Particles: the difference between WA and GA
UPDATE AUGUST 5, 2012: It’s been two and a half years since I originally wrote this post, and thanks to the many helpful comments I was able to go back and polish things a bit. The content of the article has not really changed, but I think the wording is a little clearer now. Please keep the feedback coming 
Japanese particles are both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand they make Japanese grammar simple and direct, almost like a computer language. They always follow the rules because they are the rules. Particles tell us “this word does this” and “this other word does that.” However, these little suffixes can cause tremendous headaches for us English-speaking learners because they group meanings together quite differently than our English equivalents (prepositions), or in some cases have no equivalent at all.
Of the lot, wa (は) and ga (が) are almost certainly the most annoying pair of particles to keep straight, no doubt because neither of them has a true English equivalent. They’re probably the most frequently used particles in the language, so you need to learn them early (note: you won’t master them early), but it’s very difficult to find a decent explanation for them even in big bulky text books. And if you ever want to make your Japanese teacher sweat, just ask them to explain the difference.
I’ve devoted a lot of introspective soul-searching time to thinking about these two little guys, and in this article, I’m going to do my best to shed some new, meaningful light on the difference between は and が.
Traditional wa and ga “explanations”
First, lets do a quick wrap up of the 3 big bread-and-butter responses you’re most likely to get when asking someone about the difference between は and が.
Stock response #1: は is the topic marker and が is the subject marker.
Learner reaction: Well gee, thanks, that clears up everything for me (sarcasm). Aren’t “subject” and “topic” synonyms??
Stock response #2: You just have to get used to it. You’ll figure it out eventually. Don’t worry about it.
Learner reaction: I don’t want to figure it out “eventually,” dammit, I want to know right now!!
Stock response #3: Look at this example and see how は and が changes the meaning!
Learner reaction: Well okay, I get the example, at least, but what happens in this different sentence? You’ve given me a fish without teaching me how to do it myself.
While none of these explanations is inherently wrong or useless (except maybe #2), each fails in its own unique way to really get at the root of our problem: there has to be a better way to explain it. So… you ask, what is the real difference between は and が…?
The real difference
は is the topic marker and が is the subject marker. Wait! Cursors off the back button, please. Hear me out.
There’s a reason you’ve heard this explanation so many times. The problem is just that no one bothers to explain what they mean by topic and what they mean by subject. To learn our Japanese, we first have to have our English on right. Here’s a diagram to illustrate:
- Topic: a non-grammatical context for the whole sentence.
- Subject: a grammatical relationship only to the verb.
See, that’s not so hard, right? By the way, I’ve worded these two definitions very carefully so if you just glanced over them, go back and read them closely, please, because this is very important. Okay? done? Let’s move on, then…
The number one difference is that while a subject has a explicit grammatical role (the thing which does the verb), a topic is just like a big cloud, with no set relationship to what’s actually going on in the sentence; it’s just there, floating around the sentence.
Okay, so that’s all well and good: subject versus topic.
Easy.
Piece of cake.
朝飯前.
Right? Not quite…
Subject and topic are very distinct roles and it’s not difficult to understand their theoretical difference. But what is a poor gaijin to do in real-life situations? Since we only ever have subjects in English (never topics) it still takes some getting used to before you can accurately distinguish where we should use one or the other. This is where the 2nd stock response (don’t worry, you’ll get it eventually) holds some truth.
To help start you down the (long) path to mastery of these two terrible particles, here is a deeper look.
The feeling of wa and ga
Consider the sentence: A は B. If we were to turn this sentence to an image, here is what it would look like:
Because は marks a topic–something non-grammatically related to the sentence–you can think of it like a picture frame. The thing は marks surrounds and labels the sentence, but is largely independent of what goes on inside. は is a good describer and observer.
Then we have the sentence: A が B.
が–in contrast to は–is much more involved in the sentence. It’s almost like a conqueror. Words marked with が stake their claim on the sentence (and the verb in particular), making a definite claim of ownership.
This difference is why when looking at a picture of several cute girls, a young man might point his finger at one and say:
watashi wa kanojo da ne.
…and mean, “I like her.” But he could not say watashi ga kanojo da, which would have to mean “I am her“, because が would specifically link him to the being verb だ.
Different situations, different particles
You may have heard the explanation that は gives emphasis to what comes after it, and が to what comes before it. This explanation isn’t correct in and of itself, but it does bring attention to the fact that when we do want to bring attention to the subject (ie. who or what did something), が is the usually the most logical choice.
Another example I’ve come across that for some reason stuck with me is one that likened は to the and が to a/an, apparently because we would use が to introduce new information to a discussion and は when it is repeated. Again, this misses the point (and is unreliable as a guideline, by the way), but it highlights a tendency that arises from the difference between subject and topic: topics are better suited for description, extrapolation and scene setting, subjects are better for declarations and statements.
One clever example sentence for は and が that I’ve come across is: watashi wa [my name] desu. vs. watashi ga [my name] desu. While these sentences in English both come out as “I am Lloyd.” In Japanese, they answer different questions:
Q: Who are you?
A: watashi wa Lloyd desu.
Q: Who is Lloyd?
A: watashi ga Lloyd desu.
Here’s a similar example I came up with, showing how the question changes when we use an adjective.
Q: What do you think of Japan?
A: nihon wa omoshiroi desu.
Q: Which country is interesting?
A: nihon ga omoshiroi desu.
This example leads me to a very important point, one which is somewhat difficult to deduce from our concept of subject vs. topic: in Japanese, topics (は) are often used to illustrate contrast.
Consider the sentence “watashi wa chikoku shita” (I was late). There are two situations where we could use this sentence:
- Topic (Normal): watashi wa chikoku shita : I was late. (used in a discussion centered around the speaker)
- Topic (Contrast): watashi wa chikoku shita : I was late. (used when some other relevant person was not late, or it is not known if they were late)
I know you’re probably scratching your head and yes, this gets confusing even for native speakers. In fact it’s one of the reasons that normal topics are so commonly omitted in Japanese. If the contrast is intentional, however, は cannot be omitted (the sentence would become quite confusing if you did).
The big thing for learners to take away from all this is that は has the potential to imply a contrast. So the next time you talk to a pretty Japanese girl, be careful not to say “me wa kirei desu ne” (your eyes are beautiful), which could easily imply “but your other features are mediocre”. “Me ga kirei desu ne” is a matter-of-fact statement with no strings attached, much better in this situation.
…which brings me to the next important point…
“Contrasting” versus “Comparing”
Here we have yet another situation in which confusion in Japanese stems from overlooking some of the fine points of English.
I stated above that は is used for contrasting things, that’s something which is commonly said of は. I did not state that it compares things. It’s very important to make this distinction.
“Contrast (は)” juxtaposes the nature of things. Think of it like this: if A は B, then C は D and E は F. Everything has a certain property which is either true or false. When we make a “contrast” statement about something with は, the implication is that other things either lack that quality, or have a completely different quality.
“Comparison” juxtaposes the degree of things. If A is B, then C might be B too, but not as much so as A. As the subject marker, it’s が’s job to call out one specific thing from a group of similar things and showing it off: it distinguishes one particular thing.
Note that が is used in the common (comparison) grammatical form: ～ yori ～ no hou ga … (“～ is more … than ～”)
Now might be a good time to scroll back up to the example sentences and have another look. See if you can really pin down the difference in nuance between contrast and comparison, and see how that is related to topic versus subject. If you can, then you’re well on your way to knowing how to use these particles.
The removal test and the comma test
Okay, now for my final trick, I’m going to tell you how to actually test whether you should use はor が.
This is tricky; in Japanese, there is rarely ever a sentence that becomes grammatically incorrect if you chose は when you should have said が or vice versa. The error that arises from misusing these particles is that you convey the wrong meaning.
So how can we possibly make a test that will hold true across different situations? Well, since は marks a topic, information that while important does not have a definite grammatical role, it is much less central to the message of a sentence than a が marked subject. So try this: take it out altogether.
watashi wa?/ga? kuruma o unten shimashita. (I drove the car.)
What happens to the sentence? Does it:
a) become vague, but still have the core information that we need to convey. (ie. in answer to the question “What did you do?“)
b) completely lose its ability to communicate the information we want. (ie. in answer to the question “Who drove the car?“)
If you answered a, は is probably the particle you’re looking for. On the other hand, if your sentence just became a steaming pile of useless words without it (as in situation b), が is probably your best bet. I won’t guarantee that this works in all situations, but give it a try next time you are scratching your head over which particle you should use.
A similar test that works on the same principle is to try replacing the particle with a comma or imagining a pause in the sentence.
watashi, kuruma o unten shimashita. (I, drove the car.)
What happens to the sentence?
a) It doesn’t really seem strange at all.
b) The added pause seems really awkward.
If you answered a, chances are high that you need a は. But if you feel there’s something just not right about the sentence and chose b, I would advise が.
In fact, in written Japanese, the particle は is often followed by a comma, but が almost never is (note: I’m only talking about が as a subject marker here, not as a conjunction).
Common uses
I won’t go into too much detail on these, and you should think of them as tendencies rather than fixed rules. Everything depends on the context of the situation and what information you are trying to communicate to your listener, but subjects are better at some things and topics are better at others, and its good for learners to have a general idea which goes with which.
は (Topic)
- Good for contrasting one thing from another, talking about difference in nature or substance.
- Good for relaying factual information, as though you were reading from a text book, encyclopedia or dictionary.
- Good for talking about people’s (including your own) personalities and preferences.
- Good for discussing abstract concepts and philosophical debates.
が (Subject)
- Good for neutral, matter-of-fact statements that are meant to relay a specific piece of information.
- Good for physical descriptions, describing things that you can feel and touch.
- Good for “pointing” to one object, pulling it out from a group, or distinguishing it from others.
- Good for jumping from one thing to another making a series of not-closely-related statements.
Summary
To wind up the post, here is an image that I’ve prepared that wraps up the major usage points for は and が as cleanly and snugly as I could manage. These summary boxes can also be found on the Basic Japanese cheat sheet sheet (part of Nihonshock’s Japanese Cheat Sheet Pack! The Basic Japanese cheat sheet can be downloaded for free in PDF format from the cheat sheet site, so check it out if you haven’t already!
As always, comments are welcome.
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This was incredibly helpful. I had a vague idea of how wa and ga worked, but this really helped me get a more firm grip on the situation. Thank you.
by: JP, Aug 22nd at 12:17 pm
Fabulous! This is the best explanation I’ve seen.
by: Masa K Maeda, Sep 9th at 3:15 am
thank you man, i’m an absolute beginner but i think it’s gonna help me a lot to figure out.
by: guillaume, Sep 15th at 2:50 am
Well done! Give more examples next round.
by: Japanese learner, Sep 18th at 7:26 am
You know what, you’ve just saved my life once. Thank you very much
by: Anonymous, Sep 18th at 8:00 pm
This is *THE* best explanation of wa vs ga that I have seen. I have been scratching my head until now. It’s almost as if a light bulb has just come on! Thank you!
by: Michael Nixon, Sep 26th at 5:09 am
Fantastic ! It’s been some years I started to learn Japanese, but even in one of the best universities of my coutries or in books, I couldnt get so much help. I think I got it now but as always, practice will be needed to truly “master” this big issue.
by: kam, Oct 20th at 11:24 pm
Thank you! Much more clear then multiple past professor’s explanations. Your images really drove home the explanation and were easy to follow.
by: Justin Kennedy, Nov 7th at 9:56 pm
This is great! Best explanation I’ve found. Not only clear distinctions, but also examples and ways to remember things! Thank you
by: William Bellamy, Nov 13th at 9:22 pm
perfect!!!
thank you best explanation ever
by: Anonymous, Dec 13th at 10:47 pm
Wonderful study guide! thank you so much!
by: Anonymous, Dec 18th at 7:36 am
日本人にforとtoの違いがわからないのは外国人が”と”が”の違いがわからないようなもんだね
by: Anonymous, Jan 6th at 3:32 pm
Your 2nd contrast example needs a ga instead of a wa. Great article!
by: Anonymous, Feb 17th at 11:24 am
^Sorry. Nevermind. Misread.
by: Anonymous, Feb 17th at 11:26 am
“Your 2nd contrast example needs a ga instead of a wa. Great article!”
Lol i had to reread it a few times cause it was confusing before realizing its just a typo. Kinda big typo when everything else has so much attention to detail. But aside from that its a fantastic explanation!
by: poohbear, Mar 22nd at 6:41 pm
I just want to say u r waaaaaaaw
amazing. I’m in a course for 1 year, had the english translated books, but 0 compared 2 ur’s … seriously waaaaaaaaaaaaw big one..thx is not enough, so i really which u the best best of the best.
by: just amazing explanation, Mar 23rd at 9:21 pm
Haha, nice to find things like this for when my Japanese teacher falls through. Two years of taking the class and she’s never bothered to tell us anything more than, “が is used for describing things.” Going to Japan in two and a half months, so it’s great that I’m able to learn it now while I still have the chance.
by: Hisoka, Mar 27th at 5:28 pm
I’m a beginner and I just included this fantastic article in my study book! Thanks!!
by: Swati, Apr 12th at 8:22 pm
The chart at the end has a typo:
話せる「はなせる」to be understanding; to be sensible
話す「はなす」to speak; to talk
by: em, Apr 18th at 12:16 am
The chart at the end is right.
話す「はなす」- Present indicative
話せる「はなせる」- Potential-form
by: Zash, Jun 4th at 2:00 am
I tried to explain this in a much more simple way, however I think yours is much more complete and great at explaining the full detail. Ki o tsukete
http://www.turningjapanese.org/2014/06/what-is-difference-between-wa-and-ga-in.html
by: Andrew, Jun 14th at 10:29 pm
you should do an article on ateji unless you already have
by: anonymous, Jun 21st at 4:25 pm
This explanation really helped.
I usually go with my gut when it’s not obvious and it’s correct most of the time but now I know how to explain why.
by: Manasi, Jun 22nd at 7:32 pm
I really liked your little illustrations, awesome! Your “Watashi wa/ga kanojo da.” I just have to say it… but but… what if you’re already in the weird situation, like choosing your hostess at a bar or something, and you’re flipping through a book of photos with your friend and he says “Watashi wa kanojo da ne” And then you responded “Watashi ga kanojo da.” That would totally be appropriate would it not?
The ‘ga’ implying “_I_ (for my decision, not yours) will go with her.)
by: DzyDzyDino, Jul 30th at 6:11 am
My tip for foreign beginners:
Try to understand it, as soon as you get the hang of it, completely drop the theory. Answer #2 is actually the best answer, it is a matter of feel and context making for a hard time to explain and think about.
by: Feels, Aug 5th at 1:48 pm
Nice explaination. Thanks a lot for your effort.
by: Sarvesh Tejasvi, Aug 30th at 1:44 am
I would be so lost without this site…
by: Dean McDonald, Oct 3rd at 2:23 am
Thank you for this! I am actually studying Korean, not Japanese, but the same exact problem (with the same frustrating excuses given!) arises with Korean. 는 is the subject particle, like ga, and 가 is the topic particle, like wa (unfortunately, 가 is pronounced “ga” which made this a little confusing to read at first, but I figured it out!)
by: Alissa, Oct 15th at 7:35 am
A really excellent discussion–in fact, one of the best I’ve read. I agree that the “old information/new information” business is really not helpful, at least not to learners like me, and often not even true! And I was just mulling over what you call “the removal test” in my own mind before reading your essay–it seems like a really useful principle. Thanks for backing my own intuitions up on that one! I look forward to reading more here.
by: Craig, Oct 28th at 6:12 am
This is one of the best explanations I’ve read in more than ten years of studying Japanese. I’ve never seen it put this well by textbook, teacher, or professor. Thank you!
by: Ben, Nov 2nd at 2:26 pm
Finally,
I understand it!
Thank you!
by: Inês, Feb 25th at 7:06 pm
Toronto, ON: どうもありがとうございます!~ I’ve been trying to learn Japanese on my own so I’ve downloaded so many apps that are good at explaining other subjects of understanding Japanese, but have not really gone in depth with differentiating wa and ga. Your explanation has helped in terms of wrapping my head around when you use which particle (illustrations and cheat sheet is really helpful), still a bit confused but I guess I should now just go with the 2nd stock response and practice more often. Thank you!
by: Daniel, Mar 26th at 9:46 am
That was really helpful, thank you so much!
by: André Nguyen, Jul 5th at 11:23 am
So basically, if the predicate is in question, use は, but if the subject is in question, use が? Is that what you’re saying?
by: Ryan S., Jul 17th at 4:23 am
“has a explicit” should be “has an explicit”
by: 裏庭には二羽、庭には二羽、ニワトリがある, Aug 7th at 9:11 pm
Wonderful article. I’m so glad Koichi shared it.
What I lament is the fact that once again it was not mentioned that more than one 「は」 can appear in a sentence. Now I guess you could argue and say that mentioning it would only add more confusion to the pile, but imagine how confused one must get upon seeing two 「は」s in a sentence.
例: 「私は、あなたは、他者と共に生きてはいけません。」
And that’s one of the easier ones.
Like, really, everyone acts like it doesn’t exist. Now that’s something I would have loved to see an illustration of. Or some kind of explanation. Or some kind of example.
Also, while I’m slowly getting the hang of 「は/が」 (by communicating with many Japanese people and reading a lot of books), I still don’t understand why there is a 「は」 in 「この車はあの車より大きいですね。」
Is “~bigger than~” considered a contrast here, too, hence 「は」?
Also, you wrote that 「は」 is used to discuss or talk about known information, while 「が」 introduces new information. Why then do we always introduce ourselves with 「僕は〜/僕の名前は〜」as opposed to 「僕が〜/僕の名前が〜」? I get that one answers the question to “Who are you” while the other answers the question to “Who is X”, but shouldn’t you paraphrase it more carefully, then? Because in this case, the speaker, who uses「は」 , introduces new information, their name, to the listener, right?
I would be more than happy if you found the time to respond. Thank you!
by: nightflight, Aug 7th at 9:23 pm
Thanks for your comment nightflight. I’m terrible about responding to comments >_< but yours really caught my interest.
To my mind, it's this way: when we introduce ourselves, we're already a part of the context. The listener doesn't know our name, but they're aware of our existence, hence the は. It's exactly these situations where the listener is actually expecting detail/elaboration that は is so predominant.
As to your other question,
この車はあの車より大きい is OK with either は or が. You would use は if your intent is to give unique information about この車, but you would use が if your intent is to point out a discrepancy in car sizes.
I hope that clears things up for you a bit!
by: Lloyd Vincent, Aug 10th at 12:05 pm
Wow 2400 English words used to explain two Japanese partials.
by: James Brown, Aug 12th at 12:52 pm
Thank you very much for responding, Lloyd Vincent. I really appreciate it.
I’ve never considered it that way, but now that you mention it, it does make sense. I feel like universities and books don’t prepare us nearly enough. We go through the adventure, get sentences like 「僕はXです！」とか「はい〜〜〜これはわたしのエンピツですよ！」など、and then, just when we feel we are confident enough to survive with our limited knowledge (or battle through books), we get shit like 「胸騒ぎは会った時からだったよ」、「過労死は告発する」など and you can’t help but feel helpless. And then you sit, and sit, and think, and sit some more, and eventually you just rage. You got any helpful cards for sentences like those?
Obviously I know what they mean -now-, but every now and then, I still get lost. And then, my heart feels encrusted with a black layer of black lacquer, so thick that no warm blood could ever penetrate through it (Kokoro anyone? :D). That’s the power of “wa/ga”. And like, I know the difference between both particles. I guess I have yet to develop a natural feeling. Which is extremely hard to do when you aren’t actively residing in Japan.
Also, thanks for elucidating the second part. I shouldn’t feel jealous of foreigners who mastered both particles, but I just can’t help it. It is so frustrating at times haha.
Thanks again and have a great weekend! I shall win the 「は/が」 battle someday. Soon. Someday soon. I hope.
by: nightflight, Aug 14th at 5:56 am
I think your explanations are very good but I look at it in a slightly different way. My favorite example is Uchi-ni Neko-ga imasu followed by Uchi-ni Neko-wa imasu. There is a cat in the house thus the cat is in the house. I am still a beginner in Japanese but I am fluent in Swedish and German and have a degree i classical Chinese. To me the particles are case endings. If it looks like a duck….
My approach is more analytical yours is more synthetical.
Scandinavian languages use case endings instead of articles. Table=bord; The table= bord-et. Today the case endings for nominative (used for subjects in a sentence) have mostly disappeared except in Icelandic ‘-ur’.
As I see it: Japanese has two nominative endings. One definite wa and one indefinite ga.
I have seen Japanese dictionaries give first person nominative pronoun as watashiwa. Germanic pronouns rarely have markers for definite form since it is in the nature of a pronoun to have a definite “target” The usual Japanese personal pronouns use markers since they are not real pronouns but other words used as pronouns. We say watashiwa because it means THE private (person).
I see this way of looking at it as basic unfortunately (as in all languages) with a large number of differing idioms. It usually helps me getting it right.
We have a number of Japanese case endings: Genitive = no, Accusative = wo, dative=ni, locative=ni, (locative and dative tend to coalesce in many languages), Instrumentalis = de.
Keep up the good work
Göte
PS I am not alone. I have noted that Bernhard Karlgren (google him) had the same opinion
by: Göte Svanholm, Sep 7th at 6:44 pm
Awesome explanation! Thanks very much.
by: Khanh, Dec 6th at 8:11 am
Can I use は instead が? For example can i say 花は咲く or お金はある ?
by: Luciana, Dec 12th at 7:21 am
は = wa? I thought this meant ‘ha’? I am wrong?
look at this:
死んだのはだろうか (Shinda no hadarou ka)
Please help me i don’t understand this meant is wrong or correct?
by: Yamwoolf, Mar 14th at 7:45 am
Thanks a lot for the explanation
by: Tsukiyoarts, Apr 7th at 5:56 am
Oh my gosh, you just saved my life. I’ve been trying to find the difference for a long time but I never really understood until I read this article. Arigato!!!
by: Hakuru, Jun 24th at 5:01 am
So basically it’s a bit like the difference between that is and it is…?
Ex:
Q: Which one of these foods are good?
A: That’s good. *pointing* (が)
Q: What do you think of this food?
A: It’s good. (わ)
I’m still confused but that’s what I made out. Is that right??
by: Ashlynn, Jul 2nd at 11:48 am
What do you actually mean by “non-grammatical”? The definition I found signifies it as “not conforming to the grammar of the language” but that doesn’t exactly make sense within the context you used it here.
by: Alex, Sep 15th at 3:45 am
“watashi wa kanojo da ne” does not mean anything along the lines of “I like her” lol. You’re basically saying “I’m her, eh.”
If you want to really say you like her say “watashi wa kanojo no koto ga suki desu”
Also, I saw someone use わ as wa. If you’re typing with a romanized keyboard you have to type ha (は).
悪いだね
by: ジャレッド, Sep 15th at 11:36 am
You wrote ‘watashi wa chikoku shita’ twice which one is ga, please edit
by: Berk, Oct 3rd at 3:53 pm
You wrote that English never has topics, and I don’t think this is strictly true…we just use them less frequently, and they’re less “built in” in English, like they’re either understood by context (the way the subject often is in Japanese) or they’re set in a variety of different ways (rather than by a clean, simple particle like は).
I’ve heard people say that in English, you can set the topic by saying: “As for X…” or similar constructions.
For example, in English, I might say: “So, about the election…” and I’ve now set the topic, and someone else might then say: “Yeah, things are really bad. I’m really depressed.” and this is now going to be understood to be about the election. This is so different from if someone had said this in response to asking: “How is your mother doing?” (this sets the topic to the other person’s mother)
Realizing that we do have topic in English, but that it’s just less “prominent” in the grammar, helped me to understand the meaning of topic in Japanese more.
I think this also helped me to realize how the が marker worked. Just like topic is more irregularly used in English, and often implied by context, I think the “subject” with the が marker is often implied by context in Japanese. Understanding this helped me to get the sense of like, when I needed to specify a subject and when I didn’t.
One more thing, I think people often get confused by how “ga” is called subject because the way Japanese works is very different from English in that verbs don’t always correspond to verbs, adjectives don’t always correspond to adjectives. So for example instead of saying “I like (X).” in Japanese, you’d say “(X)が欲しい” which more literally translates “X is likeable (to me)”.
A lot of the explanations that say “well, が doesn’t always mark the subject” are ignoring the way that verbs in English don’t always correspond to verbs in Japanese…and that there is usually a way to rework the sentence in a more literalistic way where the thing before が actually does make sense as a subject.
Does this make sense? I don’t know if you’re interested in updating this guide any more, it is already very good, but if you do make any more edits hopefully you can find something in my comment that is useful!
by: Alex Zorach, Nov 18th at 5:01 am