を

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 遠 in the cursive sōsho style.

• IPA^(key): [ɰᵝo̞]

• (obsolete, except in careful speech or when singing)

• IPA^(key): [o̞]

• Audio

  (file)

を • (o) 

1. (obsolete except as a particle) The hiragana syllable を (o). Its equivalent in katakana is ヲ (o). It is the forty-seventh syllable in the gojūon order; its position is わ行お段 (wa-gyō o-dan, “row wa, section o”).

In most cases outside its use as a particle, it is replaced by お.

• (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こ𛄲 (𛄲)ご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, 𛀆, ゆゅ, 𛀁, よょ, らら゚, りり゚, るる゚, れれ゚, ろろ゚, わゎわ゙, ゐ𛅐 (𛅐)ゐ゙, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ𛅑 (𛅑)ゑ゙, を𛅒 (𛅒)を゙, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ
• うぉ (wo)

/wo/ → /o/

From Proto-Japonic *wo. Cognate with Okinawan ゆ (yu).

• IPA^(key): [o̞]

• • The historical spelling is retained despite the modern pronunciation (as with は (wa) and へ (e)).
  • In songs or hyperformal contexts, the old pronunciation wo may be used.

を • (o) 

1. A case particle.
   1. (with transitive verb) An accusative case particle: a grammatical marker following the direct object of a verb.

      私(わたし)がリンゴを食(た)べる。

      Watashi ga ringo o taberu.

      I eat an apple.

      私(わたし)をリンゴが食(た)べる。

      Watashi o ringo ga taberu.

      An apple eats me.

      • As shown in the above two usage examples, Japanese sentences use particles to indicate subject and object, instead of using word order as in English.

      • 794, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki, page 85:

        渉險 上往也下左何之伎乎

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   2. (with intransitive verb) away from, off

      席(せき)を立(た)つ

      seki o tatsu

      to stand up from the seat

   3. (with intransitive verb) along, following a specified route, track, orbit, etc.

      廊(ろう)下(か)を走(はし)る

      rōka o hashiru

      to run down the corridor

      街(まち)を歩(ある)く

      machi o aruku

      to walk down the street

      北(ほっ)海(かい)道(どう)を流(なが)れる川(かわ)

      Hokkaidō o nagareru kawa

      a river that flows through Hokkaido

      地(ち)球(きゅう)のまわりを月(つき)がまわる。

      Chikyū no mawari o tsuki ga mawaru.

      The Moon orbits the Earth.

      • 1908, Natsume Sōseki, Yume Jūya [Ten Nights of Dreaming]‎:

        大(おお)空(ぞら)を落(お)ちている間(ま)

        ōzora o ochiteiru ma

        while it was falling through the sky

2. (archaic) A conjunctive particle, usually following the rentaikei of classical inflectible words.
   1. Resultative conjunction: expresses reason or cause.
      • c. 1001–1014, Murasaki Shikibu, Genji Monogatari

        わざとあめるを、早(はや)うものせよかし。

        Wazato a meru o, hayō monoseyo kashi.

        It seems to be a special [invitation], so please go early.

   2. Contrastive conjunction.
      • 1890, Mori Ōgai, The Dancing Girl:

        我身(わがみ)だに知(し)らざりしを、怎(いか)でか人(ひと)に知(し)らるべき。

        Wagami dani shirazarishi o, ika de ka hito ni shiraru beki.

        Even myself didn't know, how could others know?

        我身(わがみ)だに知(し)らざりしを、怎(いか)でか人(ひと)に知(し)らるべき。

        Wagami dani shirazarishi o, ika de ka hito ni shiraru beki.

        Even myself didn't know, how could others know?

        (please add an English translation of this quotation)

3. (archaic, literary) An interjectory particle, expressing sigh or emphasis.
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 2, poem 108:
     , text

     我(あ)を待(ま)つと君(きみ)が濡(ぬ)れけむあしひきの山(やま)のしづくにならましものを

     A o matsu to / Kimi ga nureken / Ashihiki no / Yama no shizuku ni / naramashi mono o

     You probably got wet while waiting for me; ah, I wish I could become a waterdrop in the mountain.

• In highly informal speech, a lengthened vowel may be used instead of を: 手(て)ぇ上(あ)げろ ― tē agero ― raise your hands.

• Unknown (794) Yoshinori Kobayashi, editor, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki (Kojisho Ongi Shūsei) (in Japanese), volume 1, Kyūko Shoin, published 1978, →ISBN.