kare ha watasi wo semeta.

は marks 彼 as the topic of the sentence.

So 彼は私を責めた is literally something like:

• As for him, he blamed me

In natural English, that usually just becomes He blamed me.

Even though は is often translated as is/are in beginner explanations, it is not a verb. It is a particle that tells you what the sentence is about.

を marks the direct object of the verb, meaning the person or thing directly affected by the action.

Here, the verb is 責めた = blamed.
So the person being blamed is 私.

That gives:

• 彼は = as for him / he
• 私を = me
• 責めた = blamed

So 私を means me as the target of the blaming.

The dictionary form is 責める.

• dictionary form: 責める
• past plain form: 責めた

This is an ichidan verb, so the change is straightforward:

• 責める → 責めた

It is read せめた.

So the full sentence is read:

かれ は わたし を せめた。

Romanization:

kare wa watashi o semeta

Note that を is written wo in traditional romanization, but in actual pronunciation it sounds like o.

Often yes, but it can also carry the nuance of:

• reproach
• criticize
• accuse emotionally
• find fault with

So 責める can sound a little stronger or more personal than a very neutral English blame, depending on context.

Japanese sentences usually put the verb at the end.

A very common basic order is:

• topic / subject + object + verb

So here:

• 彼は = topic
• 私を = object
• 責めた = verb

That is completely normal Japanese word order.

Yes: 彼が私を責めた is also possible, but the nuance changes.

Very roughly:

• 彼は私を責めた = He blamed me / As for him, he blamed me
• 彼が私を責めた = He is the one who blamed me / It was he who blamed me

So:

• は often presents the topic, and can feel more general or contrastive
• が often focuses on who did the action

The best choice depends on context.

In this sentence, yes, that is the natural interpretation.

But technically は marks the topic, not automatically the grammatical subject in every sentence. In many simple sentences like this one, the topic is also understood as the doer of the action, so 彼は is naturally understood as he.

That is true: Japanese often omits pronouns when they are clear from context.

For example, in conversation, people might simply say:

私を責めた。
= [He/She/They] blamed me.

Or even something else depending on context.

Using 彼 makes the subject explicit. That can be useful when:

• the speaker wants to be clear
• there is contrast
• the listener might not know who is being talked about
• the sentence is being presented as an example for learners

So the sentence is natural, but in real conversation Japanese often omits words that English would keep.

It is understandable and correct, but in real conversation Japanese often prefers:

• the person’s name
• their role or title
• omission if the person is obvious from context

So while 彼 does mean he, it can sometimes sound a little more explicit or textbook-like than natural spoken Japanese, depending on the situation.

To some extent, yes, because particles show each word’s role.

For example, 私は彼に責められた would be a different sentence, but within the original sentence, Japanese allows some flexibility in word order. However, the most natural and neutral order is:

彼は私を責めた。

Putting the verb last is especially important.

If you move things around too much, the sentence may still be grammatical but can sound marked, emphatic, or unnatural.

No, it is in the plain past style.

• 責めた = plain past
• polite version: 責めました

So a polite version would be:

彼は私を責めました。

Both mean the same basic thing, but 責めました is more polite.

The word 私 itself can correspond to I or me in English depending on its role in the sentence.

Here it is followed by を, which marks the direct object, so it means me.

Compare:

• 私は学生です。 = I am a student.
• 彼は私を責めた。 = He blamed me.

So the particle tells you how to interpret it.

Yes. は can sometimes add a contrastive feeling.

Depending on context, 彼は私を責めた might imply something like:

• He blamed me, though others didn’t
• As for him, he blamed me

That contrast is not always strong, but it can be present. This is one reason は is often more nuanced than a simple subject marker.

Japanese does not have articles like English a and the.

So Japanese often leaves definiteness to context.

In this sentence, English naturally says he blamed me, but Japanese does not need any article-like word. That is just a normal difference between the languages.