は Particle in Japanese - All you need to know
Anna Baffa Volpe
5 min reading time
Updated on 7 January 2023
In this post we see one of the most used and common topics of Japanese grammar: the particle は (ha, read wa).
Particles are one of the most intriguing and interesting topics in the Japanese language. The term that identifies the particles is 助詞:
- 助
help,assist - 詞 indicates a
part of speech
The first joshi we are going to learn is は.
How to form は
The particle は is read wa and written in hiragana with the character は ha.
Particles are of various kinds, have various functions and also different positions within the sentence.
Let's see below the various grammatical structures that use the particle は:
雪は白い。
The snow is white.
鬼滅の刃は日本の漫画作品だ。
Demon Slayer is a Japanese manga.
I also report this particular use of は in a form of prohibition which sees the verb in its te form joined with は and the verb いけない: てはいけない.
図書館では大声で話してはいけません。
In the library it is forbidden to speak aloud.
How and when to use は
は is used to introduce and present a topic.
話題 is the topic that the particle は introduces.
For example, when we talk about the subject 町 city, the particle は is placed after 町 and thus a sentence is formed which introduces the subject city and continues adding a quality, a characteristic:
この町は古い。
This city is ancient.
は can be considered a 目印 mejirushi or マーカー mākā, a marker that highlights the subject keyword of the sentence
は: theme or topic of the sentence
As we have anticipated, the particle は is used to present the topic of the sentence.
The topic or theme constitutes the material for a conversation, the word that expresses it is followed by は:
私の名前はリザだ。
My name is Lisa.
We find は in 自己紹介 jiko shōkai: when you introduce yourself to someone for the first time
は and true statements
The particle は is used to state a fact that is true, an aspect that no one can deny and which is universally valid.
東京は日本の首都です。
Tokyo is the capital of Japan.
We find the structure は and the copula だ in plain form or です in the polite form
エベレストはヒマラヤ山脈にある標高8,848mの山だ。
Everest is a mountain in the Himalayas, 8,848 meters high.
The word for truth is 真理 and it is also a beautiful female name in Japan.
は and personal opinion
は is also used to express the speaker's point of view, the personal and subjective opinion.
この景色は素敵だ。
This panorama is enchanting.
話し手 hanashite is the speaker; 聞き手 kikite the interlocutor and 主観 shukan subjectivity, personal opinion
は and description of things
When we describe things, people or situations we find the particle は:
このバッグはとても軽いだ。
This bag is very light.
は and explanations, extracted from an article on the web
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は is also present in direct questions that require answers with a yes or a no':
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Support us to unlockExamples of the は particle
あの女優は歌が上手いな。
That actress is a really good singer!
パワースポットという言葉は、実は和製英語です。
Power spot is a Wasei Eigo term.
和製英語 Wasei eigo is a term used to indicate all Japanese words and linguistic constructions, born from the fusion with English , but which are used only in Japan and which are often not understood in English-speaking languages.
副詞は活用しない言葉です。
Adverbs are words that don't decline.
We find the basic structure again: noun + は + noun + だ / です.
副詞は言葉です。
Adverb is a word.
The previous example contains a relative clause, which in Japanese precedes the noun it refers to:
- 活用 しない 言葉:
a word that cannot be declined
活用 katsuyō, means inflection, declension, conjugation
