Wa vs Ga in Japanese: The Difference, With Examples

Wa vs ga is one of the first puzzles in Japanese grammar. Here is the short answer. は (wa) marks the topic, what the sentence is about, and often something already known. が (ga) marks the subject, often new or specific information. が is also used with question words such as 誰 (dare, who) and 何 (nani, what), and in the answers to those questions. These are rules of thumb rather than strict laws, but they cover most sentences a beginner meets.

One note on spelling. The particle は is the hiragana for ha, but as a particle it is read wa. Our page on how to say hello in Japanese explains why. If the scripts are still new to you, start with our guide to hiragana vs katakana.

What is the difference between wa and ga?

Think of は as saying "as for this". It sets the scene. Think of が as pointing at one thing: "this one, not another". Compare these two sentences.

私は学生です。
Watashi wa gakusei desu.
I am a student.

私が学生です。
Watashi ga gakusei desu.
I am the student. (I am the one who is a student.)

The first tells someone about yourself. The second answers a question such as "Which of you is the student?" The words are the same. Only the focus changes.

When do you use ga in questions?

When a question word is the subject, it takes が, not は. The answer usually keeps が too, because it gives the new information.

誰が来ましたか。
Dare ga kimashita ka.
Who came?

田中さんが来ました。
Tanaka-san ga kimashita.
Tanaka came.

Compare this with a question about something already in front of you. Here the topic is known, so it takes は.

これは何ですか。
Kore wa nan desu ka.
What is this?

何がいいですか。
Nani ga ii desu ka.
What would you like? (Literally, what is good?)

How does wa show contrast?

は can also set two things side by side. This is very common in everyday speech.

肉は食べますが、魚は食べません。
Niku wa tabemasu ga, sakana wa tabemasen.
I eat meat, but I do not eat fish.

The は after each word marks the contrast: meat on one side, fish on the other. The が in the middle is a different が. Here it joins two parts of a sentence and means "but".

Which phrases usually take ga?

Some common patterns take が for the thing you like, understand or have. It helps to learn them as set phrases. In negative or contrasting sentences you will often hear は instead, as in 日本語は分かりません (Nihongo wa wakarimasen, I do not understand Japanese).

• 猫が好きです。 Neko ga suki desu. I like cats.
• 日本語が分かります。 Nihongo ga wakarimasu. I understand Japanese.
• 時間があります。 Jikan ga arimasu. I have time.
• 犬がいます。 Inu ga imasu. There is a dog.

あります is for things and います is for people and animals. Both take が for what exists. You will often see は and が in the same sentence, with は for the person and が for the thing.

私は猫が好きです。
Watashi wa neko ga suki desu.
I like cats. (As for me, cats are what I like.)

All of these patterns are usually taught early, around the N5 and N4 levels. Our guide to the JLPT levels from N5 to N1 explains what each level covers. The finer points of は and が take longer, and most learners keep noticing new uses for years. That is normal.

How LanguaCards helps

In LanguaCards, Japanese words are grouped by JLPT level, from N5 to N1. Every card has audio, and romaji is shown under the Japanese, so you can hear each word while you learn to read it. You can switch romaji off as your reading improves. Reviews bring each word back before you would forget it.