One aspect of Japanese grammar that torments many learners is the question of which particle to use and when.

In order to put an end to these worries, the usual advice is probably something along the lines of 'all you can do is practise', but for people who want to study a little more effectively we've gathered together a few websites that provide explanations and practice tasks to help perfect your particles.

Get your particle-knowledge in order...

Visualizing Japanese Grammar (Introduction article)

This site explains grammar for you using animation.
You can listen to spoken Japanese, and there are scripts provided.
Grammar points that may be difficult to understand when just reading a sentence are explained simply using illustrations.
In Unit 6, 'Particles for Locations', the differences between the particles へ, に and で are explained through animation and commentary.

Tae Kim’s Guide to Learning Japanese (Introduction article)

In this Japanese Grammar Guide, in addition to particles of course, all kinds of grammar points are brought together and explained simply in English, with accompanying example sentences.

For example, in the 'Introduction to Particles', you'll find explanations of は, も and が, plus fill-in-the-blank questions for practice.

Test yourself with quizzes

Having used the above sites to straighten out your particles, how about testing your knowledge with some quizzes?

JOSHU Japanese Online Self-Help Utility (Introduction article)

You can study particles and take quizzes in the 'Grammar' section of this website.
Here too, first you'll find explanations of the different particles.
The quizzes are multiple choice, and your answers are checked for you.

There you have it - above we have listed a few sites for learning about particles.
Those of you who haven't seen or tried these out before, why not pay them a visit and see how you get on?