# は and が

https://langs123.com/en/japanese/sentence-basics/wa-ga/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> **は** marks what the sentence is about; **が** marks a new subject or the one a question word asks for. What is known takes **は**; what is new takes **が**: ここに本ほん**が**あります。その本ほん**は**大おおきいです。

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Topic | noun + **は** + clause | アンナさん**は**学生がくせいです。 | Anna is a student. |
| Subject | noun + **が** + verb | たなかさん**が**来きました。 | Tanaka-san has come. |
| Known or new | The new thing takes **が**; next time it is known and takes **は**. | ここに本ほん**が**あります。その本ほん**は**大おおきいです。 | There is a book here. That book is big. |
| Question word | As the subject it takes **が**, and so does its answer. | だれ**が**来きましたか。 — たなかさん**が**来きました。 | Who has come? — Tanaka-san has come. |
| Contrast | **は** sets one thing against another. | ごはん**は**食たべますが、パン**は**食たべません。 | I eat rice, but I don't eat bread. |
| After a particle | **は** follows another particle: **では**, **には**. | ここ**では**食たべません。 | I don't eat here. |
| Trap | Introduce yourself with **は**, not **が**. | 私わたし**は**アンナです。 | I'm Anna. |
| Trap | **すき** takes **が** for the thing liked, not **を**. | 私わたしはねこ**が**すきです。 | I like cats. |

## Overview

- **は** marks the topic, what the sentence is about: noun + **は** + clause. アンナさん**は**学生がくせいです。 (Anna is a student.)
- **が** marks the subject, who or what does or is something: noun + **が** + verb. バス**が**来きました。 (The bus has come.)
- The particle **は** is read **わ**. See Hiragana.
- A sentence with **です** takes its topic with **は**. See です: Am, Is, Are.
- **も** replaces **は** and **が** for “also”. See Particles と, も, の.

## は: the topic

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who or what the sentence is about, with **です** | たなかさん**は**先生せんせいです。 | Tanaka-san is a teacher. |
| The topic of a verb | アンナさん**は**テレビを見みます。 | Anna watches TV. |
| The topic of an adjective | この本ほん**は**大おおきいです。 | This book is big. |
| A time as the topic | あした**は**やすみです。 | Tomorrow is a day off. |
| The topic of a question | あなた**は**学生がくせいですか。 | Are you a student? |
| One topic for several sentences | アンナさん**は**学生がくせいです。日本語にほんごをべんきょうします。 | Anna is a student. She studies Japanese. |

- The topic stands first in the sentence. See Word Order.

## が: the subject

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Something new happens | あ、たなかさん**が**来きました。 | Oh, Tanaka-san has come. |
| Something new exists; see あります and います | ここに本ほん**が**あります。 | There is a book here. |
| A new person enters a story | むかし、おじいさん**が**いました。 | Long ago there was an old man. |

## Question words with が

- A question word that is the subject takes **が**; the answer that replaces it takes **が** too.

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who does it? | だれ**が**来きましたか。 — たなかさん**が**来きました。 | Who has come? — Tanaka-san has come. |
| What exists? | 何なに**が**ありますか。 — 本ほん**が**あります。 | What is there? — There is a book. |
| Which one is it? | だれ**が**学生がくせいですか。 — アンナさん**が**学生がくせいです。 | Who is the student? — Anna is the student. |
| A known topic and a question word: **は** on the topic | あの人ひと**は**だれですか。 — たなかさんです。 | Who is that person? — It is Tanaka-san. |

- The question words and the answers to yes-no questions: see Questions.

## Compare: は and が

- Known to both speakers: **は**. New, or picked from several: **が**.

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The same words answer two questions | アンナさん**は**学生がくせいです。 / アンナさん**が**学生がくせいです。 | Anna is a student. / It is Anna who is a student. |
| First mention, then the known thing | ここに本ほん**が**あります。その本ほん**は**大おおきいです。 | There is a book here. That book is big. |

## は for contrast

- **は** replaces **が** and **を**, and follows other particles: **では**, **には**.

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Two things set side by side | ごはん**は**食たべますが、パン**は**食たべません。 | I eat rice, but I don't eat bread. |
| A negative that leaves other things open | さかな**は**食たべません。 | Fish I don't eat. |
| A place set against other places | ここ**では**食たべません。 | I don't eat here. |
| Two topics, two comments | 私わたし**は**学生がくせいです。アンナさん**は**先生せんせいです。 | I am a student. Anna is a teacher. |

## は and が in one sentence

- **は** names the person; **が** names the thing liked, wanted or mastered. See Likes and Wants: 好き, ほしい.

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Liking | 私わたし**は**ねこ**が**すきです。 | I like cats. |
| Wanting | アンナさん**は**くるま**が**ほしいです。 | Anna wants a car. |
| Being good at something | アンナさん**は**日本語にほんご**が**じょうずです。 | Anna is good at Japanese. |

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 私わたしがアンナです。 | 私わたし**は**アンナです。 | a self-introduction names the topic with **は**; **が** would say “I am the one who is Anna” |
| だれは来きましたか。 | だれ**が**来きましたか。 | a question word that is the subject takes **が** |
| 私わたしはねこをすきです。 | 私わたしはねこ**が**すきです。 | **すき** takes **が** for the thing liked; the thing is not an object |
| ごはんが食たべますが、パンが食たべません。 | ごはん**は**食たべますが、パン**は**食たべません。 | two things set against each other take **は** |