk in the park.

3. を vs は (Wa)

In a certain context, the particle は can replace を, but with a catch: when は (wa) replaces を (o), the meaning of your sentence shifts from a simple statement of fact to one of emphasis or contrast. In Japanese grammar, this is called topicalization. You are taking the “object” and promoting it to the “topic.”

Basically, you use を when you want to tell someone what you are doing as it is. You can replace it with は when you want to single out an object to compare it to something else or to emphasize that this is the specific thing you are talking about.

Why? When you switch to は, you are signaling to the listener: “Regarding this specific thing (as opposed to other things), here is the deal.” 

肉を食べます。
Niku o taberu
I eat meat.

When you replace the particle を with the same sentence, you add a new layer of context behind it.

肉は食べます。
Niku wa taberu
I eat meat (Speaking of meat, I eat it). 

We also swap to は when an object has already been brought up in conversation. If the object is what everyone is already looking at, it is no longer just an “object”. It is the topic

For instance, when your colleague is asking you about a report, they might ask:

レポートはどうですか？
Repooto wa dou desu ka?
How is the report?

In this case, when you want to answer, using を would feel slightly disconnected, like you’re introducing the report for the first time. Using は acknowledges that “the report” is the star of the current conversation.

レポートは書きました。
Repooto wa kakimashita.
As for the report, I wrote it.

Examples Sentences with を

Let’s take a look at some example sentences using を in different situations to really understand how this grammar tool works in actual spoken Japanese. Before that, check out the full vocabulary that appears in today’s examples at the table below.

1. Direct Object (Most Common Use)

This is the most common and important use of を. It clearly expresses what you eat, read, watch, make, and much more. 

Example:

毎日、日本の雑誌を読む。
Mainichi, nihon no zasshi o yomu.
I read Japanese magazines every day.

2. With する (Suru) Verbs

When you use nouns with the verb する (suru), meaning “to do,” they become verbs. So, を marks what you’re doing.

勉強をする
Benkyou o suru
to study

However, in casual speech, を is often dropped to make the expression shorter, essentially transforming it into a single verb: 勉強をする (drop を) → 勉強する. This allows you to add other objects without making the sentence feel convoluted. 

Example:

大学で経済を勉強している。
Daigaku de keizai o benkyou shite iru.
I am studying economics at university. 

4. Using を for Movement Through Space 

を can also mark the place an action moves through, not just an object. You may think the particle で plays a similar role; however, で expresses destination. When using を, you express movement along a route or path, rather than the destination. 

This includes not only places like parks or roads, but also directional paths such as up, down, across, and along. Let’s take a look at some examples to get a better idea.

Example 1:

新宿の公園を歩く。
Koen o aruku.
I walk through the park in Shinjuku.

Example 2:

階段を上る。
Kaidan o noboru.
I go up the stairs.

Example 3:

橋の上を歩く。
Hashi no ue o aruku.
I walk across the bridge.

5. Using を with Leaving a Place

を is also used to describe leaving a place by pairing it with verbs like 出る (deru), which means “to leave.” You might be thinking that this is very similar to how the particle から (kara) is used. You’re completely right; however, there are some differences in nuance. 

You can think of using を to simply describe leaving a place. But when using から (kara), you are describing leaving or coming from a place.

Example:

たいてい、朝の9時から家を出る。
Taitei, asa no ku ji kara ie o deru.
I usually leave the house at 9 in the morning.

Conclusion

を (o) is an essential particle that is used to designate the word that is being affected by the verb in the sentence. It’s one of the building blocks of Japanese and is useful for letting the listener know, for instance, that you are eating the apple, りんごを食べる (ringo o taberu / I eat the apple), and not the other way around, りんごは食べる (ringo wa taberu / the apple eats)!

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To really get a better idea of how to use を correctly in Japanese conversation, you should practice as much as possible. So, we highly recommend taking Japanese classes with us at Coto Academy, where we teach practical Japanese from practical everyday phrases to how to read and write Japanese you will see in everyday life. 

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FAQ

Want to learn more about Japanese particles? Read our guide on:

• Guide to Japanese Particle の (No): Functions, Use, Examples
• Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Particles
• Why Do We Pronounce Ha as Wa in Japanese?

Confused about Japanese Particles?  Want to know the difference between wa and ga? Check out this easy to use reference guide.

Japanese particles are an indispensable key in understanding Japanese sentences. Learn changing how a particle is used can change the entire meaning of a sentence. In this blog, we sort out 13 common Japanese particles for the JLPT N5-N4 level. This cheat sheet covers 17 common particles, the usages, meaning and example sentences.

You can get the free download of our learning cheat sheet below.

If you want to learn grammar, check out our 30 must-know JLPT N5 grammar points.  

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Omitting particles in casual spoken Japanese is very common.  But when can you do this – and how should you do it?
In this short blog we will show you which particles can be skipped and which must remain.

Japanese Particles can be omitted only in conversational sentences, not in written language.

The first rule about Japanese particles is that omitting them can only occur in spoken Japanese. So when you are writing Japanese – remember to include them!

Japanese sentence patterns determine some relationships between words

As the heading above implies, the basic Japanese sentence pattern has an order which informs the relationship between certain words.

The basic sentence pattern in Japanese has the word order ” S is O is / to V. ” (Subject is object is / to verb) , and its role can be understood by the position of the word even without particles. So, in a basic japanese sentence「は」and「を/が」 can be omitted.
Let’s look at a more detailed chart below that explains some of the common examples of omitted particles in Japanese Grammar.

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