N5 · Particles
は and が: topic and subject
the topic particle and the subject particle
は sets up what you are talking about; が picks out who or what does something or is somewhere.
The particle は — written with the kana は but pronounced wa — marks the topic: what the sentence is about. Everything after it is a comment on that topic. 私は学生です is, word for word, "as for me: student". The topic is often the subject, but it does not have to be: in 今日は雨です the day is not the rain — it is the frame the sentence is set in, "today, it is raining".
The particle が marks the grammatical subject, and it is the particle for information that is new. A question word that is the subject always takes が: 誰が来ましたか, "who came?". The answer keeps it, because it fills the same gap: 田中さんが来ました. A question word does not take は, since は marks something that is already on the table.
A useful way to feel the difference: は puts the weight on what comes after it, が puts the weight on the word in front of it. 田中さんは先生です tells you something about Mr Tanaka — he is a teacher. 田中さんが先生です answers "which one is the teacher?" — it is Mr Tanaka.
English has one subject slot and fills it in every sentence, so English speakers tend to reach for one particle for every subject. In practice は is the default for saying something about a person or thing, and が appears where something is new: after a question word, for an event you have just noticed (あ、バスが来ました), and for what exists somewhere (机の上に本があります). The finer points come later, at N3.
The form
| topic: as for me | 私は学生です。 |
| a topic that is not the subject | 今日は雨です。 |
| a question word as subject | 誰が来ましたか。 |
| the answer keeps が | 田中さんが来ました。 |
| something just noticed | あ、バスが来ました。 |
| what exists somewhere | 机の上に本があります。 |
The rules one by one
は marks the topic: what the rest of the sentence is about.
私は会社員です。I am an office worker.
A question word does not take は; as the subject it takes が, and so does the answer.
どの人が田中さんですか。Which person is Mr Tanaka?
が presents something new: an event you have just noticed, or something that exists somewhere.
雨が降っています。It is raining.
は puts the weight on what follows it; が puts the weight on the word before it.
私が行きます。I will go (I, and not someone else).
A closer look
Why Japanese needs a topic at all
Japanese leaves out whatever both speakers already know, and the topic is how a sentence says what that is. Once a topic has been set with は, it carries over into the following sentences without being repeated: 私は田中です。大阪から来ました。 The second sentence has no subject at all, and none is missing. English has to say "I" twice; Japanese says it once and lets the topic stand.
The odd spelling has a history. The particle was once pronounced the way its kana sounded at the time; it shifted to wa over the centuries, but when the modern spelling rules were set, the particle kept its old kana so that it would stay visible on the page. The same happened to を and へ.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the word is こんにちは or こんばんは
the final kana is the topic particle frozen inside a greeting, written は and pronounced wa.
こんにちは。今日はいい天気ですね。Hello. Lovely weather today, isn't it?
こんにちは was once the beginning of a longer sentence, "as for today …", and the rest fell away. Writing it with わ is a common slip even among Japanese speakers.
How to spot it
- は
- が
- 誰が
- 何が
- があります
- がいます
Example sentences
兄は医者です。My older brother is a doctor.
この店は安いです。This shop is cheap.
誰が窓を開けましたか。Who opened the window?
子どもが公園で遊んでいます。Some children are playing in the park.
東京は人が多いです。Tokyo has a lot of people.
あ、電車が来ました。Oh, here comes the train.
8 more example sentences
姉は銀行で働いています。My older sister works at a bank.
日本語は面白いです。Japanese is interesting.
誰がこのケーキを作りましたか。Who made this cake?
母が作りました。My mother made it.
駅の前にコンビニがあります。There is a convenience store in front of the station.
今日は天気がいいです。The weather is good today.
猫が寝ています。A cat is asleep.
この部屋は窓が大きいです。This room has big windows.
Worth knowing (1)
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は and が in the same sentence
A sentence can carry both: は names what the sentence is about, and が names the part that the description applies to. 妹は背が高いです is "as for my sister, height is tall" — my sister is tall. English has to rebuild such sentences with "have" or a possessive; Japanese does not.
妹は髪が長いです。My younger sister has long hair.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
A question word stands for something unknown, and は can only mark what both speakers already have in mind. So the question word takes が — and the answer keeps が, because it fills exactly the same slot: 山田さんが来ました.
は says what you are talking about; が says who or what, and puts the weight on it.
Your turn
10 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.