を (departure point)

• Reading: を
• Romaji: o
• Formation: Place + を + Departure verb (出る, 降りる, 卒業する, etc.)

Meaning

A particle that marks the location from which movement begins. It indicates the place that someone leaves, exits, or departs from.

This を marks the starting point of a departure or separation. Common verbs include 出る (leave/exit), 卒業する (graduate), 降りる (get off), 離れる (leave/part from), and 去る (depart). This differs from から, which emphasizes the origin or source more broadly. を with departure verbs specifically conveys the act of physically leaving a contained or defined space. For example, 家を出る emphasizes exiting the house, while 家から出る can mean either leaving or something emerging from the house. With 卒業する, only を is used, not から.

Examples

1. 朝七時に家を出ます。 I leave home at seven in the morning.
2. 次の駅でバスを降りてください。 Please get off the bus at the next stop.
3. 姉は去年大学を卒業しました。 My older sister graduated from university last year.

Usage Guide

Context: spoken, written, everyday

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 電車を降りたら連絡してね。
• 会社を出たのは夜八時でした。
• 弟は来月高校を卒業します。

Don't Say

• 大学から卒業しました。(卒業する always takes を, not から) → 大学を卒業しました。
• 電車から降りてください。(Using から instead of を with 降りる sounds unnatural for exiting a vehicle) → 電車を降りてください。

Origin & History

The departure use of を shares roots with its spatial sense, both deriving from the concept of a domain being traversed or exited. This usage has been stable since the classical period.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal