Skip to content
Triqora
Back to field notes
Grammar

Particles Made Simple: は vs が Explained Once and For All

The most confusing aspect of Japanese grammar, broken down with clear examples and a decision flowchart.

01 · Essay

は vs が — two tiny particles that cause endless confusion. Let's clear it up.

01は marks the topic

Use は to introduce what you're talking about. "As for X, ..."

02が marks the subject

Use が to identify who or what is doing the action — especially when it's new information.

03Decision flowchart

  1. Is this new information? → が
  2. Are you contrasting with something? → は
  3. Are you describing a state? → が

Practice with real sentences and the difference becomes intuitive.

Field notes from the academyFiled under · GrammarBy Tanaka SenseiUpdated weekly during termFree to read · Free to shareField notes from the academyFiled under · GrammarBy Tanaka SenseiUpdated weekly during termFree to read · Free to shareField notes from the academyFiled under · GrammarBy Tanaka SenseiUpdated weekly during termFree to read · Free to shareField notes from the academyFiled under · GrammarBy Tanaka SenseiUpdated weekly during termFree to read · Free to share

02 · Keep reading

03 · Ready to put theory into practice?

Books are great.
A live classroom is better.

Sit in on a free trial class — Japanese, German, or French — and see how our faculty teach what you just read.

Book a trial class →Back to field notes