“〜ne・〜yo・〜na”: Sentence-Final Mood Particles [JLPT N5]
By Nihongo to Japan · Updated July 3, 2026
Right? / I'm telling you! / Don't! — the nuance and use of の・か・ね・よ・な.
“〜ne・〜yo・〜na”: Sentence-Final Mood Particles
Sentence-final mood particles give Japanese its ‘emotion and tone.' The three most basic at N5: ね = seeking agreement/confirmation ‘〜right?, 〜you know' (both know it, wanting to feel closer): 「今日は寒いですね」 (it's cold today, isn't it); よ = informing/emphasizing ‘〜you know! (I'm telling you)' (new info the listener may not know): 「明日は休みですよ!」 (tomorrow's a day off, you know!); な = prohibition ‘don't 〜!' (verb dict. form ＋ な): 「ここで走るな!」 (don't run here!), or exclamation ‘〜!' (colloquial). ⚠️ Also よね = ‘〜right?' (informing ＋ confirming, I think so, you do too, right?). Mood particles make conversation naturally warm.
🧠 Core nuance: ね seeks agreement, よ informs, な prohibits/exclaims
The core is three particles conveying different conversational attitudes: ① ね — seeking agreement, confirmation ‘right?, you know' (the speaker feels the listener also knows/agrees, wanting to confirm together, feel closer: 寒いね = cold, isn't it, expecting the listener to agree); ② よ — informing, emphasizing ‘you know!' (the speaker thinks it's new info the listener doesn't know, actively informing: 休みですよ = it's a day off, you know, alerting the listener); ③ な — (a) prohibition ‘don't …!' (verb dict. form ＋ な: 走るな = don't run); (b) colloquial exclamation ‘…!' (いいな = how nice). ⚠️ Core difference: ね = wanting to confirm together (both know); よ = actively informing (the listener doesn't know). E.g. 雨だね (it's raining, isn't it, agreement) vs 雨だよ (it's raining, you know, informing). ⚠️ よね = informing ＋ confirming (I think…, you do too, right?). Mood particles go at the sentence end.
📌 Three Main Mood Particles
| Particle | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ね | seeking agreement/confirmation (right?) | 寒いですね |
| よ | informing/emphasizing (you know!) | 休みですよ |
| な (prohibition) | don't 〜! | 走るな |
| よね | informing ＋ confirming (right?) | 会議がありますよね |
💬 Example Sentences
- 今日は本当に寒いですね。(It's really cold today, isn't it.) — ね (seeking agreement, expecting a nod)
- 明日は休みですよ!(Tomorrow's a day off, you know!) — よ (informing new info)
- 危ないから、ここで走るな!(It's dangerous, so don't run here!) — な (prohibition)
- 明日、会議がありますよね?(There's a meeting tomorrow, right?) — よね (informing ＋ confirming)
- いい天気だな。(What nice weather.) — な (colloquial exclamation)
🔄 Compare: ね vs よ vs な vs よね
| Expression | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ね | “right?, you know” (seeking agreement, both know) | 寒いね |
| よ | “you know!” (informing, listener doesn't know) | 休みだよ |
| な | “don't 〜!” (prohibition, dict. form ＋ な)/exclamation | 走るな/いいな |
| よね | “right?” (informing ＋ confirming) | そうだよね |
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- ね vs よ: ね = seeking agreement (both know, right?); よ = informing (listener doesn't know, you know!) — misuse sounds unnatural.
- Prohibition な takes the dict. form: prohibition な attaches to the verb dict. form (走るな = don't run); ✗ 走りな.
- よね = informing ＋ confirming: よね is ‘right?' (I think…, you do too).
- Mood particles at the sentence end: ね/よ/な all go at the sentence end, giving conversation its tone.
💡 Nuance & When to Use
Sentence-final mood particles give Japanese emotion: ね = seeking agreement/confirmation ‘right?, you know' (both know it, wanting to feel closer); よ = informing/emphasizing ‘you know!' (new info the listener doesn't know); な = prohibition ‘don't 〜!' (dict. form ＋ な) or colloquial exclamation ‘…!'; よね = informing ＋ confirming ‘right?'. ⚠️ Core difference: ね wants to confirm together (both know), よ actively informs (the listener doesn't know). Mood particles make conversation naturally warm. A must at N5.
🎯 JLPT Exam Tips
- N5 conversation core: ね (seeking agreement, right?), よ (informing, you know!), な (prohibition, dict. form ＋ な), よね (informing ＋ confirming).
- Core distinction: ね (both know, seeking agreement) vs よ (listener doesn't know, informing).
- な: dict. form ＋ な = prohibition (走るな); colloquial exclamation = …! (いいな).
🖊️ 練習題（5 題）
Q1. 「今日は寒いです___。一緒に確認したい。」應加哪個助詞？
(A) よ (B) ね (C) な (D) か
Q2. 「明日は休みです___！（我告訴你，你可能不知道）」應加哪個助詞？
(A) ね (B) な (C) よ (D) の
Q3. 「ここで走る___！」（禁止在這裡跑）空格應填？
(A) よ (B) ね (C) な (D) か
Q4. 「何を食べている___？」（口語：在吃什麼啊？）空格應填？
(A) よ (B) ね (C) の (D) な
Q5. 「明日会議があります___？」（告訴你，你也知道對吧？）應加哪個？
(A) よ (B) ね (C) よね (D) な
答案解析
1. (B) ね ── ね = 尋求共鳴/確認，「對吧？」。想讓對方一起同意時用ね。
2. (C) よ ── よ = 告知對方不知道的信息。「告訴你，明天放假喔」。
3. (C) な ── 動詞辞書形 + な = 禁止命令。「走るな！」= 不准跑！
4. (C) の ── 口語疑問用の（升調）：何を食べているの？ = 在吃什麼啊？
5. (C) よね ── よね = 告知 + 確認。「告訴你（も知ってるよね）？明天有會議，對吧？」