postposition

Postposition is a type of adposition that follows its complement, in contrast to prepositions that precede their complement. In languages with postpositions, a noun phrase is followed by a postpositional marker that conveys relations such as location, direction, time, instrument, or means. The same semantic functions fulfilled by prepositions in English are expressed by postpositions in these languages.

Postpositions occur in many language families, notably in East and South Asia. Japanese and Korean use particles that come after nouns to mark topics, subjects, objects, and other grammatical roles. In South Asian languages such as Hindi, Urdu, and Tamil, postpositional markers like par, meṃ, and se follow the noun to indicate relations such as on, in, or from. Some languages also use postpositional clitics or suffixes attached to the noun, functioning as case markers rather than separate words.

Morphology and syntax vary: postpositions may be standalone words, clitics, or suffix-like affixes attached to the noun. Some languages employ both prepositions and postpositions, while others rely exclusively on one system. The choice between pre- and postpositional marking is a conventional feature of a language’s grammar and can influence aspects of word order and NP structure.

In analysis, postpositions are treated as a type of adposition or as a postpositional construction within a language’s case or grammatical marking system. They share a core function with prepositions—linking nouns to other arguments or adjuncts—while differing in position relative to the noun.

See also: Adposition, Postpositional phrase, Case marking, Clitic.