Japanese Sentence Structure: AがBです
Once you're comfortable with AはBです for making simple statements, you'll start to see another common pattern in Japanese:
AがBです
This structure also means "A is B," but with an important difference: the particle が highlights or identifies something specific. While は introduces a known topic or general statement, が is used when you're pointing something out, introducing new information, or answering a question.
For example, if someone asks,としょかんはどこですか("Where is the library?"), a natural response would be:
あそこがとしょかんです
Here, あそこ means "over there," and が emphasizes that the library is specifically over there. It's like saying, "That over there is the library."
This sentence uses が because the speaker is identifying the specific place that is the library in response to a question. You'll often see this form in answers, introductions, or when you're presenting something new or important to the listener.
🧷 Particles: が, の, も and か
Particles are small words that indicate the grammatical function of a word in a sentence. In Japanese, particles are essential for understanding the relationships between words. The particles we will discuss in this lesson are が, の, も and か
が - The Subject Marker
The particle が is used to mark the subject of a sentence, especially when you are identifying, introducing, or emphasizing something specific. While は marks the general topic of the sentence, が highlights what or who is doing or being something, often in response to a question or when pointing something out for the first time.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| ねこがいます | Neko ga imasu | There is a cat. |
| かれがせんせいです | Kare ga sensei desu | He is the teacher. |
| これがわたしのかばんです | Kore ga watashi no kaban desu | This is my bag. |
も - The "Also/Too" Particle
The particle も is used to mean "also" or "too" in Japanese. It replaces particles like は or が to show that something applies in addition to what was previously mentioned. For example, if someone says わたしはがくせいです ("I am a student"), and you want to say "I am a student too," you would say わたしもがくせいです.
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| わたしもがくせいです | Watashi mo gakusei desu | I am a student too. |
| かれもせんせいです | Kare mo sensei desu | He is a teacher too. |
| これもわたしのかばんです | Kore mo watashi no kaban desu | This is my bag too. |
も replaces は or が in the sentence, and is placed directly after the word it refers to. Use も to express "also," "too," or "as well" in Japanese.
の - The Possessive Marker
The particle の is used to indicate possession or to link nouns together. It can be thought of as the English apostrophe 's or the word "of". For example, in the phrase わたしのほん , の indicates that the book belongs to me, translating to "my book".
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| わたしのかばんです | Watashi no kaban desu | This is my bag. |
| かれのじてんしゃです | Kare no jitensha desu | This is (his) bicycle. |
| かのじょのいえです | Kanojo no ie desu | This is (her) house. |
か - The Question Marker
The particle か is used to turn a statement into a question. It is similar to the question mark in English, but it is placed at the end of the sentence. For example, in the sentence あなたはがくせいですか, か indicates that the speaker is asking if the listener is a student, translating to "Are you a student?".
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| あなたはがくせいですか | Anata wa gakusei desu ka | Are you a student? |
| これはほんですか | Kore wa hon desu ka | Is this a book? |
| あれはとしょかんですか | Are wa toshokan desu ka | Is that a library (over there)? |
🈶 Why Kanji Matters: Avoiding Particle Confusion
As you begin reading and writing more Japanese, you'll notice that kanji helps separate words and clarify meaning—especially when it comes to particles like は. Since Japanese is written without spaces between words, it's easy to misread a particle as being part of the word that comes before it. For example, in the sentence "ははははははとわらう" it is difficult to tell where the word ends and the particle begins. However, when written in kanji, it becomes clear: "母はハハハと笑う" (Haha wa hahaha to warau) which translates to "The Mother laughs, hahaha."
However, for now it is perfectly fine to use the hiragana with these particles. As you progress in your studies, you will learn more about kanji and how it can help you read and write Japanese more effectively.