The Visualizing Japanese Grammar website looks very simple, but the information is extremely detailed.
There are 66 flash animations, each of which deals with a grammatical point of the Japanese language.
The explanations are very full and detailed and a quiz accompanies each section.
[Note for teachers of Japanese]
At the bottom of the web-page there are PowerPoint presentations which can be downloaded.
The index of specific Japanese grammar patterns is very good, but because it is in an excel spreadsheet some people may not be able to use it and so I am going to reproduce it here -
文法項目 grammatical items | 意味 meaning | first VJG unit |
sentence types | 1 | |
word order | 2 | |
noun phrase + の (particle) | 3 | |
まえ、うしろ、みぎ、ひだり、うえ、した、むこう、てまえ、さき (spatial expressions) | 4 | |
いadjectives、なadjectives | 5 | |
noun phrase + へ、に、で、から、まで、を (particles) | 6 | |
noun phrase + が、を(particles) | 7 | |
noun phrase + は (particle) | 8 | |
noun phrase + も (particle) | 9 | |
noun phrase + へ、から、まで、に、までに、で、と、を (particles) | 10 | |
こ…、そ…、あ…、ど… (demonstrative pronouns) | 11 | |
つ、にん、まい、ほん、さつ、はい、ひき、だい (counters) | 12 | |
だれ、なに、どれ、どちら、どっち、どこ、いつ、どの、どうして、いくら、etc. (wh expressions) | 13 | |
adjective stem + く (adverb) | 14 | |
adjective stem + くなる (expression of change) | 14 | |
direct-style sentence + ようになる | reach a point where X does ~ | 14 |
noun phrase + になる (expression of change) | 14 | |
stem + にくい | hard to do | 14 |
stem + やすい | easy to do | 14 |
なadjective/noun + に (adverb) | 14 | |
ねん、がつ、にち、じ、ふん、etc. (temporal expressions) | 15 | |
particles and verbs | 16 | |
adverbs and modifiers of nouns | 18 | |
です・ます vs. だ・る (speech styles) | 19 | |
direct-style conjugations of verbs | 20 | |
sentence + から (subordinator) | reason | 21 |
sentence + が (subordinator) | but/background information | 22 |
sentence + け(れ)ど (subordinator) | although | 22 |
てform | 22 | |
てform + いる (progressive) | be doing | 23 |
てform + 来る | come having done; event comes into view; have been doing for a long time | 24 |
てform + 行く | go having done: event is receding from view; go on doing | 24 |
てform + いる (resultant continuative) | 25 | |
verbs for clothing | 26 | |
noun phrase/direct-sytle sentence + より | 27 | |
particle combinations にも、へも、でも、からも、までも | 28 | |
stem + 方(かた) | how to do | 28 |
stem + たい(desiderative) | desire: want to | 29 |
てform + ほしい | want X to do | 29 |
direct-style sentence + かもしれない/かもしれません | maybe; there is the possibility | 30 |
direct-style sentence + だろう/でしょう | high probability | 30 |
stem + ながら | while doing | 31 |
stem + に行く | go to do | 32 |
~たり~たりする | sample activities: do such things as ~ and ~ | 33 |
しか~ない | no morer than | 34 |
だれも、なにも、どこも、etc. | 34 | |
だれか、なにか、どこか、etc. | 35 | |
~よう (tentative form) | let's do | 36 |
stem + ましょう (polite tentative form) | let's | 36 |
tentative form + とする | attempt to do | 36 |
tentative form + と思う | consider doing | 36 |
tentative form + と思っている | be considering doing | 36 |
complex noun phrases | 37 | |
direct-style sentence + の (nominalizer) | nominalizer: that ~; ~ing; ~to | 38 |
direct-style sentence のだ/んだ | circumstance: I'd like you to understand that ~ | 39 |
direct-style sentence + と思う | think that | 40 |
direct-style sentence + と言う | say that | 40 |
direct-style sentence + ようだ | appearance: it looks like ~ | 41 |
direct-style sentence + そうだ | hearsay: I hear that ~ | 42 |
direct-style sentence + つもりだ | intention: I intend to ~; I plan to ~ | 42 |
direct-style sentence + はずだ | expectation: my understanding is that ~ | 42 |
direct-style sentence + ために purpose | in order to ~ | 43 |
direct-style sentence + のに | in doing; in order to ~ | 43 |
stem + そうだ (intuitive judgement) | it looks like that ~ | 44 |
direct-style sentence +ように (quoting requests) | 45 | |
direct-style sentence (past) + 方(ほう)がいい | strong advice for an action: had better do | 46 |
direct-style sentence + 方(ほう)がいい | judgement: it is better to do | 46 |
particle より | 46 | |
~ら、 | if/when | 47 |
~ら、どうですか | suggestion; how about doing | 47 |
direct-style sentence + か(どうか) (embedded question) | whether (or not) | 47 |
direct-style sentence + と (subordinator) | whenever ~; if ~ | 48 |
てform + あげる | do others a favor | 49 |
てform + くれる | do me a favor of doing | 49 |
direct-style sentence + こと (nominalizer) | that ~; ~ing; ~to | 50 |
direct-style sentence + ことがある | significant experience | 50 |
direct-style sentence + ことにする | decide to do | 50 |
direct-style sentence + ことになっている | be supposed to ~; regulation is ~ | 50 |
direct-style sentence + ことになる | be decided for X to do; be decided for X to have done | 50 |
direct-style sentence + まで | until | 51 |
direct-style sentence + 前に | before doing | 51 |
tense marking | 51 | |
の and こと (pronominal) | 52 | |
てform + ある | have done | 53 |
てform + おく | preparation: do in advance | 53 |
てform + しまう | do against expectation; do prematurely | 53 |
てform + みる | adventurous first try: do and see | 53 |
wh expression + てform + も | no matter wh~ | 54 |
てform + も | multiple options, same consequence | 54 |
てform + も + てform + も | multiple options, same consequence | 54 |
てform + もいい | permission | 54 |
~なくては{いけない/ならない}/ なくちゃ | obligation: must | 55 |
~なくてもいい | exemption | 55 |
てform + はいけない/ならない | prohibition: must not | 55 |
honorifics いらっしゃる、おかえりになる、etc. | 56 | |
てform + くれてありがとう | thank you for doing | 57 |
てform + すみません | apology: sorry for doing | 57 |
imperative たべろ、のめ、etc. | 58 | |
stem + なさい | imperative: do! | 58 |
てform + ください | please do | 58 |
させられる (causative passive) | be made to do | 59 |
られる (passive) | be done | 59 |
adversity passive | 60 | |
させる (causative) | make X to do | 61 |
てform + もらう | have X do as a favor | 62 |
gender differences in speech | 65 | |
られる (potential) | be able to do | potential forms |