Topic Marker: は

The particle は (wa) in Japanese is one of the most important and commonly used particles, functioning primarily as a topic marker. It indicates what the sentence is about, similar to the word "as for" in English. Though は may seem simple, mastering its usage is crucial to building sentences in Japanese.

Basic Usage of は

In a typical sentence, は marks the subject or topic of the sentence, placing emphasis on what comes after the particle. Let's look at some examples.

StructureExplanation
[Topic] + は + [Comment]The topic is introduced first, followed by a statement or comment about that topic.

Example Sentences

ねこ は おおき。 - The cat is big.

にほん は おおき。 - Japan is big.

As you can see, は is essential in everyday Japanese. It helps structure your sentences while allowing for flexibility in how you introduce topics.