Understanding the Basics: The Particles は (wa) and が (ga)

Think of は as the big picture. It sets the stage for your conversation. It tells everyone, "Hey, we are talking about this thing now!" We call this the Topic. On the other hand, が is like a spotlight. It points directly at a specific noun. It says, "This specific thing is the one doing the action!" We call this the Subject. Imagine you are at a party. は is the room you are in. が is the person who just spilled their drink. One provides context. The other provides specific, often new, information.

1. 1Take a noun you want to talk about.
2. 2Add the particle directly after the noun.
3. 3Add the rest of your sentence.
4. 4For the topic: [Noun] + は + [Description].
5. 5For the subject: [Noun] + が + [Action/Description].
6. 6Remember that は is written as 'ha' but pronounced 'wa'.
7. 7が is always pronounced as 'ga'.

Use は when you want to introduce a topic. If you say わたしは たなかです, you are saying "As for me, I am Tanaka." It is great for general statements. Use it for things that are already known. It works perfectly for your name or your job.

Use が when you have new information. Imagine someone asks, "Who ate my cake?" You point to your friend and say かれが たべました. You use が because "he" is the specific person who did it. It provides the answer to the "who" or "what" question. Use it when you want to emphasize a specific choice. It is also used with words like すき (like) or わかります (understand).

Don't use は when the noun is a question word. You should never say だれは きましたか. Question words like だれ (who) or なに (what) always take が. This is a hard rule.

Avoid using が for general, ongoing topics. If you keep using が for everything, you sound very intense. It feels like you are constantly pointing and shouting. "I! AM! EATING! BREAD!" instead of "I'm eating bread." Don't use は inside small descriptive phrases. For example, in "the cake that I ate," use が for "I."

Many people swap them by accident. That is totally okay! One common slip is using は for the weather. Instead of てんきは いいです, we usually use てんきが いいです. Why? Because the weather is an external observation.

Another mistake is using が when introducing yourself. If you say わたしが たなかです, it sounds like a movie scene. It means "I am the Tanaka you were looking for!" Unless you are a secret agent, stick with は. Also, don't forget the pronunciation of は. If you say 'ha', people will be confused. It is always 'wa' when it is a particle.

Think of the sentence "The cat is sleeping."

ねこは ねています means "The cat (we were talking about) is sleeping."

ねこが ねています means "Look! A cat is sleeping!"

は focuses on what comes after it. The sleeping part is the news.

が focuses on what comes before it. The cat is the news.

It is the difference between a description and an announcement.

One is a calm comment. The other is a sudden observation.