基本助詞 · Core case markers
は
Topic marker
Identifies the topic of the sentence — what the speaker is commenting on. Often contrasts with が for new or focused information.
When to use
- Introduces the frame for the rest of the sentence
- Often translated as "as for…" rather than a grammatical subject
- Replaces が when the same noun is both topic and subject in neutral statements
How to use
- 1Attach は directly after the noun phrase being topicalized.
- 2は is pronounced wa, not ha, when used as a particle.
- 3The comment that follows explains something about the topic.
Cautions
Nuance & non-standard uses
Patterns that go beyond the textbook default — contrast, omission, register shifts, and mixed particles.
Contrastive は (Aは…、Bは…)
When multiple items are compared in parallel, each gets は to frame "as for A… / as for B…" This is not the neutral topic of a single sentence — it sets up deliberate contrast. Learners often mistake this for a second subject marker.
肉は食べるが、魚は食べない。
As for meat I eat it; as for fish I don't.
東京は人が多いが、田舎は静かだ。
Tokyo is crowded; the countryside is quiet (by contrast).
Thematic は on time, quantity, or setting
Clock times, days, seasons, and amounts can take は to mean "on that occasion / in that amount" — the sentence comments on that frame, not just a bare time slot. This overlaps with に for clock time but adds a "speaking about this period" nuance.
土曜日は休みだ。
Saturdays (in general / as a topic) are days off.
三時間はかかった。
It took (as much as) three hours — emphasis on duration as the point.
Omitted は in casual speech
When the topic is obvious from context, は is frequently dropped. This is not ungrammatical — it is the default in conversation. Textbooks over-mark は; native casual speech under-marks it.
明日、行く？
Tomorrow, (you) going? — topic 明日 understood.
うち、帰る。
I'm heading home — 私は omitted.
は in negative scope (全員は来なかった)
は can scope over a negative predicate to mean "not even / as for the whole set, none…" Similar in feel to も in negative sentences but frames the set as the topic under discussion.
この本は誰も読んでいない。
As for this book, nobody has read it.
Examples
私は学生です。
As for me, (I) am a student.
今日は暑い。
Today (as a topic) is hot.