は (wa)
は (wa) — the topic particle
Pattern
-
A は B です。A is B. (As for A, it is B.) -
A は 〜ません。A does not ～. (a statement about topic A)
What it does
は points to the topic — what the whole sentence is about. A good mental translation is "as for ___". Everything after は is a comment on that topic.
How to read it
As a particle は is always read wa, never ha. So わたしは is "watashi wa". The hiragana spelling itself never changes.
は or が?
Use は for the known topic ("the thing we're already talking about") and が to spotlight new or specific information. At N5, start with は for simple "A is B" sentences; が shows up with あります／います and question words like だれが.
Examples
-
わたしは がくせいです。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student.
は sets the topic "I"; です supplies the "am".
-
きょうは さむいです。
Kyō wa samui desu.
It's cold today.
A time word + は = "as for today".
-
わたしは コーヒーを のみません。
Watashi wa kōhī o nomimasen.
I don't drink coffee.
Common mistakes
- Don't pronounce it "ha" — the topic particle は is always "wa".
- は is not the word for "is". The "is" meaning comes from です; は only marks the topic.
More grammar points
- 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
- が ～が — marks the subject
- 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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