Japan in Japanese kanji characters is written as follows:
showing the stroke order,
it is pronounced as "ni - hon".
漢字: Japan in Japanese Script
How to write Japan in Japanese Script.
Japan in Japanese kanji characters is written as follows:
showing the stroke order,
it is pronounced as "ni - hon".
Japan in Japanese kanji characters is written as follows:
showing the stroke order,
it is pronounced as "ni - hon".
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜が (ga-2) ]
〜が (ga-2) - but
--- Examples ---
突然ですがボードゲーム告知をてっきり忘れてました。[totsuzen
desu gabo-doge-mukokuchi wo tekkiri wasuretemashita.]
This is out of nowhere but I completely forgot about the BoardGame notice.
悪いですがちょっと静かにしてください。
Sorry but could you keep it a little quieter?
冷静になろうとしたのだが、ついかっとなった。
I tried to be calm but finally I lost my temper.
料理はあまりおいしくなかったが、その他の点では、そのパーティーは成功だった。
The dishes were not so delicious, but otherwise the party was a success.
立ち聞きする気はなかったが、あなたの話しが聞こえた。
I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I did overhear you.
彼は友だちというほどではないが知り合いだ。
He is not a friend, but an acquaintance.
友だちとテニスの試合をしたが負けた。
I played a match of tennis with my friend, but lost.
明日晴れるかどうかわからないが、もし晴れたら、私たちはピクニックへ行く。
I don't know if it will be fine tomorrow, but if it is fine we'll go on a
picnic.
友人を作るのはたやすいが、友情を保つのは難しい。
It is easy to make a man one's friend, but hard to keep him so.
友人のＫは美人だが、人に思いやりがない。
My friend Ｋ is beautiful, but she is not considerate to others.
木は浮くが鉄は沈む。
Wood floats, but iron sinks.
明日の11時に予約をしてありますが、時間を変更できますか。
I have an apointment at eleven tomorrow, but can I change the time?
名前は知らないが、彼女の顔だけは知っている。
I don't know her name, but I do know her by sight.
娘に電話をかけようとしたが、通じなかった。
I tried to call my daughter but couldn't get through.
毎日一生懸命に英語を勉強したが、あまり身につかなかった。
I studied English very hard every day, but I did not learn a lot.
本当に申し訳ないのですが、私はあなたの傘をなくしたらしいのです。
I'm very sorry, but I seem to have lost your umbrella.
できるだけ早く走ったが、最終電車に間に合わなかった。
I ran as fast as possible, but I was not in time for the last train.
--- Comments ---
Thanks a lot. I think I've got all that so I'd better clean up the
comments. ^^v
I wasn't aware that that use of ように can sometimes omit the 'に'.
(contributor: Amatuka)
本当に申し訳ないのですが、私はあなたの傘をなくしたらしいのです。
This sentence sounds awkward.
I would say 'なくしたようです' instead of
'なくしたらしいのです.' (contributor: Nick)
Some people would say 'なくしたらしい（のです）。'.
(contributor: Miki)
Could someone tell me what's the difference between 'Demo, Keredomo' and
'Ga'? (contributor: Kasomi)
as far as i know, ga is more like a 'yet' type of but. demo means something
closer to 'however'. And keredemo is closer to 'nevertheless'.
(contributor: nellyaudrey)
oh, i should add that ga typically contrasts between two differing
sentences. Like that one above,
毎日一生懸命に英語を勉強したが、あまり身につかなかった。
I studied English very hard every day, but I did not learn a lot.
a demo sentence would be
この本はすてきでも買えないだからすぎる高いですよ．
a keredemo sentece implies that you've done something despite something
else. It would be
この本は高いけれでも買いました．
Feel free to correct any of my mistakes but these are the rules as i
learned them. (contributor: nellyaudrey)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ga-2
--- Examples ---
突然ですがボードゲーム告知をてっきり忘れてました。[totsuzen
desu gabo-doge-mukokuchi wo tekkiri wasuretemashita.]
This is out of nowhere but I completely forgot about the BoardGame notice.
悪いですがちょっと静かにしてください。
Sorry but could you keep it a little quieter?
冷静になろうとしたのだが、ついかっとなった。
I tried to be calm but finally I lost my temper.
料理はあまりおいしくなかったが、その他の点では、そのパーティーは成功だった。
The dishes were not so delicious, but otherwise the party was a success.
立ち聞きする気はなかったが、あなたの話しが聞こえた。
I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I did overhear you.
彼は友だちというほどではないが知り合いだ。
He is not a friend, but an acquaintance.
友だちとテニスの試合をしたが負けた。
I played a match of tennis with my friend, but lost.
明日晴れるかどうかわからないが、もし晴れたら、私たちはピクニックへ行く。
I don't know if it will be fine tomorrow, but if it is fine we'll go on a
picnic.
友人を作るのはたやすいが、友情を保つのは難しい。
It is easy to make a man one's friend, but hard to keep him so.
友人のＫは美人だが、人に思いやりがない。
My friend Ｋ is beautiful, but she is not considerate to others.
木は浮くが鉄は沈む。
Wood floats, but iron sinks.
明日の11時に予約をしてありますが、時間を変更できますか。
I have an apointment at eleven tomorrow, but can I change the time?
名前は知らないが、彼女の顔だけは知っている。
I don't know her name, but I do know her by sight.
娘に電話をかけようとしたが、通じなかった。
I tried to call my daughter but couldn't get through.
毎日一生懸命に英語を勉強したが、あまり身につかなかった。
I studied English very hard every day, but I did not learn a lot.
本当に申し訳ないのですが、私はあなたの傘をなくしたらしいのです。
I'm very sorry, but I seem to have lost your umbrella.
できるだけ早く走ったが、最終電車に間に合わなかった。
I ran as fast as possible, but I was not in time for the last train.
--- Comments ---
Thanks a lot. I think I've got all that so I'd better clean up the
comments. ^^v
I wasn't aware that that use of ように can sometimes omit the 'に'.
(contributor: Amatuka)
本当に申し訳ないのですが、私はあなたの傘をなくしたらしいのです。
This sentence sounds awkward.
I would say 'なくしたようです' instead of
'なくしたらしいのです.' (contributor: Nick)
Some people would say 'なくしたらしい（のです）。'.
(contributor: Miki)
Could someone tell me what's the difference between 'Demo, Keredomo' and
'Ga'? (contributor: Kasomi)
as far as i know, ga is more like a 'yet' type of but. demo means something
closer to 'however'. And keredemo is closer to 'nevertheless'.
(contributor: nellyaudrey)
oh, i should add that ga typically contrasts between two differing
sentences. Like that one above,
毎日一生懸命に英語を勉強したが、あまり身につかなかった。
I studied English very hard every day, but I did not learn a lot.
a demo sentence would be
この本はすてきでも買えないだからすぎる高いですよ．
a keredemo sentece implies that you've done something despite something
else. It would be
この本は高いけれでも買いました．
Feel free to correct any of my mistakes but these are the rules as i
learned them. (contributor: nellyaudrey)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ga-2
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜が (ga) ]
〜が (ga) - (subject marker)
--- Examples ---
バスが来るよ。
The bus * is coming!
台所にテレビがあります 。
There is a television * in the kitchen.
ここだと２万円前後のテレビが買える。[koko da to 2 man en
zengo no terebigakaeru.
If it's here then you can buy a television for 20,000 yen - more or less.
この店ではほかでは売っていない特別仕様のＣＧ機能を持つＰＣを買うことができる。
At this shop, you can buy PCs with special CG functionality that is not
offered by others.
nihongo ga dekimasu.
日本語ができます 「にほんごができます。」
(I) can speak ＊ japanese
雨が降っています。(あめがふっています)
Rain is falling. (or it's raining)
--- Comments ---
Need to put together something on when to choose to use が (subject)
instead of は (topic) (contributor: Amatuka)
Note that が (or の) replaces を in sub-sentences.
(See 'television' example, would be テレビを買う (terebi wo kau) if
it was a sentence on it's own. (contributor: Amatuka)
が follows a noun or a noun phrase.
(e.g. 犬が 'the dog' / 'dog(s)'
知るのが 'what (I) know (is)'
The latter case の nominalizes (turns into a noun) 知る)
N = noun (contributor: Amatuka)
In #880, テレビが買うことができる is not acceptable.
(contributor: bamboo4)
However, would TV-wo kau-koto-ga dekiru be acceptable? In the case of -ga,
it marks the object when a verb is in the potential mood, as if the verb
was passive... (contributor: Zhen Lin)
テレビを買うことができる is acceptable. (contributor: bamboo4)
The book Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You by Jay
Rubin offers an excellent section explaining the difference between が and
は. (contributor: anonymous)
Could you explain what you leant from the book the difference between が
and は? (contributor: dakara?)
You can read Tae Kim's online guide to japanese and get a very reasonable
explanation. First of all he rejects the use of the term subject, simply
because it is laden with all the wrong connotations from english. Primarily
because subject in japanese is not the same as subject in english (and most
roman and germanic languages, probably). He calls it the identifier, a
particle used to identfy one among many, where as ha is used to say
something detailed about something, by some called the focus particle.
(contributor: Svendsen)
@Amatuka テレビが買うことができる is wrong
@bamboo4 Yes, テレビを買うことができる is correct
Amatuka is most likely confusing を with が in clauses: if you want to
say 背が高い友達, you can also say 背の高い友達. There is no
difference at all (even in connotation) between の and が as far as every
single Japanese person I've ever asked about this is concerned, when
dealing with this type of clause. (contributor: KyleGoetz)
Can anybody tell me difference between は and が. As both are topic
markers, i dont understand when to use which (contributor: devricha)
Can anybody tell me difference between は and が. As both are topic
markers, i dont understand when to use which (contributor: devricha)
if i'm understand right, a good comparison would be
私は学生です．I am a student. Because here ha focuses on me in
particular. it's a narrower description.
学生がいます．There is a student. because this has a broader sense,
there are many students but here is one.
feel free to correct me but that is what i've come to understand. and
thanks to svendsen because i got most of it from his comment. (contributor:
nellyaudrey)
'ha' is used when introducing/describing something
while 'ga' is used when you want to be specific and direct the focus of
attention to the noun preceding 'ga'
more or less the difference lies on the weight of 'emphasis' ~ tada hitori
no iken desukedo ^w^ (contributor: takamichi)
This article isn't as near as big as it should. I quite personally think
the two entries of ga need to be combined and expanded to show ga's other
usages. I have an article about the differences between wa and ga on my
website www.freewebs.com/kanjiwebs/ because there is no way that only a few
examples could distinguish wa and ga for beginners. There's just no way,
not even for Japanese people. (contributor: IMABI)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ga
--- Examples ---
バスが来るよ。
The bus * is coming!
台所にテレビがあります 。
There is a television * in the kitchen.
ここだと２万円前後のテレビが買える。[koko da to 2 man en
zengo no terebigakaeru.
If it's here then you can buy a television for 20,000 yen - more or less.
この店ではほかでは売っていない特別仕様のＣＧ機能を持つＰＣを買うことができる。
At this shop, you can buy PCs with special CG functionality that is not
offered by others.
nihongo ga dekimasu.
日本語ができます 「にほんごができます。」
(I) can speak ＊ japanese
雨が降っています。(あめがふっています)
Rain is falling. (or it's raining)
--- Comments ---
Need to put together something on when to choose to use が (subject)
instead of は (topic) (contributor: Amatuka)
Note that が (or の) replaces を in sub-sentences.
(See 'television' example, would be テレビを買う (terebi wo kau) if
it was a sentence on it's own. (contributor: Amatuka)
が follows a noun or a noun phrase.
(e.g. 犬が 'the dog' / 'dog(s)'
知るのが 'what (I) know (is)'
The latter case の nominalizes (turns into a noun) 知る)
N = noun (contributor: Amatuka)
In #880, テレビが買うことができる is not acceptable.
(contributor: bamboo4)
However, would TV-wo kau-koto-ga dekiru be acceptable? In the case of -ga,
it marks the object when a verb is in the potential mood, as if the verb
was passive... (contributor: Zhen Lin)
テレビを買うことができる is acceptable. (contributor: bamboo4)
The book Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You by Jay
Rubin offers an excellent section explaining the difference between が and
は. (contributor: anonymous)
Could you explain what you leant from the book the difference between が
and は? (contributor: dakara?)
You can read Tae Kim's online guide to japanese and get a very reasonable
explanation. First of all he rejects the use of the term subject, simply
because it is laden with all the wrong connotations from english. Primarily
because subject in japanese is not the same as subject in english (and most
roman and germanic languages, probably). He calls it the identifier, a
particle used to identfy one among many, where as ha is used to say
something detailed about something, by some called the focus particle.
(contributor: Svendsen)
@Amatuka テレビが買うことができる is wrong
@bamboo4 Yes, テレビを買うことができる is correct
Amatuka is most likely confusing を with が in clauses: if you want to
say 背が高い友達, you can also say 背の高い友達. There is no
difference at all (even in connotation) between の and が as far as every
single Japanese person I've ever asked about this is concerned, when
dealing with this type of clause. (contributor: KyleGoetz)
Can anybody tell me difference between は and が. As both are topic
markers, i dont understand when to use which (contributor: devricha)
Can anybody tell me difference between は and が. As both are topic
markers, i dont understand when to use which (contributor: devricha)
if i'm understand right, a good comparison would be
私は学生です．I am a student. Because here ha focuses on me in
particular. it's a narrower description.
学生がいます．There is a student. because this has a broader sense,
there are many students but here is one.
feel free to correct me but that is what i've come to understand. and
thanks to svendsen because i got most of it from his comment. (contributor:
nellyaudrey)
'ha' is used when introducing/describing something
while 'ga' is used when you want to be specific and direct the focus of
attention to the noun preceding 'ga'
more or less the difference lies on the weight of 'emphasis' ~ tada hitori
no iken desukedo ^w^ (contributor: takamichi)
This article isn't as near as big as it should. I quite personally think
the two entries of ga need to be combined and expanded to show ga's other
usages. I have an article about the differences between wa and ga on my
website www.freewebs.com/kanjiwebs/ because there is no way that only a few
examples could distinguish wa and ga for beginners. There's just no way,
not even for Japanese people. (contributor: IMABI)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ga
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜か (ka) ]
〜か (ka) - ? (basic question particle)
--- Examples ---
これはあなたの本ですか。
Is this your book ?
家に帰りましょうか。
Why don't we go home ?
ひとつ質問をしてもいいですか。
May I ask you a question ?
--- Comments ---
N.B. Commonly [name-san] would be used in place of (contributor: Amatuka)
Placed on the end of a sentence.
S = sentence (contributor: Amatuka)
I see question mark '?' after particle ka in several japanese writing on
internet.
(contributor: Ramesh)
better to romanize as {kore WA anata no hon desu ka}, as in this case it is
a postposition and is pronounced as wa... (contributor: sandra)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ka
--- Examples ---
これはあなたの本ですか。
Is this your book ?
家に帰りましょうか。
Why don't we go home ?
ひとつ質問をしてもいいですか。
May I ask you a question ?
--- Comments ---
N.B. Commonly [name-san] would be used in place of (contributor: Amatuka)
Placed on the end of a sentence.
S = sentence (contributor: Amatuka)
I see question mark '?' after particle ka in several japanese writing on
internet.
(contributor: Ramesh)
better to romanize as {kore WA anata no hon desu ka}, as in this case it is
a postposition and is pronounced as wa... (contributor: sandra)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ka
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜だ (da) ]
〜だ (da) - The 'copula' : expresses conditions. X is Y.
--- Examples ---
犬だ！[inu da!]
It's a dog!
イギリス人です。
I am English.
それはなんですか
What is that?
あの人は誰でしたか。 deshita
Who was that person?
田中さんではありませんでした。
(That) wasn't Mr Tanaka.
猫だった。
(That) was a cat.
犬じゃない。
(That) is not a dog.
きつねじゃなかった？[ kitsuneja nakatta?]
Wasn't it a fox?
まだプロじゃないです。
I'm not a Pro yet.
イギリス人でロンドンに住んでます。
(I'm) English and live in London.
田中さんがこの問題は難しすぎるだと言った。
Mr. Tanaka said, 'this problem is too difficult.'
--- Comments ---
'犬だ' is something a young kid might say on seeing a dog. (contributor:
Amatuka)
Note the particle は is _said_ 'wa' but (depending on romaji system used)
may be written 'ha'.
The kana わ on the other hand is always said and written 'wa'.
(contributor: Amatuka)
Note that the Xは of XはYです is very often omitted if it is known from
context. (contributor: Amatuka)
An interesting Japanese page on です can be found
here. (contributor: Amatuka)
寒いでした is awkward for me. Is it because I am not young enough? :(
寒かったでした。is more natural. (contributor: Miki)
I would recommend asking around among Japanese. 寒いでした is not
used by native speakers - even young ones, though しないです is.
(contributor: Eeker)
寒かったでした is awkward becase 寒かった already talks about
past and adding でした which also indicate something of past is
redundant. 寒かったです would be proper.
(contributor: bamboo4)
bamboo4 you are right. 寒かったです。is proper. (contributor: anon)
Right - 寒かったでした is not used by native speakers, but not just
because of a redundancy in the expression of the past tense. It is because
when you have an い-adjective, you do not conjugate the past tense into
the です, you conjugate it into the adjective. Note that I was referring
to 寒いでした (the example the author wrote in to this page), not
寒かったでした, but because of what I stated, both are non-native
utterances ('wrong'). (contributor: Eeker)
sorry, I am a native speaker.^^; (contributor: anon)
Sorry, I am also a native speaker. (contributor: bamboo4)
So we know that は should be read wa, but somehow no one changes this
page to reflect this. I wonder why. (contributor: Mitokomun)
I always found this 'tense' for adjectives confusing. guess we dont have a
past tense of 'cold' in english. colded?
NG: 寒い でした : cold , it was
OK: 寒かった です: colded , it is
(contributor: dc)
Mitokomun > romanized japanese textbooks that I have seen always write は
as 'ha' even when they know it should be pronounced 'wa'.
To make it even more confusing, there are occasions where it is pronounced
'wa' too...
Maybe someone else can explain why this is, but we are sticking to the
standard romanization method. I guess I got used to it but it really threw
me at first.
check the page for more. (contributor: dc)
寒い でした is incorrect.
寒かった is ok.
寒かった です is politer because of the word です which expresses
the standard polite form.
犬だ is ok, all Japs say that. And if you change だ into です, it
shows your politeness (contributor: Unnamed)
For understanding the logic behind the copula transformations across
tenses, affirmative/negative form etc... it helps to fall back to a vision
of だ as the contraction of the canonic (formal) form である.
canonic contraction
である だ
であります です
であった だった
でありました でした
であろう だろう
でありましょう でしょう
You can then mostly rebuild the whole conjugation table by combining that
with the following:
- は is (generally) appended to で for the negative form: では,
contracted to じゃ in less formal situations
- conjugation of ある: negative plain form of 5段 verb ある is
い-adjective ない, polite form of 5段 verb ある is irregular verb
ござる
- standard understanding of 5段 verb and い-adjective conjugations
(contributor: Max)
In the example #879 the romanized イギリス人 should be igirisujin.
Also, if 住んで is the -te form of sumu, what does the form
住んでます do? I always see 住んでいます. (contributor:
balrog-kun)
そのex #5524
はちゃう。「田中さんがこの問題は難しすぎるだと言った。」ってゆうより「田中さんがこの問題は難しすぎるって言った」ってゆった方がええやろ。
(contributor: フリザ)
So, all conjugations of the copula are derived from contractions of
である and ではある (for negative tenses). In the negative present
and past possible tenses, the conjugations are ないでしょう and
なかったでしょう. Why can't they also become
ではないでしょう and ではなかったでしょう? Also, why
can't the plain past and negative possible tenses be contracted from
ではないだろう and ではなかっただろう to
じゃないだろう and じゃなかっただろう? (contributor: karamu
san)
Re Mitokomun and dc's comments on は/wa/ha:
I just checked about 20 text books/dictionaries. Without exception they all
romanize the particle は as 'wa'. The only place I have ever come across
the particle は written 'ha' is on the Internet. I presume this is due to
cases where computers have done automatic transcriptions of hiragana to
romaji without regard for the grammatical context. (contributor: Sumofan)
balrog-kun is right about example #879. イギリス人 should be romanized
as igirisujin and not igirujin. (contributor: lstep)
The copula verb is fun. I can help about when to use da as I teach Japanese
at www.freewebs.com/kanjiwebs/ (contributor: IMABI)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=da
--- Examples ---
犬だ！[inu da!]
It's a dog!
イギリス人です。
I am English.
それはなんですか
What is that?
あの人は誰でしたか。 deshita
Who was that person?
田中さんではありませんでした。
(That) wasn't Mr Tanaka.
猫だった。
(That) was a cat.
犬じゃない。
(That) is not a dog.
きつねじゃなかった？[ kitsuneja nakatta?]
Wasn't it a fox?
まだプロじゃないです。
I'm not a Pro yet.
イギリス人でロンドンに住んでます。
(I'm) English and live in London.
田中さんがこの問題は難しすぎるだと言った。
Mr. Tanaka said, 'this problem is too difficult.'
--- Comments ---
'犬だ' is something a young kid might say on seeing a dog. (contributor:
Amatuka)
Note the particle は is _said_ 'wa' but (depending on romaji system used)
may be written 'ha'.
The kana わ on the other hand is always said and written 'wa'.
(contributor: Amatuka)
Note that the Xは of XはYです is very often omitted if it is known from
context. (contributor: Amatuka)
An interesting Japanese page on です can be found
here. (contributor: Amatuka)
寒いでした is awkward for me. Is it because I am not young enough? :(
寒かったでした。is more natural. (contributor: Miki)
I would recommend asking around among Japanese. 寒いでした is not
used by native speakers - even young ones, though しないです is.
(contributor: Eeker)
寒かったでした is awkward becase 寒かった already talks about
past and adding でした which also indicate something of past is
redundant. 寒かったです would be proper.
(contributor: bamboo4)
bamboo4 you are right. 寒かったです。is proper. (contributor: anon)
Right - 寒かったでした is not used by native speakers, but not just
because of a redundancy in the expression of the past tense. It is because
when you have an い-adjective, you do not conjugate the past tense into
the です, you conjugate it into the adjective. Note that I was referring
to 寒いでした (the example the author wrote in to this page), not
寒かったでした, but because of what I stated, both are non-native
utterances ('wrong'). (contributor: Eeker)
sorry, I am a native speaker.^^; (contributor: anon)
Sorry, I am also a native speaker. (contributor: bamboo4)
So we know that は should be read wa, but somehow no one changes this
page to reflect this. I wonder why. (contributor: Mitokomun)
I always found this 'tense' for adjectives confusing. guess we dont have a
past tense of 'cold' in english. colded?
NG: 寒い でした : cold , it was
OK: 寒かった です: colded , it is
(contributor: dc)
Mitokomun > romanized japanese textbooks that I have seen always write は
as 'ha' even when they know it should be pronounced 'wa'.
To make it even more confusing, there are occasions where it is pronounced
'wa' too...
Maybe someone else can explain why this is, but we are sticking to the
standard romanization method. I guess I got used to it but it really threw
me at first.
check the page for more. (contributor: dc)
寒い でした is incorrect.
寒かった is ok.
寒かった です is politer because of the word です which expresses
the standard polite form.
犬だ is ok, all Japs say that. And if you change だ into です, it
shows your politeness (contributor: Unnamed)
For understanding the logic behind the copula transformations across
tenses, affirmative/negative form etc... it helps to fall back to a vision
of だ as the contraction of the canonic (formal) form である.
canonic contraction
である だ
であります です
であった だった
でありました でした
であろう だろう
でありましょう でしょう
You can then mostly rebuild the whole conjugation table by combining that
with the following:
- は is (generally) appended to で for the negative form: では,
contracted to じゃ in less formal situations
- conjugation of ある: negative plain form of 5段 verb ある is
い-adjective ない, polite form of 5段 verb ある is irregular verb
ござる
- standard understanding of 5段 verb and い-adjective conjugations
(contributor: Max)
In the example #879 the romanized イギリス人 should be igirisujin.
Also, if 住んで is the -te form of sumu, what does the form
住んでます do? I always see 住んでいます. (contributor:
balrog-kun)
そのex #5524
はちゃう。「田中さんがこの問題は難しすぎるだと言った。」ってゆうより「田中さんがこの問題は難しすぎるって言った」ってゆった方がええやろ。
(contributor: フリザ)
So, all conjugations of the copula are derived from contractions of
である and ではある (for negative tenses). In the negative present
and past possible tenses, the conjugations are ないでしょう and
なかったでしょう. Why can't they also become
ではないでしょう and ではなかったでしょう? Also, why
can't the plain past and negative possible tenses be contracted from
ではないだろう and ではなかっただろう to
じゃないだろう and じゃなかっただろう? (contributor: karamu
san)
Re Mitokomun and dc's comments on は/wa/ha:
I just checked about 20 text books/dictionaries. Without exception they all
romanize the particle は as 'wa'. The only place I have ever come across
the particle は written 'ha' is on the Internet. I presume this is due to
cases where computers have done automatic transcriptions of hiragana to
romaji without regard for the grammatical context. (contributor: Sumofan)
balrog-kun is right about example #879. イギリス人 should be romanized
as igirisujin and not igirujin. (contributor: lstep)
The copula verb is fun. I can help about when to use da as I teach Japanese
at www.freewebs.com/kanjiwebs/ (contributor: IMABI)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=da
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜たい (verb stem + tai) ]
〜たい (verb stem + tai) - I want to (verb)
--- Notes ---
It is considered impolite to ask someone else if the 'want' to do
something. Instead, use the negative form of the verb in a question.
Very important: 'tai' can only be used for the I person, like 'i want'.
If you want to say that someone else wants, you use 'tagaru'.
Ex:かれは牛乳を飲みたがっています。
This is because Japanese never imply they know what someone else wishes,
and 'garu' means: 'i think that', 'i heard that', etc.
--- Examples ---
日本に行きたいです。
(I) want to go to Japan.
君のところへ行きたいよ。
(I) want to go to where you are.
日本で英語をおしえたいです。
I want to teach English in Japan.
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=verb stem + tai
--- Notes ---
It is considered impolite to ask someone else if the 'want' to do
something. Instead, use the negative form of the verb in a question.
Very important: 'tai' can only be used for the I person, like 'i want'.
If you want to say that someone else wants, you use 'tagaru'.
Ex:かれは牛乳を飲みたがっています。
This is because Japanese never imply they know what someone else wishes,
and 'garu' means: 'i think that', 'i heard that', etc.
--- Examples ---
日本に行きたいです。
(I) want to go to Japan.
君のところへ行きたいよ。
(I) want to go to where you are.
日本で英語をおしえたいです。
I want to teach English in Japan.
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=verb stem + tai
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜で (de) ]
〜で (de) - by means of, by, at a place
--- Examples ---
車で来ました。
(I) came by car.
ひとりで行きますか。
Are you going by youself?
ペンで書く。
I write with a pen.
町角で
At the corner of the street
食料品店でそれを買いました。
I bought it at the grocer's shop.
彼女はその市で働いている。
She works in that city.
海で泳ぐのが好きです。
I like swimming in the sea.
通りで遊ぶ。
Play in/on the street.
この店は八時で閉店です。
This store closes at eight o'clock.
私は三回目で試験に合格しました。
I passed the test on on the 3rd time.
彼は八十歳で亡くなりました。
He passed away at the age of 88.
二、三日で帰るつもりです。
I plan to return home in two or three days.
ナイフで肉を切るのは本当に難しい。
Cutting meat with a knife is really difficult.
みずほでお勤めですか。
Do you work at at Mizuho?
--- Comments ---
As with である, I do not see why this has it's own page. で is the
'て-form' of だ and as such operates largely the same way any て-form
would. For example: そのペンを使って書いた。- 'I wrote it
using that pen'. The fragment 'using that pen' is equivalent to the
fragment 'by car' in the example given by the author. This simply means
that when だ's て-form is used (で) with a noun, we add 'by', whereas in
the case of a different verb's て-form, that verb + ing suffices in
expressing the means by which something is done. When critically analyzing
the fundamental grammatical structure of this Japanese without applying our
English-based perceptions to it, で should not be distinguished from だ
on a separate page. It's colloquial interpretations according to
English-based perceptions might just be sidenotes on that page.
(contributor: Eeker)
Eeker, why don't you make a new entry? (contributor: anon)
I think that convoluted explanation proves why 'de' needs its own separate
page. While the explanation may be correct, it's too labyrinthine to be
usefully instructive when 'de' pops up in Japanese study (quite early).
'De' functions as a particle, regardless of its roots, and it's too comon a
term to be stuck as a footnote to 'da'. It deserves its own page.
(contributor: Synonymous)
I find it most helpful to have the convoluted explanation and the
technically redundant but simpler entry in the same place. Thanks Amatuka
and Eeker. (contributor: denzil)
This might be a result of applying the English-based (or foreign-based in
general) perceptions, but most of the people reading this are actually
English speakers trying to learn Japanese and articles like this one make
the learning easier, especially in the early stage, when you don't
necesarily know about て-forms. (contributor: balrog-kun)
Eeker, thanks for the explanation. Suddenly です as 「-で
あります」starts to make much more sense. (contributor: 9000)
Sometimes a で is just a で.........
if you bring up that first explanation to an average japanese person,
they`d probably look at you like you were nuts!!!! (contributor: gren)
I agree with dezil and 9000--lights and bells went off after I read Eeker's
entry. That said, I'm rarely a purist, and I think a separate entry is
merited for the JLPT 2/3 levels (including at least a pointer to Eeker's
entry). Thanks everyone for your contributions.
(contributor: jameserb)
I put many usages of the word de up on my site where I teach Japanese
www.freewebs.com/kanjiwebs/ as this is not near enough of examples for
people to know what de is. At least 1 example for each usage and that is
not near as what is shown here. (contributor: IMABI)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=de
--- Examples ---
車で来ました。
(I) came by car.
ひとりで行きますか。
Are you going by youself?
ペンで書く。
I write with a pen.
町角で
At the corner of the street
食料品店でそれを買いました。
I bought it at the grocer's shop.
彼女はその市で働いている。
She works in that city.
海で泳ぐのが好きです。
I like swimming in the sea.
通りで遊ぶ。
Play in/on the street.
この店は八時で閉店です。
This store closes at eight o'clock.
私は三回目で試験に合格しました。
I passed the test on on the 3rd time.
彼は八十歳で亡くなりました。
He passed away at the age of 88.
二、三日で帰るつもりです。
I plan to return home in two or three days.
ナイフで肉を切るのは本当に難しい。
Cutting meat with a knife is really difficult.
みずほでお勤めですか。
Do you work at at Mizuho?
--- Comments ---
As with である, I do not see why this has it's own page. で is the
'て-form' of だ and as such operates largely the same way any て-form
would. For example: そのペンを使って書いた。- 'I wrote it
using that pen'. The fragment 'using that pen' is equivalent to the
fragment 'by car' in the example given by the author. This simply means
that when だ's て-form is used (で) with a noun, we add 'by', whereas in
the case of a different verb's て-form, that verb + ing suffices in
expressing the means by which something is done. When critically analyzing
the fundamental grammatical structure of this Japanese without applying our
English-based perceptions to it, で should not be distinguished from だ
on a separate page. It's colloquial interpretations according to
English-based perceptions might just be sidenotes on that page.
(contributor: Eeker)
Eeker, why don't you make a new entry? (contributor: anon)
I think that convoluted explanation proves why 'de' needs its own separate
page. While the explanation may be correct, it's too labyrinthine to be
usefully instructive when 'de' pops up in Japanese study (quite early).
'De' functions as a particle, regardless of its roots, and it's too comon a
term to be stuck as a footnote to 'da'. It deserves its own page.
(contributor: Synonymous)
I find it most helpful to have the convoluted explanation and the
technically redundant but simpler entry in the same place. Thanks Amatuka
and Eeker. (contributor: denzil)
This might be a result of applying the English-based (or foreign-based in
general) perceptions, but most of the people reading this are actually
English speakers trying to learn Japanese and articles like this one make
the learning easier, especially in the early stage, when you don't
necesarily know about て-forms. (contributor: balrog-kun)
Eeker, thanks for the explanation. Suddenly です as 「-で
あります」starts to make much more sense. (contributor: 9000)
Sometimes a で is just a で.........
if you bring up that first explanation to an average japanese person,
they`d probably look at you like you were nuts!!!! (contributor: gren)
I agree with dezil and 9000--lights and bells went off after I read Eeker's
entry. That said, I'm rarely a purist, and I think a separate entry is
merited for the JLPT 2/3 levels (including at least a pointer to Eeker's
entry). Thanks everyone for your contributions.
(contributor: jameserb)
I put many usages of the word de up on my site where I teach Japanese
www.freewebs.com/kanjiwebs/ as this is not near enough of examples for
people to know what de is. At least 1 example for each usage and that is
not near as what is shown here. (contributor: IMABI)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=de
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜に (ni-2) ]
〜に (ni-2) - to, from (indirect object marker)
--- Examples ---
これは母に貰いました。
I got this from my mother.
そこに着いたら私に教えてください。
Please let me know when you we get there.
私はともだちに電話をします。
I will call a friend.
私はあなたにりんごをあげる。
I will give an apple to you.
彼は先生にしかられた。
He got scolded by the teacher.
--- Comments ---
Remind me to check up on 貰う etc. with all that in-group / out-group etc
stuff. (contributor: Amatuka)
に marks the indirect object of the verb
receiver of the action
(contributor: Miki)
Some E translations don't have right words just for に and I put verb
instead. Please change English if you have better translation.
(contributor: Miki)
there is a mistake in the grammar in #4899
should be something like 'please let me know when you get there.'
(contributor: ck1984)
'に marks the indirect object of the verb
receiver of the action'
this causes some confusion with ex #4902 since 'he' is the one receiving
the scolding? (contributor: skysongz)
I was a bit confused about this as well, though thinking of it as marking
an indirect object helps so much-- all of the books and things have
explained it in a way that connects it to its first meaning...
(contributor: Saralynne)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ni-2
--- Examples ---
これは母に貰いました。
I got this from my mother.
そこに着いたら私に教えてください。
Please let me know when you we get there.
私はともだちに電話をします。
I will call a friend.
私はあなたにりんごをあげる。
I will give an apple to you.
彼は先生にしかられた。
He got scolded by the teacher.
--- Comments ---
Remind me to check up on 貰う etc. with all that in-group / out-group etc
stuff. (contributor: Amatuka)
に marks the indirect object of the verb
receiver of the action
(contributor: Miki)
Some E translations don't have right words just for に and I put verb
instead. Please change English if you have better translation.
(contributor: Miki)
there is a mistake in the grammar in #4899
should be something like 'please let me know when you get there.'
(contributor: ck1984)
'に marks the indirect object of the verb
receiver of the action'
this causes some confusion with ex #4902 since 'he' is the one receiving
the scolding? (contributor: skysongz)
I was a bit confused about this as well, though thinking of it as marking
an indirect object helps so much-- all of the books and things have
explained it in a way that connects it to its first meaning...
(contributor: Saralynne)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ni-2
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜に (ni) ]
〜に (ni) - (location marker, time marker, direction marker)
--- Examples ---
その車に犬 が います 。
There is a dog in that car.
１０時に約束があります。
I have an appointment at ten.
きっかり９時に来なさい。
Come at nine o'clock sharp.
１０人の学生が同時に立ち上がった。
Ten students stood up all at once.
２時に空港に見送りに行きます。
I'm going to see her off at the airport at 2:00.
彼は休暇でコロラドにいる。
He is on vacation in Colorado.
だれか玄関にいる。
Someone is at the door.
その町はロンドンのすぐ北にある。
The town lies just above London.
その店は通りの左側にある。
The shop is on the left side of the street.
アルプス山脈はヨーロッパの中央にある。
The Alps are in the centre of Europe.
サンフランシスコはアメリカの西海岸にある。
San Francisco is on the West Coast of the U.S.
テレビのリモコンがソファーの下にある。
A TV remote control is under the couch.
バス停は学校の近くにある。
The bus stop is near our school.
ローマはイタリアにある。
Rome is in Italy.
空は私たちの頭上にある。
The sky is over at heads.
--- Comments ---
There are a few places where に can't be used.
×友だちにのプレゼント BAD
○友だちへのプレゼント GOOD
And some where only に can be used
事務所にパソコンがある (contributor: Amatuka)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ni
--- Examples ---
その車に犬 が います 。
There is a dog in that car.
１０時に約束があります。
I have an appointment at ten.
きっかり９時に来なさい。
Come at nine o'clock sharp.
１０人の学生が同時に立ち上がった。
Ten students stood up all at once.
２時に空港に見送りに行きます。
I'm going to see her off at the airport at 2:00.
彼は休暇でコロラドにいる。
He is on vacation in Colorado.
だれか玄関にいる。
Someone is at the door.
その町はロンドンのすぐ北にある。
The town lies just above London.
その店は通りの左側にある。
The shop is on the left side of the street.
アルプス山脈はヨーロッパの中央にある。
The Alps are in the centre of Europe.
サンフランシスコはアメリカの西海岸にある。
San Francisco is on the West Coast of the U.S.
テレビのリモコンがソファーの下にある。
A TV remote control is under the couch.
バス停は学校の近くにある。
The bus stop is near our school.
ローマはイタリアにある。
Rome is in Italy.
空は私たちの頭上にある。
The sky is over at heads.
--- Comments ---
There are a few places where に can't be used.
×友だちにのプレゼント BAD
○友だちへのプレゼント GOOD
And some where only に can be used
事務所にパソコンがある (contributor: Amatuka)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ni
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜ね (ne) ]
〜ね (ne) - isn't it?
--- Notes ---
”ね”(ne) goes at the END of a sentence and nowhere else.
--- Examples ---
これはいいですね。
Isn't this nice !
ええと、映画館は駅の近くにありますね。[eeto, eigakan ha
eki no chikaku ni arimasune.]
Er, the cinema is near the station, right?
突然寒くなったね。
It has suddenly got cold, hasn't it?
「彼女は音楽が好きだね。」「そうだね。」
'She likes music, doesn't she?' 'So she does.'
９時でよろしいですね。
Would 9 o'clock be all right?
あなたのお母さんは、とても若いですね。
Your mother is very young, isn't she?
あなたは一度も沖縄に行ったことがありませんね。
You have never been to Okinawa, have you?
あなたはおもしろい場所をたくさん知っていますね。
You know many interesting places, don't you?
あなたはその計画に賛成ですね。
You are in favour of the plan, aren't you?
あなたはタバコを吸わないんですね。
You don't smoke, do you?
あなたは泳げますね。
You can swim, can't you?
あなたは昨日家にいましたね。
You were at home yesterday, weren't you?
「一杯飲もうよ、ね。」「うん、そうしよう。」
'Let's have a drink, shall we?' 'Yes, let's.'
--- Comments ---
Sentence ending particle.
Used either for seeking agreement, or when sharing one's impression with
someone else. (contributor: Amatuka)
Contrary to what big fat header in notes says, there does exist a usage of
ね not at the end of sentence. This is similar to English meaningless
'like', as in:
それで、彼はね、全部納豆がきらいんだよったね。
So, he was all like, 'I hate nattou', right.
Here the first ね serves only the purpose of engaging the listener more,
and just like in English, it can be overused easily. (contributor:
mathrick)
ね is often used with statements about things that are fairly obvious (the
'classic' example is いい天気ですね。 - 'Nice weather, isn't it.').
It can (but doesn't always) have a similar effect on a sentence as 'I see
that...' in English (example from Chrono Trigger, slightly modified to not
be feminine):
やっと起きたんだね。 (yatto okita nda ne.)
I see you're finally up.
And mathrick is absolutely right, though that's arguably a different ね. I
think of it as being something like interrupting yourself to make sure the
other person's paying attention, sort of like interjecting 'okay?' or
'listening?' into the sentence. Maybe it's just me, but overusing this
seems to make you sound girlish. Take this line, for instance (from the
song Dreamer -a innocent magical girl-):
街に出かけたら今日も 声かけられた (machi ni dekaketara
kyou mo koe kakerareta)
でもね実はね私 興味ない (demo ne jitsu wa ne watashi kyoumi
nai.)
I was called out to [probably closer to 'hit on' given the context] again
today when I went out into the city
But, okay?, the truth is, you listening?, I'm not interested.
And just to confuse things more (not really), there's yet another ね.
Stick it at the beginning of a sentence (or even as its own sentence) as
sort of a demand for attention (another example from Chrono Trigger):
ね、いいでしょクロノ？ (ne, ii desho kurono?)
Hey, you don't mind, right, Crono? (contributor: KWhazit)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ne
--- Notes ---
”ね”(ne) goes at the END of a sentence and nowhere else.
--- Examples ---
これはいいですね。
Isn't this nice !
ええと、映画館は駅の近くにありますね。[eeto, eigakan ha
eki no chikaku ni arimasune.]
Er, the cinema is near the station, right?
突然寒くなったね。
It has suddenly got cold, hasn't it?
「彼女は音楽が好きだね。」「そうだね。」
'She likes music, doesn't she?' 'So she does.'
９時でよろしいですね。
Would 9 o'clock be all right?
あなたのお母さんは、とても若いですね。
Your mother is very young, isn't she?
あなたは一度も沖縄に行ったことがありませんね。
You have never been to Okinawa, have you?
あなたはおもしろい場所をたくさん知っていますね。
You know many interesting places, don't you?
あなたはその計画に賛成ですね。
You are in favour of the plan, aren't you?
あなたはタバコを吸わないんですね。
You don't smoke, do you?
あなたは泳げますね。
You can swim, can't you?
あなたは昨日家にいましたね。
You were at home yesterday, weren't you?
「一杯飲もうよ、ね。」「うん、そうしよう。」
'Let's have a drink, shall we?' 'Yes, let's.'
--- Comments ---
Sentence ending particle.
Used either for seeking agreement, or when sharing one's impression with
someone else. (contributor: Amatuka)
Contrary to what big fat header in notes says, there does exist a usage of
ね not at the end of sentence. This is similar to English meaningless
'like', as in:
それで、彼はね、全部納豆がきらいんだよったね。
So, he was all like, 'I hate nattou', right.
Here the first ね serves only the purpose of engaging the listener more,
and just like in English, it can be overused easily. (contributor:
mathrick)
ね is often used with statements about things that are fairly obvious (the
'classic' example is いい天気ですね。 - 'Nice weather, isn't it.').
It can (but doesn't always) have a similar effect on a sentence as 'I see
that...' in English (example from Chrono Trigger, slightly modified to not
be feminine):
やっと起きたんだね。 (yatto okita nda ne.)
I see you're finally up.
And mathrick is absolutely right, though that's arguably a different ね. I
think of it as being something like interrupting yourself to make sure the
other person's paying attention, sort of like interjecting 'okay?' or
'listening?' into the sentence. Maybe it's just me, but overusing this
seems to make you sound girlish. Take this line, for instance (from the
song Dreamer -a innocent magical girl-):
街に出かけたら今日も 声かけられた (machi ni dekaketara
kyou mo koe kakerareta)
でもね実はね私 興味ない (demo ne jitsu wa ne watashi kyoumi
nai.)
I was called out to [probably closer to 'hit on' given the context] again
today when I went out into the city
But, okay?, the truth is, you listening?, I'm not interested.
And just to confuse things more (not really), there's yet another ね.
Stick it at the beginning of a sentence (or even as its own sentence) as
sort of a demand for attention (another example from Chrono Trigger):
ね、いいでしょクロノ？ (ne, ii desho kurono?)
Hey, you don't mind, right, Crono? (contributor: KWhazit)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ne
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜の (no) ]
〜の (no) - 's, of
--- Examples ---
フレッド君の車はどこにありますか。
Where is Fred 's car?
フレッド君のですか。
(Is this) Fred 's ?
「これは誰のペン？」「私の。」「koreha dare no
pen?」「watashi no。」
'Whose pen is this?' 'Mine.'
--- Comments ---
Note how the object may be omitted if it is understood from context.
(contributor: Amatuka)
の can be used in other ways which you will come across later in Japanese
study. (contributor: Amatuka)
Also traslates as 'of'.
Tree of the forest/the forest's tree:
mori no ki = mori no ki
(forest of tree) (forest 's tree) (contributor: Ayumi)
'koreha dare no pen' -- probably 'kore WA dare no pen KA'? (contributor:
9000)
It's my understanding that 'ka' is usually left out in casual speech, where
questions can be implied through intonation, but you should always use 'ka'
in writing, of course. (contributor: metaphist)
I think that even in writing you can ommit the か in casual situations,
simply putting the '?' as Miki did. In this context, adding か may change
the nuance, I guess. (contributor: slack.hideo)
I was once told that adding ka at the end like that can make the question
sound sort of interrogative or even threatening in some way.
EX Who is behind this Graffiti？
この落書きは誰の仕業か？ (contributor: kadoka66)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=no
--- Examples ---
フレッド君の車はどこにありますか。
Where is Fred 's car?
フレッド君のですか。
(Is this) Fred 's ?
「これは誰のペン？」「私の。」「koreha dare no
pen?」「watashi no。」
'Whose pen is this?' 'Mine.'
--- Comments ---
Note how the object may be omitted if it is understood from context.
(contributor: Amatuka)
の can be used in other ways which you will come across later in Japanese
study. (contributor: Amatuka)
Also traslates as 'of'.
Tree of the forest/the forest's tree:
mori no ki = mori no ki
(forest of tree) (forest 's tree) (contributor: Ayumi)
'koreha dare no pen' -- probably 'kore WA dare no pen KA'? (contributor:
9000)
It's my understanding that 'ka' is usually left out in casual speech, where
questions can be implied through intonation, but you should always use 'ka'
in writing, of course. (contributor: metaphist)
I think that even in writing you can ommit the か in casual situations,
simply putting the '?' as Miki did. In this context, adding か may change
the nuance, I guess. (contributor: slack.hideo)
I was once told that adding ka at the end like that can make the question
sound sort of interrogative or even threatening in some way.
EX Who is behind this Graffiti？
この落書きは誰の仕業か？ (contributor: kadoka66)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=no
文法: Grammar a Day - Level 4 [ 〜は (ha) ]
〜は (ha) - 'topic marker' (also shown as 'wa')
--- Notes ---
Introducing は 'wa' and です。'desu.'
the particle は marks the topic.
(Remember particles attach to the word which they follow, and that when は
is a particle it is pronounced wa.)
です。functions like 'is' or 'topic is.'
--- Examples ---
田中さんは大学生です。
Mr. Tanaka is a university student.
私はマイケルです。
I am Michael.
林檎は緑です。
The apple is green.
--- Comments ---
See here and here for two very interesting Japanese pages on using ha vs.
ga (contributor: Amatuka)
When to use は vs が?
Both sentences like 雨は降っている。[ame ha
futteiru] and 雨が降っている。 are
valid, so working out when to use which form is a
tricky point.
First: In answering a question such as
Q. 机の上に何がありますか。
A. 鉛筆があります。.
Here が is used. (contributor: Amatuka)
On the other hand if attention has been placed on something in advance and
the question is asked with that object as the topic...
Q. 本はどこにありますか。
A. 本はイスの下にあります。
then は is used. (contributor: Amatuka)
が is also used to indicate a specific choice.
私が行きます。
_I'll_ go. (not any of the other possibilities). (contributor: Amatuka)
は is used for contrastative sentences (see ha-2).
For example normally you'd say
犬が好きです。 I like dogs.
However if you want to contrast how you feel about dogs with how you feel
about other animals then
犬は好きだが、猫はどうも・・・[inu ha suki da ga, neko ha
doumo ...]
I like _dogs_ but I really don't (get on with) cats. (contributor: Amatuka)
は [ha / wa] follows a noun or a noun phrase.
(e.g. 犬は 'as for dogs'
知るのは 'as for what (I) know'
The latter case の nominalizes (turns into a noun) 知る)
N = noun (contributor: Amatuka)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ha
--- Notes ---
Introducing は 'wa' and です。'desu.'
the particle は marks the topic.
(Remember particles attach to the word which they follow, and that when は
is a particle it is pronounced wa.)
です。functions like 'is' or 'topic is.'
--- Examples ---
田中さんは大学生です。
Mr. Tanaka is a university student.
私はマイケルです。
I am Michael.
林檎は緑です。
The apple is green.
--- Comments ---
See here and here for two very interesting Japanese pages on using ha vs.
ga (contributor: Amatuka)
When to use は vs が?
Both sentences like 雨は降っている。[ame ha
futteiru] and 雨が降っている。 are
valid, so working out when to use which form is a
tricky point.
First: In answering a question such as
Q. 机の上に何がありますか。
A. 鉛筆があります。.
Here が is used. (contributor: Amatuka)
On the other hand if attention has been placed on something in advance and
the question is asked with that object as the topic...
Q. 本はどこにありますか。
A. 本はイスの下にあります。
then は is used. (contributor: Amatuka)
が is also used to indicate a specific choice.
私が行きます。
_I'll_ go. (not any of the other possibilities). (contributor: Amatuka)
は is used for contrastative sentences (see ha-2).
For example normally you'd say
犬が好きです。 I like dogs.
However if you want to contrast how you feel about dogs with how you feel
about other animals then
犬は好きだが、猫はどうも・・・[inu ha suki da ga, neko ha
doumo ...]
I like _dogs_ but I really don't (get on with) cats. (contributor: Amatuka)
は [ha / wa] follows a noun or a noun phrase.
(e.g. 犬は 'as for dogs'
知るのは 'as for what (I) know'
The latter case の nominalizes (turns into a noun) 知る)
N = noun (contributor: Amatuka)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=ha
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