Topic Marker は
Topic marker は — marks what the sentence is about
Can use は to mark the topic
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
私は日本語を勉強しています。
I am studying Japanese.
今日は暑いですね。
It's hot today, isn't it?
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
は — Topic Marker
は (pronounced wa as a particle, not ha) marks the topic of a sentence — what you're talking about.
Pattern: [Topic] は [comment about topic]。
| Example | Topic | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 私は学生です。 | 私 (I) | 学生です (am a student) |
| 東京は大きいです。 | 東京 (Tokyo) | 大きいです (is big) |
は vs が: は = 'as for X...' (known info); が = 'X does...' (new info/focus). At A1, use は for most sentences.
Contrast: 私は食べます。(As for me, I'll eat.) — implies 'but others might not'.
Pronouncing は as 'ha' instead of 'wa' when used as a particle; Overusing は where が is needed (with question words, existence verbs)
私は日本語を勉強しています。
I am studying Japanese.
私(わたし, I) + は(topic) — 'As for me, I am studying Japanese'
今日は暑いですね。
It's hot today, isn't it?
今日(きょう, today) + は(topic) + 暑い(あつい, hot) + ですね(isn't it) — weather as topic
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises