は vs が (Wa vs Ga): The Beginner-Friendly Difference

You arrive at a Japanese conversation meetup and look around for the organiser, Tanaka. In the next few minutes you will introduce yourself, ask who Tanaka is, and answer a few questions. Each time, a tiny particle follows a name or a word: は (wa) or が (ga). Pick the wrong one and your Japanese usually still makes sense, but it can say something you did not mean.

The short answer

Use は (wa) to set up what you are talking about, then say something about it. Use が (ga) to point out who or what, especially when that person or thing is new to the conversation or is the answer to “who?” or “what?”.

If particles are new to you, start with what Japanese particles are and how they work, then come back to compare は and が.

• は (wa): “As for X…”. It sets up the topic, often something you and your listener already have in mind.
• が (ga): points to who or what: the person or thing that does something, is something or exists, often something new.

Here are both from the meetup:

1. わたしはアレックスですWatashi wa Arekkusu desu.I’m Alex.
2. だれがたなかさんですかDare ga Tanaka-san desu ka.Which one of you is Tanaka?

In the first sentence, you are the topic, and the rest tells the listener something about you. In the second, you do not know which person is Tanaka yet, so が points to the unknown person you want identified. Tanaka can answer with が too:

は (wa): set up the topic, then comment

First, the sound. This particle is written with the hiragana は (ha), but it is read wa. So わたしは is watashi wa, never watashi ha.

Think of は as “As for X…”. The word before は is the topic, and everything after it is the comment about that topic.

1. わたしはがくせいですWatashi wa gakusei desu.I’m a student.
2. たなかさんはせんせいですTanaka-san wa sensei desu.Tanaka is a teacher.

When you introduce yourself, describe someone, or say what something is, は is the normal choice. You are not singling anyone out; you are simply saying something about わたし (watashi, I) or about Tanaka.

は is also how Japanese keeps talking about something that is already in the conversation. You will see this in the next few sections: a person or thing often enters with が and continues with は.

が (ga): point out who or what

が marks the person or thing that does something, is something or exists, when you want to point it out. Three everyday situations cover most beginner uses.

1. Asking and answering “who?” and “what?”

When a question word such as だれ (dare, who) or なに (nani, what) is the one who does something, the thing that exists or the thing someone likes, put が after it. A full answer keeps が, because it fills the same gap.

1. だれがきましたかDare ga kimashita ka.Who has come?
2. たなかさんがきましたTanaka-san ga kimashita.Tanaka has come.

At the snack table, it works the same way:

1. なにがありますかNani ga arimasu ka.What is there?
2. おちゃとコーヒーがありますOcha to koohii ga arimasu.There’s tea and coffee.

A quick check: in questions like these, the question word takes が, not は: だれが, なにが. If the question word sits in the comment part instead, the topic keeps は:

2. Noticing something new

When something suddenly appears, or you notice a new situation, Japanese usually reports it with が. The whole sentence is news, so nothing is set up as a topic first.

1. あっ、バスがきましたA, basu ga kimashita.Oh, here comes the bus.
2. あっ、おかねがありませんA, okane ga arimasen.Oh no, I don’t have any money on me.

3. Singling one person or thing out

が can also pick one person or thing from a group: “It’s X, not someone else.” That is why わたしがたなかです means “I’m the Tanaka you’re looking for.” It is a perfect reply to だれがたなかさんですか, but it would sound odd as an ordinary self-introduction.

Same words, different message

Now put the two particles side by side. Each pair below is correct Japanese. The difference is what question the sentence answers.

1. わたしはたなかですWatashi wa Tanaka desu.I’m Tanaka. (introducing yourself)
2. わたしがたなかですWatashi ga Tanaka desu.I’m the one who is Tanaka. (answering “Which one is Tanaka?”)

In a real self-introduction, many people simply say たなかです (Tanaka desu), because it is obvious who is speaking.

The next pair answers two different questions about the same cat:

1. へやにねこがいますHeya ni neko ga imasu.There’s a cat in the room.
2. ねこはへやにいますNeko wa heya ni imasu.The cat is in the room.

The first sentence answers “What’s in the room?”, so the cat is new and takes が. The second answers “Where’s the cat?”, so the cat is already the topic and takes は. The question would be ねこはどこにいますか (neko wa doko ni imasu ka, where is the cat?).

The same shift happens as a conversation moves on. Something appears with が, and once you both know which one you mean, it continues with は:

1. あそこにいぬがいますAsoko ni inu ga imasu.There’s a dog over there.
2. そのいぬはおおきいですねSono inu wa ookii desu ne.That dog is big, isn’t it?

が with すき, あります, います and わかります

Some very common beginner words mark the thing with が, even though English treats it as the object: “I like X”, “I have X”, “I understand X”.

1. わたしはねこがすきですWatashi wa neko ga suki desu.I like cats.
2. じかんがありませんJikan ga arimasen.I don’t have time.
3. にほんごがすこしわかりますNihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu.I understand a little Japanese.

The first sentence shows that は and が can sit side by side. わたしは sets the topic (me), and ねこが marks what is liked. When it is obvious who you mean, you can drop わたしは and just say ねこがすきです.

To ask, put the question word before が, and answer with が:

1. なにがすきですかNani ga suki desu ka.What do you like?
2. ラーメンがすきですRaamen ga suki desu.I like ramen.

In a negative answer, the thing has often already come up in the conversation, so it often switches to は:

When both are possible

Many sentences are grammatical with either particle. The choice changes what you are putting in the spotlight, not whether the sentence is correct. If you want to borrow a pen, both of these work:

1. ペンがありますかPen ga arimasu ka.Do you have a pen?
2. ペンはありますかPen wa arimasu ka.Do you have a pen? (the pen is what you’re asking about)

が simply asks whether a pen exists. は makes the pen the topic of your question, which is common when you ask a shop or a person whether they have a particular thing.

は can also compare two things. You will often hear it when someone says yes to one thing and no to another:

Here は puts コーヒー and おちゃ side by side. You do not need to master this use yet; just recognise it when you hear two は in a row like this.

Traps English speakers fall into

Putting は right after a question word

だれは and なには are common slips. When the question word is the person who does something or the thing that exists, use が.

• Incorrect: だれはきましたか。
• Correct: だれがきましたか。 (Dare ga kimashita ka? Who has come?)

Starting a self-introduction with わたしが

わたしが… singles you out: “I’m the one who…”. In an ordinary introduction, use わたしは, or just your name plus です.

• Sounds odd as an introduction: わたしががくせいです。
• Natural: わたしはがくせいです。 (Watashi wa gakusei desu. I’m a student.)

Answering a が question with は

If someone asks だれがきましたか, replying たなかさんはきました sounds as if you are comparing Tanaka with other people: “Tanaka has come (but I can’t say about the others).” To simply answer the question, keep が: たなかさんがきました.

Choosing by person or thing

Many learners try to choose by the type of word, for example は for people and が for things. That does not work: たなかさんがきました has a person with が, and ねこはへやにいます has an animal with は. Ask about the job instead. Is it the topic you are commenting on, or the person or thing you are pointing out?

Quick questions

Can I leave は and が out?

In casual conversation, people often drop them when the meaning is clear, as in にほんご、わかりますか (Nihongo, wakarimasu ka?, do you understand Japanese?). As a beginner, keep them in: they make your meaning clear while you are still learning which one fits. Leaving out わたし altogether is a separate habit, explained in why Japanese drops “I” and “you”.

Is は always old information and が always new?

No. It is a strong starting guide, not a law, and even advanced learners keep refining their choice through lots of real conversation. For now, use the checks in this lesson: introductions and descriptions take は; question words and their answers take が; sudden news takes が; and with すき, あります, います and わかります, the thing usually takes が.

Practise は and が

Choose は or が. Read the situation in brackets first; it decides the answer.

1. (Introducing yourself) わたし ___ アレックスです。 (Watashi ___ Arekkusu desu.)
2. (You want to know who has arrived) だれ ___ きましたか。 (Dare ___ kimashita ka?)
3. (Answering question 2) たなかさん ___ きました。 (Tanaka-san ___ kimashita.)
4. (Asking a new friend) なに ___ すきですか。 (Nani ___ suki desu ka?)
5. (You see the bus coming) あっ、バス ___ きました。 (A, basu ___ kimashita.)
6. (Holding up something unfamiliar) これ ___ なんですか。 (Kore ___ nan desu ka?)

Fix it

At the meetup, another learner introduces themselves with わたしががくせいです. Rewrite it as a normal self-introduction.

Answers

1. は: you are the topic.
2. が: the question word is doing the action.
3. が: the answer fills the だれ gap.
4. が: the question word is the thing being liked.
5. が: you are reporting something new.
6. は: これ is the topic, and the question word is in the comment.

Fix it: わたしはがくせいです (Watashi wa gakusei desu), or simply がくせいです. Say each answer aloud, then swap in your own name, food and drinks.

Keep this in mind

Back at the meetup, you said わたしはアレックスです to talk about yourself, and asked だれがたなかさんですか to find someone you did not know yet. は sets up what you are talking about. が points to who or what.

Continue learning

Next, see how も takes the place of は in は vs も: saying “also” in Japanese, practise が with あります and います in how to say “there is” in Japanese, or step back to what Japanese particles are.