は / が Particles — Topic vs Subject — Japanese Pattern Guide | KanjiCrush

Overview

The は / が distinction trips up learners at every level. The short version: は marks what the sentence is about (the topic), while が marks who or what performs the action or exists (the subject). In many sentences they overlap — but when they don't, the difference in meaning is real.

は — The Topic Marker

は (pronounced "wa") sets the stage. It says "as for X, here's what I want to tell you about it."

私は学生です。

わたしはがくせいです。

I am a student. (As for me, I'm a student.)

東京は大きいです。

とうきょうはおおきいです。

Tokyo is big. (As for Tokyo, it's big.)

今日は天気がいいですね。

きょうはてんきがいいですね。

The weather is nice today, isn't it?

Key uses of は

Introducing a topic: 日本語は難しいです (Japanese is difficult)
Contrast: コーヒーは飲みますが、紅茶は飲みません (I drink coffee but not tea)
General statements: 猫は動物です (Cats are animals)

が — The Subject Marker

が identifies who or what does the action, or what exists. It often answers "who?" or "what?" questions.

誰が来ましたか？

だれがきましたか？

Who came?

雨が降っています。

あめがふっています。

It's raining. (Rain is falling.)

猫が好きです。

ねこがすきです。

I like cats.

Key uses of が

Answering "who/what" questions: 田中さんが作りました (Tanaka made it)
New information: あ、バスが来た！ (Oh, the bus came!)
With adjectives of ability/desire: 日本語が分かります (I understand Japanese)
Existence: ここに本があります (There is a book here)

は vs が — Side by Side

Situation	は	が
Known/old info	田中さんは先生です	—
New/focused info	—	田中さんが先生です
Contrast	魚は食べますが...	—
Question words	—	誰が？何が？
Existence	—	猫がいる

Common Mistakes

Overusing は: Don't mark everything with は. In 誰が来た？ using は would sound unnatural.
Using が for contrast: When contrasting, は is the right choice: りんごは好きだけど、バナナは嫌い.
Forgetting が with すき/きらい/わかる: These take が for the object: 音楽が好き, not ~~音楽を好き~~.

Practice は / が particles

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