Particles: the difference between WA and

GA
Japanese particles are both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand they make Japanese
grammar simple and direct, almost like a computer language. They always follow the rules
because they are the rules. Particles tell us “this word does this” and “this other word does
that.” However, these little suffixes can cause tremendous headaches for us English-speaking
learners because they group meanings together quite differently than our English equivalents
(prepositions), or in some cases have no equivalent at all.

Of the lot, wa (は) and ga (が) are almost certainly the most annoying pair of particles to keep
straight, no doubt because neither of them has a true English equivalent. They’re probably the
most frequently used particles in the language, so you need to learn them early (note: you
won’t master them early), but it’s very difficult to find a decent explanation for them even in
big bulky text books. And if you ever want to make your Japanese teacher sweat, just ask
them to explain the difference.

I’ve devoted a lot of introspective soul-searching time to thinking about these two little guys,
and in this article, I’m going to do my best to shed some new, meaningful light on the
difference between は and が.

Traditional wa and ga “explanations”

First, lets do a quick wrap up of the 3 big bread-and-butter responses you’re most likely to
get when asking someone about the difference between は and が.

Stock response #1: は is the topic marker and が is the subject marker.
Learner reaction: Well gee, thanks, that clears up everything for me (sarcasm). Aren’t
“subject” and “topic” synonyms??

Stock response #2: You just have to get used to it. You’ll figure it out eventually. Don’t
worry about it.
Learner reaction: I don’t want to figure it out “eventually,” dammit, I want to know right
now!!

Stock response #3: Look at this example and see how は and が changes the meaning!
Learner reaction: Well okay, I get the example, at least, but what happens in this different
sentence? You’ve given me a fish without teaching me how to do it myself.

While none of these explanations is inherently wrong or useless (except maybe #2), each fails
in its own unique way to really get at the root of our problem: there has to be a better way to
explain it. So… you ask, what is the real difference between は and が…?

The real difference

は is the topic marker and が is the subject marker. Wait! Cursors off the back button, please.
Hear me out.

There’s a reason you’ve heard this explanation so many times. The problem is just that no
one bothers to explain what they mean by topic and what they mean by subject. To learn our
Japanese, we first have to have our English on right. Here’s a diagram to illustrate:

 Topic: a non-grammatical context for the whole sentence.

 Subject: a grammatical relationship only to the verb.

See, that’s not so hard, right? By the way, I’ve worded these two definitions very carefully so
if you just glanced over them, go back and read them closely, please, because this is very
important. Okay? done? Let’s move on, then…

The number one difference is that while a subject has a explicit grammatical role (the thing
which does the verb), a topic is just like a big cloud, with no set relationship to what’s
actually going on in the sentence; it’s just there, floating around the sentence.

Okay, so that’s all well and good: subject versus topic.

Easy.

Piece of cake.

朝飯前.

Right? Not quite…

Subject and topic are very distinct roles and it’s not difficult to understand their theoretical
difference. But what is a poor gaijin to do in real-life situations? Since we only ever have
subjects in English (never topics) it still takes some getting used to before you can accurately
distinguish where we should use one or the other. This is where the 2nd stock response (don’t
worry, you’ll get it eventually) holds some truth.
To help start you down the (long) path to mastery of these two terrible particles, here is a
deeper look.

The feeling of wa and ga

Consider the sentence: A は B. If we were to turn this sentence to an image, here is what it
would look like:

Because は marks a topic–something non-grammatically related to the sentence–you can

think of it like a picture frame. The thing は marks surrounds and labels the sentence, but is
largely independent of what goes on inside. は is a good describer and observer.
Then we have the sentence: A が B.

が–in contrast to は–is much more involved in the sentence. It’s almost like a conqueror.
Words marked with が stake their claim on the sentence (and the verb in particular), making a
definite claim of ownership.

This difference is why when looking at a picture of several cute girls, a young man might
point his finger at one and say:

watashi wa kanojo da ne.

…and mean, “I like her.” But he could not say watashi ga kanojo da, which would have to
mean “I am her“, because が would specifically link him to the being verb だ.

Different situations, different particles

You may have heard the explanation that は gives emphasis to what comes after it, and が to
what comes before it. This explanation isn’t correct in and of itself, but it does bring attention
to the fact that when we do want to bring attention to the subject (ie. who or what did
something), が is the usually the most logical choice.

Another example I’ve come across that for some reason stuck with me is one that likened は
to the and が to a/an, apparently because we would use が to introduce new information to a
discussion and は when it is repeated. Again, this misses the point (and is unreliable as a
guideline, by the way), but it highlights a tendency that arises from the difference between
subject and topic: topics are better suited for description, extrapolation and scene setting,
subjects are better for declarations and statements.

One clever example sentence for は and が that I’ve come across is: watashi wa [my name]
desu. vs. watashi ga [my name] desu. While these sentences in English both come out as “I
am Lloyd.” In Japanese, they answer different questions:

Q: Who are you?

A: watashi wa Lloyd desu.

Q: Who is Lloyd?
A: watashi ga Lloyd desu.

Here’s a similar example I came up with, showing how the question changes when we use an
adjective.

Q: What do you think of Japan?

A: nihon wa omoshiroi desu.

Q: Which country is interesting?

A: nihon ga omoshiroi desu.

This example leads me to a very important point, one which is somewhat difficult to deduce
from our concept of subject vs. topic: in Japanese, topics (は) are often used to illustrate
contrast.

Consider the sentence “watashi wa chikoku shita” (I was late). There are two situations where
we could use this sentence:

 Topic (Normal): watashi wa chikoku shita : I was late. (used in a discussion centered
around the speaker)
 Topic (Contrast): watashi wa chikoku shita : I was late. (used when some other
relevant person was not late, or it is not known if they were late)

I know you’re probably scratching your head and yes, this gets confusing even for native
speakers. In fact it’s one of the reasons that normal topics are so commonly omitted in
Japanese. If the contrast is intentional, however, は cannot be omitted (the sentence would
become quite confusing if you did).

The big thing for learners to take away from all this is that は has the potential to imply a
contrast. So the next time you talk to a pretty Japanese girl, be careful not to say “me wa kirei
desu ne” (your eyes are beautiful), which could easily imply “but your other features are
mediocre”. “Me ga kirei desu ne” is a matter-of-fact statement with no strings attached, much
better in this situation.

…which brings me to the next important point…

“Contrasting” versus “Comparing”

Here we have yet another situation in which confusion in Japanese stems from overlooking
some of the fine points of English.

I stated above that は is used for contrasting things, that’s something which is commonly
said of は. I did not state that it compares things. It’s very important to make this distinction.

“Contrast (は)” juxtaposes the nature of things. Think of it like this: if A は B, then C は D
and E は F. Everything has a certain property which is either true or false. When we make a
“contrast” statement about something with は, the implication is that other things either lack
that quality, or have a completely different quality.
“Comparison” juxtaposes the degree of things. If A is B, then C might be B too, but not as
much so as A. As the subject marker, it’s が’s job to call out one specific thing from a group
of similar things and showing it off: it distinguishes one particular thing.

Note that が is used in the common (comparison) grammatical form: ～ yori ～ no hou ga …
(“～ is more … than ～”)

Now might be a good time to scroll back up to the example sentences and have another look.
See if you can really pin down the difference in nuance between contrast and comparison,
and see how that is related to topic versus subject. If you can, then you’re well on your way
to knowing how to use these particles.

The removal test and the comma test

Okay, now for my final trick, I’m going to tell you how to actually test whether you should
use は or が.

This is tricky; in Japanese, there is rarely ever a sentence that becomes grammatically
incorrect if you chose は when you should have said が or vice versa. The error that arises
from misusing these particles is that you convey the wrong meaning.

So how can we possibly make a test that will hold true across different situations? Well, since
は marks a topic, information that while important does not have a definite grammatical role,
it is much less central to the message of a sentence than a が marked subject. So try this: take
it out altogether.
 watashi wa?/ga? kuruma o unten shimashita. (I drove the car.)

What happens to the sentence? Does it:

a) become vague, but still have the core information that we need to convey. (ie. in answer to
the question “What did you do?“)
b) completely lose its ability to communicate the information we want. (ie. in answer to the
question “Who drove the car?“)

If you answered a, は is probably the particle you’re looking for. On the other hand, if your
sentence just became a steaming pile of useless words without it (as in situation b), が is
probably your best bet. I won’t guarantee that this works in all situations, but give it a try
next time you are scratching your head over which particle you should use.

A similar test that works on the same principle is to try replacing the particle with a comma
or imagining a pause in the sentence.

watashi, kuruma o unten shimashita. (I, drove the car.)

What happens to the sentence?

a) It doesn’t really seem strange at all.

b) The added pause seems really awkward.

If you answered a, chances are high that you need a は. But if you feel there’s something just
not right about the sentence and chose b, I would advise が.

In fact, in written Japanese, the particle は is often followed by a comma, but が almost never
is (note: I’m only talking about が as a subject marker here, not as a conjunction).

Common uses

I won’t go into too much detail on these, and you should think of them as tendencies rather
than fixed rules. Everything depends on the context of the situation and what information you
are trying to communicate to your listener, but subjects are better at some things and topics
are better at others, and its good for learners to have a general idea which goes with which.

は (Topic)

 Good for contrasting one thing from another, talking about difference in nature or
substance.
 Good for relaying factual information, as though you were reading from a text book,
encyclopedia or dictionary.
 Good for talking about people’s (including your own) personalities and preferences.
 Good for discussing abstract concepts and philosophical debates.
が (Subject)

 Good for neutral, matter-of-fact statements that are meant to relay a specific piece of
information.
 Good for physical descriptions, describing things that you can feel and touch.
 Good for “pointing” to one object, pulling it out from a group, or distinguishing it
from others.
 Good for jumping from one thing to another making a series of not-closely-related
statements.

Summary

To wind up the post, here is an image that I’ve prepared that wraps up the major usage points
for は and が as cleanly and snugly as I could manage. These summary boxes can also be
found on the Basic Japanese cheat sheet sheet.
All About the Japanese Particles Wa and
Ga

Particles are probably one of the most difficult and confusing aspects of Japanese sentences.
Among particles, the question I am often asked is about the use of "wa（は）" and "ga
（が）." They seem to make many people confused, but don't be intimidated by them! Let's
have a look at the functions of these particles.

Topic Marker and Subject Marker

Roughly speaking, "wa" is a topic marker, and "ga" is a subject marker.

The topic is often the same as the subject, but not necessary. The topic can be anything that a
speaker wants to talk about (It can be an object, location or any other grammatical element).
In this sense, it is similar to the English expressions, "As for ~" or "Speaking of ~."

Watashi wa gakusei desu. I am a student.

私は学生です。 (As for me, I am a student.)

Nihongo wa omoshiroi desu. Japanese is interesting.

(Speaking of Japanese,
日本語は面白いです。
it is interesting.)

Basic Differences Between Ga and Wa

"Wa" is used to mark something that has already been introduced into the conversation, or is
familiar with both a speaker and a listener. (proper nouns, genetic names etc.) "Ga" is used
when a situation or happening is just noticed or newly introduced. See the following
example.

Mukashi mukashi, ojii-san ga sunde

imashita. Ojii-san wa totemo shinsetsu
deshita. Once upon a time, there lived an old man.
昔々、おじいさんが住んでいました。 He was very kind.

おじいさんはとても親切でした。

In the first sentence, "ojii-san" is introduced for the first time. It is the subject, not the topic.
The second sentence describes about "ojii-san" that is previously mentioned. "Ojii-san" is
now the topic, and is marked with "wa" instead of "ga."

Wa as Contrast

Beside being a topic marker, "wa" is used to show contrast or to emphasize the subject.

Biiru wa nomimasu ga,

wain wa nomimasen.
I drink beer,
ビールは飲みますが、 but I don't drink wine.
ワインは飲みません。

The thing being contrasted may or may not stated, but with this usage, the contrast is implied.

Ano hon wa yomimasen deshita. I didn't read that book

あの本は読みませんでした。 (though I read this one).

Particles such as "ni（に）," "de（で）," "kara（から）" and "made（まで）" can be

combined with "wa" (double particles) to show contrast.

Osaka ni wa ikimashita ga,

Kyoto ni wa ikimasen deshita. I went to Osaka,
大阪には行きましたが、 but I didn't go to Kyoto.
京都には行きませんでした。

Koko de wa tabako o
suwanaide kudasai.
Please don't smoke here
ここではタバコを (but you may smoke there).
吸わないでください。
Whether "wa" indicates a topic or a contrast, it depends on the context or the intonation.

Ga With Question Words

When a question word such as "who" and "what" is the subject of a sentence, it is always
followed by "ga," never by "wa." To answer the question, it also has to be followed by "ga."

Dare ga kimasu ka.

Who is coming?
誰が来ますか。

Yoko ga kimasu.
Yoko is coming.
陽子が来ます。

Ga as Emphasis

"Ga" is used for emphasis, to distinguish a person or thing from all others. If a topic is
marked with "wa," the comment is the most important part of the sentence. On the other
hand, if a subject is marked with "ga," the subject is the most important part of the sentence.

In English, these differences are sometimes expressed in tone of voice. Compare these
sentences.

Taro wa gakkou ni ikimashita.

Taro went to school.
太郎は学校に行きました。

Taro ga gakkou ni ikimashita. Taro is the one

太郎が学校に行きました。 who went to school.

Ga in a Special Circumstance

The object of the sentence is usually marked by the particle "o," but some verbs and
adjectives (expressing like/dislike, desire, potential, necessity, fear, envy etc.) take "ga"
instead of "o."

Kuruma ga hoshii desu.

I want a car.
車が欲しいです。

Nihongo ga wakarimasu.
I understand Japanese.
日本語が分かります。

Ga in Subordinate Clauses

The subject of a subordinate clause normally takes "ga" to show that the subjects of the
subordinate and main clauses are different.
 Watashi wa Mika ga kekkon shita koto o
shiranakatta.
I didn't know that
私は美香が結婚した Mika got married.
ことを知らなかった。

Review

Now let's review the rules about "wa" and "ga."

wa ga
は が

* Subject marker
* With question words
* Topic marker
* Emphasize
* Contrast
* Instead of "o"
* In subordinate clauses

Japanese Grammar: Japanese Particles wa (は) and ga

(が) – Review Notes

Today we learned some of the ways to use the Japanese particles, wa (は) and ga
(が). But there are still more ways to use these particles!

Read more to review today’s lesson, see more examples and find out other ways to
use these Japanese particles.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Japanese Particles wa (は) vs. ga (が)

★ There is always a lot of confusion surrounding the Japanese particles, wa
(は) and ga (が).

★ It is not always easy for learners of Japanese to know when to use one or the
other.

★ Both particles have multiple uses, so there is a lot to remember.

★ The hiragana は is pronounced as wa when used as a particle, and ha in all

other words.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Japanese Particle ga (が) – Marks subject

★ We learned that the Japanese particle ga (が) marks the subject of the
sentence.

★ We will see more uses of this particle after reviewing what we have learned so
far.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Japanese Particle wa (は) – Marks topic

★ We learned that the Japanese particle wa (は) marks the topic of the
sentence.

…………………………………………………………………………………

A few notes about the topic:

★ The topic is often the same as the subject, but not always.

★ The topic can be anything that a speaker wants to talk about (It can be an
object, location or any other grammatical element).

★ It is sometimes compared to the English expressions “As for ~” or “Speaking

of ~”

★ It can be omitted from the sentence in many cases. In this example, you can
remove the words in the parentheses and it means the same thing:

(私は)ぷにぷにです。

(Watashi wa) PuniPuni desu.

I am PuniPuni.
…………………………………………………………………………………

Asking Questions: wa (は) or ga (が)?

★ When a question word (who, where, etc.) comes after the topic in the
sentence we use the particle wa (は).

.………………………………………………………………………………..

Example:
 トイレはどこですか。

toire wa doko desu ka?

Where is the bathroom?

★ In this sentence, the question word doko (where) comes after the topic (toire
– bathroom), so we use the particle wa (は).

…………………………………………………………………………………
★ When a question word is or is part of the subject, (at the beginning of a
sentence) we use the particle ga (が).

…………………………………………………………………………………

Example:

だれが来ますか。

dare ga kimasu ka?

Who will come?

★ In this sentence, the question word dare (who) is the subject, so we use the
particle ga (が).

…………………………………………………………………………………

More about wa (は) and ga (が)

★ Use ga (が) when information about a subject is important or situationally
new to the listener and/or the speaker.

★ Once the subject has been mentioned, wa (は) is used to refer to the same
subject in sentences following (it becomes the topic of the sentence.)

………………………………………………………………………………..

Example:

★ The first sentence uses ga (が) because inu (dog) is a new subject.
★ In the second sentence, the subject that was already mentioned (inu – dog)
becomes the topic and is marked with the particle wa (は).

………………………………………………………………………………..

Using the particle wa (は) to show contrast

★ The particle wa (は) can also be used to show contrast.

肉は食べますが、魚は食べません。

Niku wa tabemasu ga, sakana wa tabemasen.

I eat meat, but I don’t eat fish.

★ In this usage, the thing that is being contrasted is not always stated, but it is
implied. For example:

あの映画は見ませんでした。

Ano eiga wa mimasen deshita.

I didn’t see that movie (but I saw this one).

………………………………………………………………………………..

Using the particle ga (が) as emphasis

★ Ga (が) can also be used to emphasize the subject or distinguish it from

others. Compare the two following examples. The second one might come as a
response to the question “Who is Sara?”
………………………………………………………………………………..

Example 1:
私はサラです。

Watashi wa Sara desu.

I am Sara.
………………………………………………………………………………..

Example 2:
私がサラです。

Watashi ga Sara desu.

I am (the one who is) Sara.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Ga (が) as “but”

The particle ga (が) can be used to connect two sentences as but.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Example:
行きたいですが、お金がないです。

Ikitai desu ga, okane ga nai desu.

I want to go but I don’t have money.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Ga (が) in special circumstances

The object of the sentence is usually marked by the particle o (を) but some verbs
and adjectives (expressing like/dislike, desire, potential, necessity, fear, envy etc.)
take ga (が) instead of o (を).

………………………………………………………………………………..

Example 1:
猫が好きです。
 Neko ga suki desu.

I like cats.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Example 2:
日本語が分かりません。

Nihongo ga wakarimasen.

I don’t understand Japanese.

………………………………………………………………………………..

Conclusion:
Today we learned how to use the Japanese particles wa (は) and ga (が). It is
going to take some getting used to, and you still might not always remember which
one to use in every situation. It is important to practice using them and hearing
them be used in sentences to understand them better.

I hope you enjoyed today’s lesson! If you have any questions, leave a comment
below (◕ω◕)♪

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