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“ga” Explained
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Table of Contents
[Introduction]

[Topic marker VS Subject marker]

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In today’s lesson we will go over the two particles “は” and “が”. There is a lot
Japanese
of confusion around these two particles – sometimes they can be used
interchangeably, and sometimes it is grammatically wrong or changes the
How to use the particles “は”, “にとって”, &
meaning of the sentence when you use the wrong one. Let’s look at the basic
“には” in Japanese
functions of both particles and then dive deeper with some examples!

The Difference Between the Particles “に”

and “へ”

[Topic marker VS Subject marker]

How to use Abbreviated Nouns and Verb
in Japanese
First of all, it is important to note that “が” and “は” serve different
grammatical functions. が is a subject marker while は is a topic marker.
Learn Winter Vocabulary in Japanese

が： Subject marker
Learn Three New Idioms in Japanese
は： Topic marker

Subject and topic are not the same thing. This is what many students get
confused about, since there is no equivalent to a “topic marker” in English.

Now, a sentence usually consists of a subject and a verb: S+V. For example,
“I eat”. “I” is the subject and “eat” is the verb. While the subject is easily
identified as “I”, the topic refers to the entire context that is conveyed. So in
this case, the whole sentence “I eat” is the topic of the sentence.

[When to use “が”]

Here is what traditional grammar books say about when to use “が”:

しゅご

1. が marks the subject (主語をあらわす)

さくら さ Page: 2 of 7
E.g.: 桜が咲いた。
 しゅご

1. が marks the subject (主語をあらわす)

さくら さ

E.g.: 桜が咲いた。
The cherry blossoms are blooming.

しゅご きょうちょう はいた

2. が emphasizes a subject by eliminating other options (主語を 強調,排他)

こ た

あの子がこっそりチョコを食べた。
That boy secretly ate the chocolate (and nobody else but him).

3. が marks a subject to tell that the subject is making an action or is in

どうさ じょうきょう たいしょう あらわ

a state of being (動作や 状況などの 対象を表す)

こ た

あの子がこっそりチョコを食べた。
The action of eating is marked.

あたら こと どうにゅう

4. が introduces a new topic ( 新しい事の 導入)

むかしむかしあるところにおじいさんとおばあさんがいました。
Once upon a time, there were a grandma and a grandpa.

[When to use “は”]

Here is what traditional grammar books say about when to use “は”:

1. は marks a topic
ひと あたま

あの人は頭をかいています。
That person is scratching his head.
The topic here is the person.

2. は emphasizes the differences between two things

ひと た わたし た

ほかの人は食べないけど 私は食べます。
Other people might not eat it, but I will eat it.
The difference between people who would eat and not eat is
established.

3. は tells the condition

ここにいてはいけない！
You cannot be here!

[Practice Examples]

“が” and “は” particles have pretty similar usages, but in a dialogue, the
meaning tends to gravitate towards different directions. In other words, the
meaning differs depending on the situation.

Tip: When you are having a conversation with someone, it is easier to start
using particles correctly if you pay attention to what’s being asked or said
right before you answer and adjust your own usage of particles. Let’s look at
an example.

の もの なに す

飲み物は何が好き？
What do you like to drink?

コーヒーが好き。
Page: 3 of 7
I like coffee.
 す

コーヒーが好き。
I like coffee.

じゃあ、カフェラテは好き？
Well, what about Cafe Latte? Do you like it?

んーあんまり。でもコーヒーは好き。
Hmm not so much, but I do like coffee.

You just need to match your particle to the question being asked right
before.

Tip: When asking generic questions, it’s usually better to use “は”.

きみ な

Do you know the popular movie “君の名は”, “What’s your name?”

Also often used:

トイレはどこですか？
Where is a restroom?

In conversation, if you’re confused, sometimes people eliminate wa and ga

particles if a sentence is short.

トイレどこですか？

Tip: When asking questions with a question word, use “が”!

なに す だれ す

何が好き？誰が好き？
What do you like? Who do you like?

Another way to check whether you should use “は” or “が” is to see if you can
refer to the subject/topic with “as for”, which is another way you can
translate “は”. Look at this example emphasizing the difference between two
things using “は”:

しぜん す むし にがて

自然は好きだけど、虫は苦手。
As for nature, I like it, but as far as bugs are concerned, I don’t like them.

Lastly, what do you think these two sentences emphasize?

あーもうシャンプーはないのー。
“は” just generally emphasizing the topic – “There’s no shampoo!”

あーもうシャンプーがないのー。
“が” emphasizes the Shampoo, eliminating other options like conditioner or
body soap that are still there. “We’re out of shampoo!”

It takes some time to understand which particle to use in every situation.

But if you keep practicing and paying attention to where they are used, you
will eventually get it! Thank you for reading today’s article, and please feel
free to book a lesson with one of our tutors if you would like to study this
topic further.

Page: 4 of 7
たんご
topic further.

たんご

単 語リスト（Vocabulary list）

こんがらがる To get mixed up

しゅご

主語 Subject
きょうちょう

強調 Emphasis
はいた

排他 Exclusion

こっそり Secretly, stealthily

どうにゅう

導入 Introduction

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