By ProDev Teach | Updated May 2025
📘 Meaning & Usage
The particle **は** (pronounced “wa”) is one of the most important particles in Japanese. It is used to mark the topic of a sentence and is often referred to as the “topic marker.” It indicates what the sentence is about and helps to provide context. Although it is written as **は** in hiragana, it is pronounced “wa” when used as a particle.
Structure:
- **Noun + は** (e.g., **日本は美しいです** – Japan is beautiful)
- **Pronoun + は** (e.g., **私は学生です** – I am a student)
Usage examples:
- **は** marks the topic of the sentence, which may be the subject or an object being discussed.
- It often contrasts or emphasizes the subject of the sentence.
💡 Example Sentences
- 日本は美しいです。
Japan is beautiful. - 私は学生です。
I am a student. - 彼は先生です。
He is a teacher. - 今日は暑いです。
Today is hot. - 猫は好きです。
I like cats.
📝 Grammar Notes
- **は** (wa) marks the topic of the sentence, and it is different from the subject marker **が**. While **が** marks the subject of the sentence, **は** emphasizes the topic or gives context to what is being discussed.
- **は** can also be used to contrast two things (e.g., **私のカバンは青いですが、彼のカバンは赤いです** – My bag is blue, but his bag is red).
- When **は** is used, the word after it is often the focus of the sentence. However, it does not always mean the subject in the grammatical sense.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blanks with **は**:
- 日本______行きたいです。
- 私は______日本に住んでいます。
- 天気______良いです。
- 猫______好きです。
✔ Sample Answers:
- 日本**は**行きたいです。
- 私は**は**日本に住んでいます。
- 天気**は**良いです。
- 猫**は**好きです。
2. Translate into Japanese using **は**:
- As for me, I am learning Japanese.
- As for today, it is a sunny day.
- As for this book, it is interesting.
- As for my friend, he is good at tennis.
✔ Sample Answers:
- 私は日本語を勉強しています。
- 今日は晴れです。
- この本は面白いです。
- 友達はテニスが得意です。
📚 Vocabulary List
- 日本（にほん） – Japan
- 学生（がくせい） – student
- 先生（せんせい） – teacher
- 天気（てんき） – weather
- 猫（ねこ） – cat
🈷 Kanji List
- 日本（にほん） – Japan
- 学生（がくせい） – student
- 先生（せんせい） – teacher
- 天気（てんき） – weather
- 猫（ねこ） – cat
🔗 Related Grammar
- が – Marks the subject of the sentence. While **は** is used to emphasize or provide context to the topic, **が** is used to specify the subject.
- も – Used to indicate “also” or “too.” It can often be used with **は** to mean “as for” or “even.” (e.g., **私も学生です** – As for me, I am also a student).
- の – A possessive marker or noun modifier, often used in contrast with **は** in sentences to provide additional detail or clarify relationships.
🧠 Summary
- Meaning: **は** (wa) is the topic marker, used to indicate the main subject or context of the sentence.
- Usage: It is used to highlight the topic of a sentence and is different from the subject marker **が**.
- Level: JLPT N5
I’m a software engineer based in Japan, with experience in developing web and mobile applications. I’m passionate about technology, especially in DevOps, AI, and app development using platforms like AWS, Flutter, and Node.js. My goal is to build a website that shares knowledge about the Japanese language and IT, helping everyone learn and grow more easily in the digital era.
