は vs が: The beginner-friendly difference

The basic idea

は is written ha, but pronounced wa. It sets the topic of the sentence. が marks the subject. The topic and the subject can be different, so は and が can appear together.

1. Start with the topic: は

Use は to tell your listener what you are yapping about. It gives the conversation a starting point. The rest of the sentence tells us something about that topic.

2. Point to the subject: が

Use が when you want to identify the subject, bring in new information, or answer a question about who or what is doing something.

3. Why both can appear together

A sentence can have one topic and a different subject. は gives us the conversation frame. が draws attention to the subject inside it.

A second use of は: comparison

は can carry a comparison. When you say は, your listener may wonder how that thing compares with something else.

Useful patterns

Japanese: X は Y です。
Romaji: X wa Y desu.
Meaning: As for X, it is Y.

Japanese: X が すき です。
Romaji: X ga suki desu.
Meaning: I like X.

Japanese: なに が すき です か。
Romaji: Nani ga suki desu ka.
Meaning: What do you like?

Japanese: X は わかります が、Y は わかりません。
Romaji: X wa wakarimasu ga, Y wa wakarimasen.
Meaning: I understand X, but I do not understand Y.

A few things to watch for

は does not translate neatly into one English word. が does not mean “the.” Japanese speakers often leave out the topic or subject when everyone already knows what the conversation is about.

Have a go

Choose は or が.

Japanese: わたし ___ モリ です。
Romaji: Watashi ___ Mori desu.
Meaning: As for me, I am Mori.

Japanese: なに ___ あります か。
Romaji: Nani ___ arimasu ka.
Meaning: What is there?

Japanese: わたし ___ ねこ ___ すき です。
Romaji: Watashi ___ neko ___ suki desu.
Meaning: I like cats.

Answers: 1. は 2. が 3. は, が. Yap each sentence aloud. Then change the nouns and make the sentences yours.

One thing to remember

は sets the conversation topic. が identifies the subject. Ask yourself, “What are we yapping about?” when you are choosing は. Ask “Who or what is being singled out?” when you are choosing が. Then listen to how the sentence works as a whole.