は (wa - topic marker)
は — the topic marker
Pattern
-
名詞A＋は＋名詞B＋ですA is B (私は学生です) -
名詞＋は＋形容詞／動詞topic + は + comment (今日は天気がいいです)
Setting the topic
Say what you will talk about, add は, then give the information: 私は学生です (As for me, I am a student). The topic is usually something both people already know.
Pronunciation
As a particle, は is read ‘wa’, not ‘ha’. Elsewhere, such as in こんにちは, it also keeps its は spelling while being read ‘wa’.
Topic and comment
In 今日は天気がいいです, the topic is 今日 and the comment is ‘the weather is good’. The comment has its own subject marked with が. This idea of topic first is basic to Japanese sentences.
Examples
-
私（わたし）は学生（がくせい）です。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student.
は is read ‘wa’.
-
これはわたしのかばんです。
Kore wa watashi no kaban desu.
This is my bag.
これ is the topic.
-
今日（きょう）は天気（てんき）がいいです。
Kyō wa tenki ga ii desu.
The weather is nice today.
Topic 今日, then 天気が as the subject of the comment.
Common mistakes
- は is pronounced ‘wa’ but written は, not わ.
- は marks the topic, not simply the doer. When you introduce new information, が is often used instead.
More grammar points
- は は (wa) — the topic particle
- を を (o) — the object particle
- に に (ni) — time, destination, location
- で で (de) — place of action & means
- と と (to) — and / together with
- の の (no) — possessive & noun linker
- へ へ (e) — direction
- も も (mo) — also / too
- か か (ka) — the question marker
- から から・まで — from … to …
- より より (yori) — than (comparison)
- だけ ～だけ — “only ～”
- で ～で — place, means and cause
- が ～が — marks the subject
- か か — the question particle
- まで ～まで — “until / up to ～”
- も ～も — “also / too”
- なあ ～なあ — sentence-final feeling
Practice this in the app
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