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The difference between は and が in Japanese is simplest like this: は marks the topic, while が marks the subject or the new information being identified. You use は for what the sentence is about, and が for who or what is doing, existing, or being singled out. This guide breaks down the exact patterns learners confuse most, with side-by-side examples and common fixed expressions.
| は (wa) | が (ga) | |
|---|---|---|
| Grammatical role | Topic marker | Subject marker |
| Information type | Known / established context | New / emphasised / identified |
| Question it answers | "What are we talking about?" | "Who/what specifically?" |
| Feeling | Neutral framing | Emphasis or identification |
| Example | 私は学生です。 | 私が学生です。 |
| Nuance | "As for me, I am a student." | "I am the one who is a student." |
Use は when setting up a topic, making a general statement, or talking about something already mentioned.
| 日本語 | Translation | Why は |
|---|---|---|
| 私は学生です。 | I am a student. | Introducing yourself — standard topic |
| 今日は暑いです。 | Today is hot. | Today is the established topic |
| 日本語は難しいです。 | Japanese is difficult. | General statement about Japanese |
| あの映画はよかったです。 | That movie was good. | Already known from context |
When the subject is new information — especially as the answer to a 誰が/何が question — use が.
| Question | Answer | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 誰が来ましたか。 | 田中さんが来ました。 | が identifies who specifically came |
| 何が好きですか。 | すしが好きです。 | が follows the thing being liked |
| どれがあなたの本ですか。 | これが私の本です。 | が identifies which one |
は can also mark contrast between two things — often in the same sentence with two は clauses.
| 日本語 | Translation |
|---|---|
| 魚は食べますが、肉は食べません。 | I eat fish, but I don't eat meat. |
| コーヒーは飲みますが、お茶は飲みません。 | I drink coffee, but not tea. |
| 日本語は分かりますが、中国語は分かりません。 | I understand Japanese, but not Chinese. |
When は replaces が in a sentence (e.g. 猫は来ました instead of 猫が来ました), it often implies a contrast: "the cat came (but not the dog)."
These verbs and adjectives always take が, not を, for their object. The thing being liked/known/desired is treated as a grammatical subject.
| Verb / Adj | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| すきです | to like | 音楽がすきです。(I like music.) |
| きらいです | to dislike | 野菜がきらいです。(I dislike vegetables.) |
| ほしいです | to want (thing) | 新しいパソコンがほしいです。(I want a new laptop.) |
| わかります | to understand | 日本語がわかります。(I understand Japanese.) |
| できます | can do / to be able | ピアノができます。(I can play piano.) |
| あります | to have (non-living) | 時間があります。(I have time.) |
| います | to have (person/animal) | 兄がいます。(I have an older brother.) |
| みえます | can see | 富士山が見えます。(I can see Mt. Fuji.) |
| きこえます | can hear | 音楽が聞こえます。(I can hear music.) |
The most common pattern: [person]は [thing]が [feeling]
| 日本語 | Translation | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| 私は魚が好きです。 | I like fish. | 私は = topic (me); 魚が = subject of liking |
| 田中さんは日本語がわかります。 | Tanaka-san understands Japanese. | 田中さんは = topic; 日本語が = subject of understanding |
| 子どもは野菜がきらいです。 | Children dislike vegetables. | 子どもは = topic; 野菜が = subject of disliking |
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Self-introduction (I am …) | は — 私は〜です |
| Answering "who did X?" | が — 〜さんが〜しました |
| Making a general statement | は — 日本語は〜 |
| Expressing likes/dislikes/wants | が — 〜がすきです |
| Contrasting two things | は — 〜は〜が、〜は〜ない |
| Subject is new info (first mention) | が — first time in conversation |
| Subject is known / continued topic | は — already established |
は marks the topic (context/known info). が marks the subject (new info, emphasis, or required by certain verbs). Both can appear in one sentence: 私は魚が好きです.
Self-introductions, general statements, known context, and contrastive sentences (X but not Y). When in doubt in a neutral statement, は is safer.
Answering "who/what?", introducing new information, with fixed verbs (すきです/わかります/できます/あります), and when emphasising which specific person or thing.
These verbs treat the thing being liked/understood as the grammatical subject of the feeling — hence が. The pattern is: [experiencer]は [stimulus]が [verb].
Yes. 私は魚が好きです — は marks the topic (I), が marks the subject of the feeling (fish). This is one of the most common N5 patterns.
Yes. 私は学生です = "I am a student" (neutral). 私が学生です = "I am the one who is the student" (emphatic/contrastive).
は vs が becomes intuitive only through exposure to many example sentences. The YoruLearn app trains this distinction through fill-in-the-particle exercises, spaced-repetition examples, and N5 grammar drills — so the right choice becomes automatic before exam day.