Japanese particles は and が | Free Language Courses

は: the topic

is written with the sign for ha but said wa. It marks the topic: what the sentence is about, something both speakers already have in mind. Think of it as “as for …”: (Watashi wa Tanaka desu) is literally “as for me, (I'm) Tanaka”.

The topic is often the subject, but it doesn't have to be. (Kyō wa atsui desu) means “it's hot today”: the topic is today. Once a topic is set, it is usually left out of the sentences that follow.

私は田中です。Watashi wa Tanaka desu.I'm Tanaka.
駅はあそこです。Eki wa asoko desu.The station is over there.
日曜日は休みです。Nichiyōbi wa yasumi desu.I'm off on Sundays.

が: new information

(ga) marks the subject, the person or thing that does something or is described, when it is new information or the important part of the answer. English often shows this with stress: “Yamada's going.”

A question word such as (dare, who) or (nani, what) can't be the topic, because it isn't known yet. So when it is the subject, it takes , and so does the answer: (Dare ga ikimasu ka, who's going?) → (Yamada-san ga ikimasu, Yamada is going). is also used for things you have just noticed, such as the weather or a bus arriving.

誰が来ますか。Dare ga kimasu ka.Who's coming?
山田さんが来ます。Yamada-san ga kimasu.Yamada is coming.
どれがいいですか。Dore ga ii desu ka.Which one is good?
あ、バスが来ました。A, basu ga kimashita.Oh, here comes the bus.

が with あります, 好き, できる and more

Some words always mark the thing they are about with : existence (, ), likes and dislikes, skills, wants, understanding and pain. The person is usually the topic with , so one sentence often has both: (Watashi wa sakana ga suki desu, I like fish).

Word	Meaning	Example
(arimasu), (imasu)	there is, there are	(Eki no mae ni ginkō ga arimasu) There's a bank in front of the station.
(suki), (kirai)	like, dislike	(Watashi wa sakana ga suki desu) I like fish.
(dekimasu)	can do	(Suzuki-san wa tenisu ga dekimasu) Suzuki can play tennis.
(jōzu), (heta)	good at, bad at	(Yamada-san wa ryōri ga jōzu desu) Yamada is a good cook.
(hoshii)	want (a thing)	(Atarashii pasokon ga hoshii desu) I want a new computer.
(wakarimasu)	understand	(Nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu) I understand a little Japanese.
(itai)	hurt	(Atama ga itai desu) I have a headache.

は for contrast

also sets one thing against another: “this one, as opposed to that one”. It can replace and (o) for this: (Niku wa suki desu ga, sakana wa suki ja nai desu, I like meat, but I don't like fish).

Negative sentences often take for the same reason, because “not this” suggests “but something else”: (Osake wa nomimasen, I don't drink alcohol). A contrast can be left hanging, which is a gentle way of saying no: (kyō wa…, today is a bit…).

肉は好きですが、魚は好きじゃないです。Niku wa suki desu ga, sakana wa suki ja nai desu.I like meat, but I don't like fish.
お酒は飲みません。Osake wa nomimasen.I don't drink alcohol.
日本語は話せますが、中国語は話せません。Nihongo wa hanasemasu ga, Chūgokugo wa hanasemasen.I can speak Japanese, but not Chinese.

は or が? Quick rules

Inside a clause that describes a noun, or inside a “when” clause, the subject always takes , never : (haha ga tsukutta kēki, the cake my mother made). The topic of the whole sentence keeps .

Compare (Watashi wa Tanaka desu, I'm Tanaka) with (Watashi ga Tanaka desu, I'm Tanaka, the one you're looking for). With , the stress is on “I”.

Use (wa)	Use (ga)
for the topic, something already known	for new information, or to pick one out from others
to contrast one thing with another	after question words: (dare ga), (nani ga)
often in negative sentences	with (arimasu), (suki), (dekimasu), (hoshii), (wakarimasu)
for the topic of the whole sentence	for the subject inside a clause before a noun

私が田中です。Watashi ga Tanaka desu.I'm Tanaka (the one you're looking for).
母が作ったケーキはおいしいです。Haha ga tsukutta kēki wa oishii desu.The cake my mother made is delicious.
雨が降っています。Ame ga futte imasu.It's raining.