JLPT N5 · Particles
が (ga)
～が — marks the subject
In short · The particle that marks the subject of a sentence. It is used for new information and for events happening in front of you, and also marks the object of words like 好き and ほしい.
Pattern
-
名詞＋が＋述語noun + が + predicate (雨が降っています) -
名詞＋が＋好き／ほしい／ある／できるnoun + が + 好き / ほしい / ある (犬が好きです)
Marking the subject
As in 雨が降っています, it shows the subject of what is happening, or a person or thing newly brought into the conversation.
Difference from は
は marks the topic. が introduces or singles out the subject. For だれが来ましたか, the answer is 田中さんが来ました.
Marking the object of a feeling or ability
The object of words such as 好き, ほしい, 上手 and 分かる is marked by が (日本語が分かります).
Examples
-
雨（あめ）が降（ふ）っています。
Ame ga futte imasu.
It is raining.
-
花（はな）がきれいです。
Hana ga kirei desu.
The flowers are pretty.
-
子（こ）どもが泣（な）いています。
Kodomo ga naite imasu.
The child is crying.
Common mistakes
- Do not usually use を with 好き or ほしい (not 犬を好きです).
- When the question word is the subject, use が, not は (だれが, 何が).
More grammar points
- は は (wa) — the topic particle
- を を (o) — the object particle
- に に (ni) — time, destination, location
- で で (de) — place of action & means
- と と (to) — and / together with
- の の (no) — possessive & noun linker
- へ へ (e) — direction
- も も (mo) — also / too
- か か (ka) — the question marker
- から から・まで — from … to …
- より より (yori) — than (comparison)
- だけ ～だけ — “only ～”
- で ～で — place, means and cause
- か か — the question particle
- まで ～まで — “until / up to ～”
- も ～も — “also / too”
- なあ ～なあ — sentence-final feeling
- ね ～ね — “..., right? / isn’t it?”
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